59
edits
Changes
no edit summary
There's always the option of taking the sea route between two places. People have taken advantage of the seas for as long a time as civilizations have existed. '''Hitchhiking a boat''' can be a great way to visit places you never would have visted otherwise (especially without an expensive and extremely pollutant plane tickettrip), and to experience both the romance and the harsh realities of traveling by sea. Getting rides on boats is much different from sticking your thumb out on the highway - it's less spontaneous and usually involves shared monetary costs - but many hitchhikers will still find it a rewarding and worthwhile method of transportation.
= Hitchhiking a Sailboat or Yacht =
'''Hitchhiking a sailboat''' or yacht can be quite an endeavor for some, but can be done with the right amount of persistence and flexibility. It generally means finding sail boats that need an extra hand on deck, and becoming part of their crew. With boats, the procedure of hitching is not so much about finding someone going to your destination, but more about finding the right boat and/or captain for you. In general, a lot of captains are ready to take persons (crew members) on their boat to aid with watch keeping, general tasks, or just purely for company.
==Important Differences from Land Hitchhiking==Be aware of the huge and important differences between hitchhiking a boat and hitchhiking a car. Unless you've been invited aboard a rich person's superyacht, you will almost always be expected to help out with various kinds of work on a boat, and you will usually also be asked to pay your share of food and maybe other expenses too (see "Requirements" below). Getting on a stranger's boat is also much bigger commitment than hopping in a car, for both you and for the captain - if you're a week's sail out into the open ocean (or even an hour off the coast), getting out of the vehicle on short notice is not an option. To make sure you don't come off as naive and entitled to boat captains, first read [http://www.yachtmollymawk.com/2011/03/hitch-hiking-across-the-atlantic/ this article] about boat hitchhiking from a cynical captain's point of view. But don't get discouraged: Next, start following a Facebook group [https://www.facebook.com/groups/sailboatyacht/ like this one] and watch some captains agreeing and others disagreeing with his attitude. The take-home message is that there are almost as many types of captains as regular people, and nothing is impossible, as long you're prepared to approach the world of boats with a hard-working and humble attitude.
==Safety==
===Communications===
Once you're a few dozen miles from shore you'll have no cell phone reception, you're much to to0 far from land to swim back, and it's unlikely there will be any other boats near enough to notice you need help without a call from the ship's radio. On long passages, there might not even be ships in radio range - you could go a week or more without even seening another boat. Boats at sea almost never have onboard internet access, except sometimes an option to send short emails or text messages through a sattelite satellite phone (which would normally be is likely controlled by the captain).
===Safety TipsStrategies===
So how do you go about taking safety precautions? Well, if possible start by analyzing how well the captain cares for their crew. Or their boat. How prudent they are about security. What kind of personal imbalance they might be experiencing based on their insistence on getting certain types of crew (like young, good-looking women). If you've met them at a marina or pub, ask other locals what they think of them. If you've found them online, check if they have any reviews from other hitchhikers or sailors (they generally won't anyway, but it's worthwhile to check just in case).
One safety benefit over car hitchhiking is that with a boat, it's easier to share the boat and captain's identifying information with a friend or family member before you leave. Boats have their names and often registration numbers painted on the side, and you'll have plenty of time to get the captain's full name and any other details you might want. Your family and friends might even be able to track your GPS position throughout the trip - most larger boats (and some smaller ones) have a system called AIS that regularly reports their GPS position to a public server so anyone can look up their current location on a map online. And captains who don't have this might still have another method, like a Garmin GPS system that reports back to a password-protected website. Others might have nothing.
You can, of course, bring your own safety equipment - life jacket, harness, even your own GPS/satellite phone (Garmin has good devices for a few hundred dollars plus around $50-100 per month for a satellite communications subscription). But check what the captain already is providing before you go out and spend a lot of money. Also be aware of weather-related hazards. It's the captain's responsibility to avoid sailing into a dangerous storm (another reason to choose the captain wisely), but you may be held responsible for your own personal preparations. On a boat you're more exposed to rain, wind, sun, and cold than you would be in a house or even a car. Most boats have an indoor or covered area, but you may not have access to it for long hours of the day and night that you're standing watch or otherwise working on deck. In other words, make sure to bring a rain jacket, warm clothes, a sun hat, and sunscreen. Expect conditions at sea to sometimes be much colder than on land, and possibly sometimes hotter as well.
===Attitude and Personality===
*'''Positivity and humility''': No captain wants to give a ride to someone who will be complaining the whole time, acts entitled, or thinks they know better about everything. You have much to learn, young grasshopper.
*'''Can-do attitude''': There's a lot of work to be done on a boat, and the captain knows better than you about how things work at sea. Enthusiastically follow instructions first, and ask questions later. Be ready to work hard, including on unusual schedules.
*'''Patience and flexibility''': Unless you're on a super-nice boat, life aboard is sometimes surprisingly simple, austere, and even harddifficult. Be prepared to endure hardship and find your inner peace, especially if you'll be at sea for more than a few days.*'''Interest in sailing''': Captains are generally much more enthusiastic about taking on people who want to learn about sailing than people who are just trying to get from point A to point B. Cruising the seas is their passion and hobby, and they want to share it with like-minded people. Presenting yourself only as a "hitchhiker" is often can be a way to get a quick "no".
===Money===
*'''Chipping in''': Unless you're very experienced and applying for a paid job, or have made friends with a well-to-do yacht owner, expect to be asked to chip in for your share of food, and possibly other expenses as well, such as fuel, cruising fees (charged by national governments for bringing a boat into their territory) , or even maintenance. It's likely you'll be expected to cover your own visa fee for any country you enter (if any), which is usually similar to whatever you'd pay if arriving on your own by plane or land border. Talk about all these things with the captain in advance. A total of US$15-30 per day is considered a good deal, and $50 or even more is not unheard of (may depend on the region of the world). During the ARC regatta you can even expect boats ask as much as €50 per day since inscription fees are pretty high. An Atlantic crossing takes between 15 to 25 days, depending on boat and winds, so for example you'd likely need US$300-500 for the crossing alone - count on at least a week of land expenses in the marina till you find your lift, too. This may sound like a lot of money, but remember that you won't have any other expenses while at sea (except any monthly bills), so compare it to what you would normally spend over that number of days.
*'''Higher rates''': Some boats will ask for much higher daily contributions, up to hundreds of dollars per day. Some will even insist that it's only your share of the costs. They're not necessarily trying to rip you off - they may just be trying to cover all their costs (maintenance, repairs, registration fees, insurance, etc.), and could genuinely be offering a unique opportunity depending on where they're going. But don't let them convince you that this is your only option for getting sailing experience - it's absolutely not.
*'''Getting a free ride''': It is possible to get an entirely free lift food included, mostly on bigger yachts where you'll be needed to scrub the deck and polish the silver railing. DonBut in general, don't expect to have all your costs paid by the captain just because you're working, unless (1) you are experienced ''and'' (2) the captain is running a business or otherwise seems to have a lot of money to spend. Remember that, unlike with most car land hitchhiking, an absolutely free ride on a boat means that the captain is buying you days or weeks' worth of food. Still, you never know - there are generous people out there. Just don't be demanding or act entitled, and maybe you'll be pleasantly surprised.
===Abilities and Knowledge===
*'''Ability to swim''': Not always required - some captains supposedly can't even swim - but generally useful, and honestly pretty critical for your own safety.
*'''Knowledge about sailing''': Most captains prefer a total noob to a know-it-all, but it doesn't hurt to learn a little bit about sailing in advance. Useful knowledge and skills incldude tying knots (specific ones used on boats), international collision regulations or "COLREGS" ("rules of the road" for how to avoid crashing into other boats), understanding of how to interpret ship lights, ability to understand the symbols on a navigational chart, knowing how to go fishing and clean fish, etc.
*'''Tolerance to seasickness''': Most people get motionsick on a boat in rough weather, and some even in calm weather. But often the body gets used to it after a couple of hours or days. A few find out they can't just take it and must break off their trip. It's important that you find out how you deal with seasickness (and eventually find your own tricks to cope with it), and let the captain know it. The best cure is usually to stay above deck and watch the horizon, or to lay down flat in your bunk. Running to the toilet is strongly discouraged - it's cleaner and less smelly to vomit into the ocean, and you won't risk clogging the toilet either. On catamarans (double-hulled boats) you will likely experience less symptoms of seasickness than on monohull sailing boat (which is designed to rock back and forth without tipping over). There are drugs to cure some symptoms, or some people use ginger. Better pack some in advance especially in case you're planning a longer cruise and you don't yet know your reaction to exposure. Seasickness is no fun at all and can actually be dangerous for yourself and annoying for the rest of the crew, since you wont be able to fulfill any tasks below deck.
*'''Physical fitness''': Most work on a boat includes some physical effort, and even walking around may take some extra energy and good balance when the boat is rocking back and forth. There's no need to be super-buff, but captains will generally expect you to be reasonably in-shape.
*'''Cooking''': Being a good cook isn't a free ticket to a life on the seas, but it often helps a little. Many captains either prefer not to cook themselves, or like themeselves and the crew to take turns cooking meals. If you can't cook at all, you better be enthusiastic about washing the dishes.
*'''Sailing experience''': Experience in sailing is often not necessary - many captains will tell you it's easy to teach someone to sail if they have the right attitude. But the more experience you get, the more doors will open to you.
*'''Language''': Obviously all foreign languages can help, but for the Atlantic crossing speaking at least some French can make a huge difference, since over 60% of sailors on this route are French-speakers.French is also useful in the Caribbean and parts of the South Pacific, and many recreational sailors are French, so that may be the next most useful worldwide sailing language after English. Local languages in the countries where you're making port will also be highly valued, of course.*'''Technical know-how''': Rarely required, but captains love people who know how to help fix, maintain, or upgrade the boat: diesel engine mechanics, carpenters, electricians, etc.*'''Medical qualifications''': Also not a requirement, but who wouldn't love to have a doctor or nurse aboard their boat just in case?
===What You Carry===
*'''Pack light''': There's usually very little storage space on a boat, after fitting in necessary equipment, stocks of food, and other supplies. You may even be asked to store all your luggage in your bunk with you. A backpack should be okay, especially if it's not the biggest kind, but you may have a hard time finding a boat that will let you bring a large musical instrument or a bicycle, for example (even on top of the boat there's not much extra space, and a bicycle not security packed up will quickly rust).
*'''Passport or ID''', even when you're just travelling within Europe! The skipper must be able to provide identification documents for all crew members. Entering a country by boat requires passport checks and (often) visas just like entering any other way, though the details of the procedure may be different (don't be surprised if you have to give your passport to the captain so he can take it to the immigration and customs people).
*'''Equipment''': Head lamp (ideally with a red light option). Waterproof boots and good shoes are recommended, though some boats may provide them and others may ask you go barefoot anyway. All-weather clothing and sun screen. Ask the captain for a list of what to bring - some things may be provided already, and other things may be specific to that boat. If you do need to buy equipment for an Atlantic crossing, the Canary Islands are cheaper when compared with mainland Europe and in Gibraltar for example apparantly . Apparently there are sailor’s “jumble sales” so you might pay less. ===Lifestyle===*'''Presentation''': How you look and dress may or may not matter, depending on the captain. Many captains are conservative or old-fashioned sailor-men types, who may scorn "hippies", punks, etc. Some will be concerned that customs will give them a hard time about you when entering the destination country - if you get turned away at the border, or caught with illegal substances, it may be considered the captain's responsibility. On the other hand, some captains are hippies themselves, so never say never.*'''Diet''': Your diet may need to be compatible with the captains. If you're vegetarian or vegan, many carnivorous captains will refuse to let you on the boat, not wanting to stock different kinds of food just for you, or not wanting the kitchen to be in use twice as much of the time (remember, space and fuel are both in short supply on many boats). But other captains are vegetarians themselves, or are happy to make what they see as small accomodations. It just depends.
==How to Find a Boat==
Be assured that once you hit the marinas everything will be pretty obvious. You will meet other boat hitchhikers and they will share their information with you. Basically you'll be putting up notices offering your help, pacing the docks approaching people cleaning their yachts, trying to make contact with sailors in the bar etc. Try to talk to as many people as possible. After a while everyone will know you and will give you hints as to which boat is looking for someone.
Be aware that not every coastal town or city has a lot of yachts or sailboats around, and probably the majority of yachts and sailboats aren't planning to make a long trip at any given time (many people only do day trips, or even just live full time on their boat in one spot). A little research on your starting location can go a long way. ===OnlineBy Radio===You may be able to meet captains who are anchored nearby by participating in radion conversations. For example, it used to be that in all the ports in Central America and the [[South Pacific]] including [[Australia]] at 8am local time all boats in the harbor talk with each other over radio on channel 19. Thus you can listen and participate of you can either get on a boat with a radio or from a radio on land. They talk about all kinds of things they need, like where to get the bottoms of boats scraped and where is a good place to buy diesel fuel that is not watered down. And at the end of this broadcast you can generally say "My name is Wombat and I am looking for a ride to the Marquesas and I can cook." Ask around to learn about the current practices where you are. ===On the Internet===
Finding a boat (or a crew for your boat) online is now quite common - by some accounts more common than the traditional in-person method. There are many options, and if you work a few of them (and are flexible enough), you can probably find something.
====Dedicated Websites====
* [http://crewbay.com CrewBay] has much fewer boats than Find a Crew, but you can share and see most contact details for free, and some users have found that its simplicity makes it easier to use than other sites. It does have some premium paid features (£1.63/week subscription), but you can easily get by without them if you need to. Crewbay is by probably the best crew site if you're looking to find boats for free or without spending very much. [[User:Treefrog]] found a boat from Florida to Panama this way, and his crewmates also found the boat using free CrewBay accounts.* [http://crewseekers.net Crewseekers] is the oldest crew site of them all with many boats as they don't have to pay to register or use the site, but there is a fee for crew to register to make sure they are committed to finding a boat. Many captains and their boat are UK based, but there are some in other places too.* [http://findacrew.net Find a Crew] is by far the largest website for finding crew and boatsaround the world, but and maybe your best chance to find a boat quickly if you can barely do anything without paying a steep fee afford it (US$70AUD75 for 30 days only, down to AUD28/monthif you pay for a year in advance). The main thing you can do Some users have found it a little overly complex or difficult to use, as it has lot of different features and very detailed profiles (with exact locations and contact details hidden to free members). As a free member is you can't contact captains unless by "wavewaving" to captains them - if they have a paid account, they can then start a message conversation with you; if they have a free account like you, they can only reply with a "yes", "maybe", or "wavedecline" backmessage but no additional text. You can also just hope that captains scouring the The site does provide some ways for captains in search of crew will to find your (rather detailed) profileyou, but unless you have serious sailing experience a competitive resume or the captain is attracted has some other reason to be interested in youspecifically, this is pretty much probably a long shot.* [http://crewbay.com CrewBay] is probably the most useful free dedicated crew site as A lot of members also pay to have their Personal Identity Verified (PIV) and many of 2020. Much fewer boats that Find a Crew, but itthem don's free. It does have some premium paid features, but t allow you can easily get by without to contact themunless you verified your identity too. ([[User:Treefrog|Treefrog]] found had no luck finding a boat from Florida to Panama this wayafter several months with a free account, and his crewmates also found the boat using free CrewBay accountsbut it seemed like there were a lot of possibilities for paid members.* [http://crewseekers.net Crewseekers.net])
* [http://www.vogavecmoi.com Vogue avec moi ]
* [http://www.bourse-aux-equipiers.com Bourse aux Equipiers], in french.
====Facebook Groups====
For people aren't able or willing to pay for help finding a boat, some of the best options today are Facebook groups. There are many captains posting sailing trips in these all the time, and many don't expect any experience. It generally works best to search the group for your desired place of departure, or closely follow all new posts, and comment or message when a captain posts a trip that looks suitable to you ([[User:Treefrog]] got five or six potential offers out of Florida this way in early 2020, and only ended up turning them down because something sooner and surer came up on CrewBay). You can also post an ad for yourself, describing who you are, where you are, and what you have to offer, and hoping hope that a captain in your area will see it and contact you. But don't expect this to work very well great unless you're very experienced or a young woman (usual caveats apply). Also expect to be laughed at for your naivety - try to take it in stride, as many captains have a "sailors will be sailors" attitude and expect you to have a "thick skin".
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/sailboatyacht/ Sailboat Hitchhikers and Crew Connection] is the largest such Facebook group. Lightly moderated, so don't expect people to be polite, but hey, at least it has "Hitchhikers" right in the title!
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/sailingcrews/ Sailors Find a Crew or Be Crew] is quite a bit smaller, but you might still find something there.
====Old-fashinged fashioned Listings====
"Crew wanted" or "Boat wanted" listings on marina bulletin boards may be a dying breed, but there are still some online equivalents
==Sailboat Hitchhiking Routes==
The two most common long-distance crossings are discussed below. Shorter-distance sailing, such as between islands in the Caribbean or Southeast Asia, or around the Mediterranean, is probably generally easier.
===Atlantic Crossing===
Apart from making your way round the '''Caribbean''' or '''Polynesia''' by offering a hand onboard yachts which seems to be common and easy, the most common route is the '''Atlantic crossing''' from Europe to the Americas (mostly to the Caribbean or Brazil).
Most boats leave from Hokkaido, Kushiro but as there is no marina they will most likely be in Hakkodate before.
'''Also make sure you got your B1 or B2 Visa for the US before departure as the Visa Waiver Program does not apply for private vessels and you would illegaly enter the US just holding your visa waiver.'''
===Caribbean Island-Hopping===
Many recreational sailboats and yachts spend their time cruising around the Caribbean. Hurricane season is May to October, so there are very few boats sailing during this period. Cruising north along the string of islands in the eastern Caribbean is more of a thing than going the other direction, but the boats have to get south somehow. Many captains in the US head south to the islands at the beginning of the season (November or December) and spend the next few months cruising around.
== Experiences ==
[[User:Paxus|Paxus]] hitched from [[Los Angeles|LA]] to [[Sydney]] over 10 months in 1989/90. He sailed across the [[Pacific Ocean]] from [[Los Angeles]] to [[Sydney]] with 10 different [[hitchhiking a boat|boats]], mostly on the west coast of the Americas. Ten different captains and ten slightly different agreements for passage. Mostly, it was berth space, food and passage in exchange for some work around the boat and especially steering and adjusting sails. In one case a skipper asked me to pay 1/4 of the diesel fuel bill for the passage, so I would sail as much as possible. We sailed a lot, even with very little wind and when we arrived in [[Panama]] he declined my offer to pay my agreed share, saying he just wanted to cut fuel expenses which we did.
Suzanne [https://www.theoceanpreneur.com Oceanpreneur]] has been hitchhiking on sailboats for the last years on +25 different boats. She hitchhiked across the Atlantic 4 times (twice from Europe to the Caribbean and twice from the Caribbean to Europe). She has explored almost every ocean on the planet with this alternative way of travel. She has figured out how (and how not) to catch rides on other people’s boats. Her ocean adventures have amazed her to the beauty of nature, but also the challenges the oceans are facing. She wrote [https://www.theoceanpreneur.com/books The Hitchhikers Guide to the Atlantic]. And with the [https://www.oceannomads.co Ocean Nomads Community]] Suzanne aims to connect more (aspiring) sailors and ocean change-makers with each other with the bigger goal to protect our playground and save the ocean.
== Weblinks with information ==
== Books ==
* [http://www.theoceanpreneur.com/books Ocean Nomad] ''The Complete Atlantic Sailing Crew Guide - How to Catch a Ride & Make a Difference for a Healthier Ocean'' by Suzanne van der Veeken (2017)
* [https://www.theoceanpreneur.com/books Ocean Nomad] - Catch A Sailboat Ride & Contribute to a Healthier Ocean
= Hitchhiking Other Kinds of Boats (Besides Sailboats/Yachts) =