Changes

'''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.

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.

*'''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 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.

===Abilities and Knowledge===