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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. '''Boat hitchingHitchhiking a boat''' is propably more like working on can be a great way to visit places you never would have visted otherwise (especially without an expensive and extremely pollutant plane trip), and to experience both the boat romance and paying for your fare that waythe harsh realities of traveling by sea.It Getting rides on boats is difficult to get onto harbour facilities. It is great when you know someone much different from sticking your thumb out on the terrain.Ships highway - it's less spontaneous and boats don't steam off every minute like cars. So be prepared usually involves shared monetary costs - but many hitchhikers will still find it a rewarding and know what liner you want to get on.One could also write to shipping companiesworthwhile method of transportation.
== Hitching Hitchhiking a ferry =Sailboat or Yacht ='''Hitchhiking a ferrysailboat''' 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 easynot so much about finding someone going to your destination, but more about finding the right boat and/or captain for you. Simply ask drivers In general, a lot of captains are ready to take persons (crew members) on their boat to aid with watch keeping, general tasks, or truck drivers if you can board just purely for company. Some sailboats are the ferry in only home of someone living on a tight budget, while others are owned by people from affluent backgrounds who want to sail recreationally with their friends. Often their friends think it is a good idea and agree to come along and then find out that sailing is not their truckcup of tea (too dirty, bumpy, boring, cramped - any number of reasons). Or maybe a captain needs to more help to operate the sails for a big trip they 're planning, and doesn't know enough people who want to help, or has had a crewmember drop out for personal or family reasons. Thus crews are constantly and unexpectedly reforming. This is your opportunity for a ride. ==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 only have 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 vehicleon short notice is not an option. See also 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:Category:Ferries]//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==There are lots of good captains out there, with good intentions. But the high seas can also be a getaway for the unscrupulous, or a refuge for different routes people with attitudes that don't play well in polite society. Just like with car hitchhiking, the odds are vanishingly small that you'll end up with a psychopathic murderer, but unlike car hitchhiking, you have basically zero options to escape once you're out at sea. And there are many other things that can go wrong - so it makes sense to be more careful than you usually would be. Also like car hitchhiking, the biggest danger is probably careless captains. An otherwise well-meaning captain who doesn't care about safety protocols, doesn't stock safety equipment, or doesn't take good care of his boat can be just as dangerous as as a bad-intentioned captain. Once you're on a sinking boat in the middle of the ocean, fallen overboard at night while the rest of the crew is asleep and the boat sails on without you, or seriously injured our sick and days away from medical help, it won't matter how well-intentioned the captain is. Luckily most captains want to protect their own skins too, and will have thought of all these things already, but it still pays to be aware of the exceptions. And of course, make sure you pay close attention and follow all safety instructions that the captain does give you. They're trying to protect you from dangers that involve ferriesyou may not even realize exist yet.It===Communications===Once you're a few dozen miles from shore you'll have no cell phone reception, you're much to0 far from land to swim back, and it's advised unlikely there will be any other boats near enough to find out notice you need help without a call from the ship's radio. On long passages, there might not even be ships in advance 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 satellite phone (which is likely controlled by the captain). ===Safety Strategies===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 charge 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 vehicle 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 (goodanother 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 each passenger 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 (bad). ==Requirements and Useful Skills==Different captains have different requirements, and different personalities. Above all, be helpful and interested in their trade. Even if you do not have any experience in sailing, be honest with the fact and state that you are eager to learn. Show respect towards their skills, their boat and the seas and the elements of nature. Learn about sailing, the races, the seasons and major routes. Be willing to help for work needed before the departure, like cleaning the hull.
== Hitching Yachts ==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 hope that a captain in your area will see it and contact you. But don't expect this to work great unless you're 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".
==Prerequisites==*'''Experience''': Experience in sailing is not necessary Old-although a huge plus in getting a quicker lift-, but participating in duties and life on board of course is obligatory!fashioned Listings====*'''Some money''': These days most yachts will ask you to chip in for your food. Most boats ask either 10 "Crew wanted" or €15 "Boat wanted" listings on food per day. The Atlantic crossing takes between 15 to 25, depending on boat and winds, so you'll need around 150 to €300 for the crossing alone -count on at least a week in the marina till you find your lift, too. It is possible to get an entirely free lift food included, mostly on bigger yachts where you'l bulletin boards may be needed to scrub the deck and polish the silver railing. During the ARC regatta you can even expect boats ask as much as €50 per day since inscription fees are pretty high.*'''Things you'll need''': Waterproofs and good shoes are recommended although they are very expensive and if you don’t have them you can wait -the boat you get might provide them and only if not you'll have to acquire them. The Canary Islands are cheaper when compared with mainland Europe and in Gibraltar for example apparantly there are sailor’s “jumble sales” so you might pay less.*'''Getting started''': 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.*'''Language''': Obviously all foreign languages can helpdying breed, but for the Atlantic crossing speaking at least there are still some French can make a huge difference, since over 60 % of sailors on this route are French-speakersonline equivalents
=Atlantic Crossing===East-West from Europe====
'''When to go''': Boats go with the trade winds that start to move from East to West across the Atlantic in autumn. So the season is from ''September to January-February''. Top season is October, November. In the end of November each year there is a regatta called ARC (Atlantic Rally for Cruisers) leaving from [[Las Palmas]]. There will be more boats than at any other time in the marinas and it can be considered safer than leaving with a boat that is going unassisted. There will be more competition on finding a lift though, too.
'''Departure points''':
*[[France]]: South: Antibes North: [[Brest (France)|Brest]]
*Southern [[Spain]]: If you are English speaking: obviously [[Gibraltar]]/[[La Línea]] ("Alcaidesa Marina"), [[Malaga]].
*[[Portugal]]: [[Lisbon]]: Marina de [[Cascais]], Marina Parque das Nações, Doca de Alcântara; Algarve: Marina de [[Lagos (Portugal)|Lagos]]
*[[Canary Islands]]: The biggest marina is on Gran Canaria, in [[Las Palmas]].
*[[Senegal]]: [[Dakar]] and [[Casamance]] (see "Africa to America" further down).
====East-West from Africa====
If you don’t want to pay the ferry in [[Algeciras]] it is possible to sail to [[Africa]], although unless you are extraordinairily lucky, you’ll have to go via the Cape Verde islands which are a stopover for many trans-atlantic sailors. They are between 10 and 14 days from [[Gibraltar]]. From there you’ll have to catch a new boat to get to [[Senegal]] which is three days away. It is an experience in and of itself although maybe not the perfect swap for a one-and-a-half hour long ferry ride that’ll cost you €25 You also miss out on [[Morocco]] and the crossing of the Sahara Desert, which are highlights of any visit to Africa.
'''Departure points'''
*From '''MaroccoMorocco''': '''Essaouira''' is your best bet, you can also try Agadir. No one crosses over directly from here though, all boats will be going somewhere in the vicinity ('''Canaries''' or '''Senegal''' for example) with other plans put up for later.
*From '''Senegal''': '''Dakar''' or '''Casamance'''. With a very likely stopover on the '''Cape Verde islands'''.
*If you want to take a flight to the '''Cape Verde islands''': the biggest marina is in '''Mindelo''' on '''Sao Vicente''', the second biggest one is on '''Sal''' where the international airport is.
*There are three sailing clubs in [[Dakar]]. “La Voile d’Or” with shallow water which therefore attracts catamarans only, the “CVD” (Club des Voiliers Dakar) where the majority of boats can be found and a third one also in the vicinity of the two ones mentioned. They are all situated not far from another to the South of the “Cap Vert” peninsula and the town centre. If you try to hitch from there it is strongly recommended you speak some French.
===Pacific Crossing=== The Pacific being about 6 times larger than the Atlantic. Most boats leave America and go through the south Pacific Islands towards '''Australia''' or '''New Zealand'''. This is because of the trafe winds. '''East to West''' Boats normally leave from central America, this mostly '''Panama'''. '''West to East''' There are two different options from where boats start in the beginning of the year till mid of June. '''Option 1''' Going through the south Pacific starting from '''New Zealand'''. The route is called theroaring forties. Most boats avoid going there as the weather conditions are very rough. Also without sailing experience or just a crossing little it is very unlikely that someone is never done without a stop over willing to take you on at least one board. '''Option 2''' Starting in '''Japan''' boats will go towards '''Alaska''', '''Canada''' or the Westcoast of the Polynesian Islands. The most likely end-point for most is '''AustraliaUS''' or . There are only 10 to 20 boats doing this route each year and most will start between the beginning of June and mid of June as it is not that incredible cold and the taifun season normally has not started yet.Most boats leave from Hokkaido, Kushiro but as there is no marina they will most likely be in Hakkodate before.'''New ZealandAlso 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 ==
* [http://www.floatplan.com Floatplan] is a free to join sailing community, great information for when and where to find a yacht and an interactive member map.
* [http://www.cruiserlog.com/forums/ Cruiser Log], has some very useful info, some specific for hitchhikers, including a rough guide of movements of cruising yachts
* [http://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/en/index.php?title=Hitchhiking_boats 2012 Detailed Account of hitching Yachts and cargo freighters on Wikivoyage]
* [http://www.7knots.com 7knots] has a practical way of finding boats
* [http://www.boatingoz.com.au/default.asp?Page=17927&MenuID=Classifieds%2F13099%2F0%2CCrew%5F%2D%5Funpaid%2F13104%2F0 Boating OZ], mostly in Australia, some Pacific
* [http://www.aferry.co.uk/ aferry] click on the map to see lots of ferry connections from all over [[Europe]]
* [http://gijsbos.com/boat-hitchhiking-a-dummies-guide Boat hitchhiking, a dummies guide]
== Blogs and stories ==
* [http://www.yachtmollymawk.com/2011/03/hich-hiking-across-the-atlantic/ A skippers' point of view on people looking for a boat]
* [http://www.greatbigscaryworld.com/howtohitchhikeaboat/ Short blog post called 'How to Hitchhike a Boat']
* [https://theoceanpreneur.com/boathitchhiking/how-to-find-a-sailboat-ride-boat-hitchhiking-tips/ How to Find a Sailboat Ride? | Boathitchhike Tips]* [http://www.canada.com/Hitchhiking+across+Atlantic/7523190/story.html 2012 Documentary called 'Hitchhiking across the Atlantic'], 2012* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u74Q-DOpX84 Le temps de prendre le temps], hitchhiker Kiko's documentary about hitchhiking across the Atlantic (french and portuguese). * [http://theoceanpreneur.com/hitch-sailing/atlantic-ocean-crossing-find-crew-spot-sailing-boat/ Top Tips on Hitchhiking the Atlantic] (based on 4x sailing across)
* [http://hitchhikershandbook.com/2014/11/18/boat-hitchhiking-across-the-atlantic/ Boat hitchhiking – 10 tips on hitchhiking across the Atlantic from Europe to the Americas'] by Gringo Ben in 2014.
* [http://www.gelderlander.nl/voorpagina/nijmegen/daglog/5433553/Logboek-Liftend-over-de-wilde-baren.ece Hitching a boat - Weekly Blog (2010, in Dutch)]. A Weblog from two Dutch students hitchhiking across the world by ship.
* [https://warmroads.de/en/hitchhiking-sailing-boats/ Hitchhiking sailing boats], May 2015
* [http://www.voilesetvoiliers.com/grande-croisiere/une-bateau-stoppeuse-sur-l-atlantique-1-mes-dix-conseils-acidules-avant-de-partir/ 10 tips for boat hitchhiking across the Atlantic] (french)
* [https://theoceanpreneur.com/travel/sailing-crew-websites-atlantic-ocean/ 7 Crew Websites to Find a Boat (or Crew) to Sail Across the Atlantic]
* [http://www.yachtmollymawk.com/2011/03/hitch-hiking-across-the-atlantic/ Catching a Ride Across the Atlantic] (2011). Excellent overview. How to Improve Your Chances of Being One of the Chosen Few.
* see [[User:Paxus|Paxus]] his [[hitchhiking a sailboat|experiences]] hitching [[Hitchhiking a sailboat|Sailboats]] in 1989/90.
* [http://www.theoceanpreneur.com Ocean Adventure Travel Blog] Has hitch-Sailing stories and 'How To's.' A blog from a seasoned sailboat hitchhiker.
* [http://www.7knots.com 7Knots]
* [http://www.floatplan.com Floatplan]
* [http://www.desperatesailors.com Desperate Sailors (free crew, boat, services and event finder)]
* [http://www.worldcruising.com World Cruising Club]
* http://www.windowsoncyprus.com/crew_list.htm
* http://www.sailingalternatives.org/crew.htm
* http://www.crewfile.com
* http://www.dockwalk.com
* http://www.partnersandcrews.com
* http://www.findacrew.net
* http://www.crewskeers.com
*[https://www.oceannomads.co Ocean Nomads] Ocean Explorers & Impact Community
== 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) =
== Hitching a ferry ==
'''Hitchhiking a ferry''' is easy. Simply ask drivers or truck drivers if you can board the ferry in their truck - they often only have to pay for the vehicle, so you're not costing them anything extra. See also [[:Category:Ferries]] for different routes that involve ferries. It's advised to find out in advance if the ferry charges per vehicle (good) or for each passenger as well (bad). Some ferries are also free (sometimes in just one direction), or charge very small fees for pedestrians, in which case you might as well just walk on.
== Hitching a cargo ship ==
There are stories floating around of people who always know someone else who managed to go for free on a freighter, but the only reliable stories really date back to the seventies. Regulations and insurances made it much harder to work abord in exchange for the passage. Cargoship travelling is commercialized now virtually everywhere: for quite an expensive fare you can rent a cabin on them. Expect it to cost at least as much as a plane ticket. Make sure to bring a few books to read. You will likely be restricted to only a small part of the boat, and may not have any contact with the outside world for days or weeks.
== Hitching a fishing boat ==
It is generally very hard to hitch a fishing boat, even if you're offering to work - unless you know the captain, crew, or boat owner. Most fishing boats leave and come back to the same harbor, so this is not much use anyway unless you just want to get out on the ocean or see some remote coastlines.
== Hitching a Barge ==
Some inland routes are navigable. Big rivers, canals... Barges and private boat cruise them. Barges are very long and flat boats that can carry thousands of tons of goods, slowly along the river. If you're not in a hurry they are easy to hitch.
Barges won't stop if you wave at them from the bank. The best place to get to them is a "lock", where they have to stop to be adjusted to the level of the river-canal. But they usually have a restricted access.
Apparently they do not operate at night (10pm-6am). If you go to the main gate, there should be a button to call the operator (only one person is usually operating). From my experience in [[Germany]], they are very hitch-hiker friendly. If you explain to them what you're up to over the intercom, they let you in or even ask the boats for you over the radio.
Traffic is low but the boat drivers are usually open to travellers. And during the time needed for the ''lock'' to operate, it is easy to talk to them from the bank.
The cruising speed of a riverboat is circa 13 km/h. But counting the time spend in the locks, it can go down to 6 km/h. But as they stop only at night, it is still faster than walking.
Plus, given the size of the vehicle, it is very comfortable. And depending on what river you're cruising, it can also be very beautiful.
[[Category:Transportation]]