Global HitchHiking — Sailing Around The World by Crewing

Introduction

I’d like to introduce you to a concept I call “Global Hitchhiking.” Global Hitchhiking is what I’ve been doing for the past 3 years as I’ve sailed around the world on other people’s boats. It’s also called crewing, but I really think Global Hitchhiking is a more appropriate term. Simply put, Global Hitchhiking is hitchhiking on boats around the world.

There are boats sailing around the world all the time. An entire community of sailors and cruisers exists out there and they are often looking for assistance with making passages or sailing from point A to point B.

Why Do They Need Crew?

Every skipper, of every boat, is responsible for a number of things, but one of their mandated responsibilities is maintaining a lookout at ALL times. Here’s a quote from the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions At Sea, or the IRPCS.

“Every vessel shall at all times maintain a proper look-out by sight and hearing as well as by all available means appropriate in the prevailing circumstances and conditions so as to make a full appraisal of the situation and of the risk of collision.”

A single person sailing, or even a couple of people sailing, from a perspective of sleep and sanity, would have a challenge maintaining this watch 24 hours a day on long passages.

If I’m sailing a boat from Panama to Tahiti, it’s about a 4-week endeavor. During that time, based on the rules stated above, I’m supposed to keep a lookout the entire time, 24 hours a day, as I’m sailing. There are no rest stops. There are no diners where you can stop and get a meal.

My good friend Ted Peacocke, who I Hitchhiked with from Panama to Tahiti, often joked about there being a halfway pit stop; A place where there were milkshakes being served by mermaids to everybody who comes through. I kept looking for this marvelous pit stop, but it never appeared.

If it’s a skipper’s job to maintain a lookout at all times and he’s sailing his 40-foot sailboat for 4 weeks, having an extra hand on board is helpful for him to accomplish this. This is where Global Hitchhiking comes into play. A Global Hitchhiker can hitch a ride from point A to point B in exchange for helping out on the boat.

WHAT DOES A GLOBAL HITCHHIKER DO?

A Global Hitchhiker is an extra hand or crew member with varying degrees of experience and knowledge about sailing. (Note, there are lots of merchant marine opportunities in the world, this article is not about those.) Some Global HitchHikers, like myself, have certificates in sailing. Others just really want to go to Tahiti by boat and are willing to learn about sailing as they go along.

All Global HitchHikers are at the mercy of the owners of the boat. If the owner wants to teach someone with no experience how to run his boat, then he’ll take the time to do so. If a skipper wants to take a tour to some island rather than head straight to the destination, that is his prerogative, and as a Global HitchHiker, you are subject to those types of detours. But often, those are the best parts of being a Global HitchHiker. You get to see things you didn’t even think of when you started your journey.

The actual tasks that a Global HitchHiker will be required to do, depend on the size of the boat and the whim of the owners. You may be asked to just cook on the boat. Or you may be asked to share in all of the responsibilities, including steerage, adjusting sails, anchoring, cooking, cleaning, maintenance, or other sailing duties.

On most of the boats I’ve been on, we do most of the things the owner does, and everybody takes their turn at the different jobs on the boat, including night shifts — the dreaded hours of standing watch at night.

Here are some pics of me and my shipmates over the past couple of years, all collected through Global Hitchhiking. One of the best parts is the friends you meet. Friends for a lifetime.

HOW MUCH DOES A GLOBAL HITCHHIKER GET PAID?

A Global Hitchhiker doesn’t typically get paid anything. In fact, most Global Hitchhikers pay their own share of the expenses (usually an equal percentage), such as food, alcohol, and in some cases their share of the country and marina fees and fuel. Of course, you could arrange a better deal than this if you’re valuable to the owners.

At the basic level, you’re exchanging your sailing services for a free room on the boat. If you are able to negotiate additional benefits, such as not having to pay for your share of the expenses, then you’re ahead of the game. Obviously, the next level would be that of a paid seaman, but at that point, you are no longer a Global Hitchhiker.

I feel there is something to be said about sharing the expenses of the boat’s consumables. It puts everybody on an equal playing field and you don’t have the responsibilities or expectations one would have of a paid professional.

If I was getting paid to help with the boat, the owners and I would expect more from the experience. As a Global HitchHiker, I still feel responsible for doing my share of the work and paying for my share of the consumables, but above and beyond that I don’t worry about things too much.

If you have questions about Global Hitchhiking and how you can do it, don’t hesitate to contact me. I’ll be writing a couple more articles about this and how to get started.

I’ll cover websites to join and how to find boats for Global HitchHiking. I’ll also be covering things like safety when looking for boats, both from a personal safety perspective as well as making sure a boat is safe.

Another way to look at it is, Global Hitchhiking is a lot like dating. You’re trying to find a boat and the boat owners are trying to find some help. You’re basically looking for a good match. It’s a great way to sail around the world on the cheap!

Here are the next articles in this series:

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