Hitchhiker's guide on sailing and cruising yachts across the oceans of the world.

Hitchhiking across the Oceans
as sailing crew.

Cruising yachts move with the trade winds around the world. These seasonal wind patterns are what govern the movement of the cruising fleet and if you wish to hitch a ride as sailing crew it is important to know these schedules in order to place yourself in the 'right' place at the 'right' time.

Cruising yachts most often take on additional crew to assist with sailing on long passages (i.e. ocean crossings). The MOST successful method of finding a crew berth is to be at the various points of departure and ready at the right time. Hang around like a "bad smell" at the marinas and anchorages and offer assistance in preparations to ALL the yachts and mention that you are keen to join a boat for an onward passage. Be seen to be useful, reliable and likeable. Remember, all the cruisers are in close contact with each other so make sure that you will be recommended for a crew position. Place notices at all of the marinas, yacht clubs, boating shops and around the anchorages in the area.

CRUISER'S DICTIONARY
FREE EBOOK

MANY cruisers take on sailing crew at the last moment due to a breakdown of prior arrangements. Make sure that you are on hand, ready and contactable when crew is wanted. Work hard, respect the boat and enjoy the ride!

Read the Crew Tips and Advice.

Below is a rough guide to the movement of cruising yachts around the world.

YACHTS LEAVE FROM	TO	PERIOD
AFRICA	TO
Mombasa	Med. SE Asia	Aug - Sept Sept
Dar es Salaam	Med.	Aug - Sept
Durban	Indian Ocean Cape Town	Apr - Aug Nov - Mar
Cape Town	Indian Ocean Caribbean, Brazil	Jan - Mar Dec - Mar
BRAZIL	TO
All areas	Caribbean	Jan - Mar
CARIBBEAN	TO
St Lucia	South Pacific U.S. West Coast U.S. East Coast Europe	Jan - May Jan - Mar Apr - May Apr - May
Beguia, Grenada	South Pacific U.S. West Coast	Jan - Apr Jan - Apr
Virgin Isles, St Martin, Antigua	Europe U.S. East Coast	Apr - May Apr - May
U.S.A.	TO
San Diego	Mexico South Pacific Med.	Jan - Mar Dec - Mar Dec
Ft. Lauderdale	Caribbean	Oct - Nov
Newport	Caribbean Europe	Oct - Nov May - July
PANAMA	TO
Panama	U.S. West Coast South Pacific Caribbean	Jan - Apr Jan - Apr Jan - Jun
MEXICO	TO
All areas	South Pacific	Feb - Apr
COSTA RICA	TO
Golfito	South Pacific Caribbean	Feb - Apr Feb - Apr
SOUTH PACIFIC	TO
Hawaii	U.S. West Coast South Pacific	Feb - Jun Feb - Jun
Guam	U.S. West Coast South Pacific	Mar - Jun Mar - Jun
Tahiti	Hawaii New Zealand	May - Jul May - Jul
Tonga	Indian Ocean New Zealand	Sept - Oct Sept - Oct
Fiji	North Pacific Indian Ocean New Zealand	Sept - Nov Sept - Nov Sept - Nov
NEW ZEALAND	TO
All areas	Fiji & Tonga Australia	Apr - Jun Apr - Jun
AUSTRALIA	TO
Sydney, Brisbane	Fiji & Tonga Indian Ocean	Apr - May Apr - May
Cairns	Indian Ocean	May - Jun
Darwin	Indian Ocean/SE Asia	Jun - Aug
INDONESIA	TO
Bali	Indian Ocean/SE Asia	May - Aug
SINGAPORE	TO
Singapore	Indian Ocean Thailand	Oct - Dec Jun - Dec
THAILAND	TO
Phuket	Indian Ocean Red Sea, Med	Dec - Mar Dec - Mar
SRI LANKA	TO
Galle	Suez, Med S. Indian Ocean, Chagos	Jan - Mar Jan - Mar
SUEZ	TO
Suez	Med Indian Ocean	Feb - Apr Sept - Nov
MED	TO
Turkey, France, Spain, etc.	Caribbean	Sept - Nov
Gibraltar	Caribbean	Oct - Dec
BRITISH ISLES	TO
England & Channel area	Caribbean	Sept - Nov
CANARY ISLANDS	TO
All	Caribbean	Oct - Jan