Hitchhiking was a major step forward for me in my travels and in my life as it opened the possibilities to travel with no restrictions. Being in the South Pacific only further pushed my desire to find a ride a new and incredible way, by sail on the open seas. I sailed 19 days from Tonga to the Fiji islands because of a long desire and aspiration and that dream came true with a little bit of work. Here is how I did it step by step:

 

1) Visit the Local Marina

Your first step in hitching a sail is like finding a good place on the road with enough space going the direction you would like to go. Same thing with sailing, finding the port or marina and seeking a ride in the direction you would like to go. My first stop in the South Pacific was, the Kingdom of Tonga straight from New Zealand. Tonga has three major island groups; Tongatapu, Haʻapai, & lastly Vavaʻu, where I would find my ride. In Vavaʻu I had to ask around and research where in the marina I would have to go to find a boat that needed crew and would later find myself at the Mangos Cafe in Neiafu Harbor.

 

2) Ask to Hop on A VHF Radio / Or Make Convo with Sailors

I had read few blogs where people looking to become crew on a boat simply walked into a marina pub or cafe and simply walked around asking crew if they were looking for crew. I initially had that idea to try, but instead I opted to send out a morning broadcast out to boats in the marina meeting the manager of the cafe to do so.

 

3) Make A Presentable Broadcast

The most crucial step in finding a sail is obviously getting the message out to the boats. At Mangos Cafe, I connected with the manager who gave me a chance to hop on the VHF radio during a morning broadcast for Neiafu harbour sailboats. On a funny note, my 1 minute broadcast didn’t even make it out as I didnʻt hold the button hard enough (embarrassing to share to this day). But the manager had made the single mention that someone was seeking to become crew on a boat, and fortunately for me, that was enough.

 

3a?) Be Honest in Your Broadcast

When you commit to a ride on a sail boat as crew, you are literally stuck with that/those person(s) for quite some time. So itʻs best to say, be as honest as you can on that broadcast. If you have zero experience as I did, explain that you have zero experience. If you had sailing experience in the past, share that. Just be completely honest! If you get denied a ride on a boat, thatʻs fine. You would rather figure out your options than to be stuck with someone on a small boat being complete assholes to each other.

4)Arrange to Meet Your Captain to Be (on the boat is best)

If you had been as lucky as I was finding a captain on the same day as my initial broadcast, then I couldnʻt stress how important it is to arrange a meet with the very person you could be spending days, weeks, even months with. Like those short moments chatting with a driver getting to know their aura before hopping in the car, this allows you to feel your captain to be in however long you speak. Thatʻs the beauty of it, is the amount of time you get to truly feel out your possible home on water. Captain & I met at the marina cafe, but he did take me on boat the next day because we hit it off so well. With that being said, I feel that itʻs just as important to get a look & feel for the boat before you say yes to a ride.

 

 

5) Plan Out Your Paths & Set Sail.

 

Once you and your captain and crew on the boat are ready to take you on in as part of the journey, you will look into the weather patterns & wind in the direction you are going first. Once that all looks good, you will create the coordinates and path of where you plan on going & lastly, SET SAIL! For my first sailing experience, I said goodbye to friends in Vavaʻu, hopped onboard with all of my stuff, picked my sleeping spot, helped set the coordinates for Fiji, picked up the anchor, checked out with immigration, and left the harbor for the open waters across some of the South Pacific.

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Other Resources

Findacrew – https://www.findacrew.net/

I didnʻt find any luck using this site as yea, sailors having service on the open seas is 0% probability. But it was a great resource to up your chances on maybe finding a boat going in the direction you wish.

 

Facebook Groups

A facebook search online for Sailboats seeking crew can be found all over the world based on the regions of the world. For example, I joined the South Pacific sail community and posted “blasts” communication my travel intentions, path, and/or information on how to hitch around the Pacific Islands.

 

Happy Sailing