Crew Available: From Australia/NZ to Canada, or part of the trip in feb/mar

[Jeff_Of_Canada]

Hi there,
I'm a Canadian traveller, 32, male, looking to work / hitchike my way home from Australiasia in February/March 2016. If you are looking for crew, or have any ideas how I'd go about finding a decent boat / captain / job, I'd love to hear from you.

I've helped crew small boats for races before, and sailed a little laser on the bay backhome. I generally work in outdoor recreation and restaurant / catering, have taught rope climbibg / knots, and have tons of experience camping and working with kids.

Thanks in advance,
Jeff

[savoir]

Your chances of completing a voyage like that are almost zero.

For starters almost no one but the toughest does a voyage like that. It's a looooong way. You might find a few leaving from Hawaii after May. On top of that no one will be going anywhere from northern Australia in February, March or April. That is peak cyclone season. If you went to Cairns, Noumea or Port Vila tomorrow you would probably find someone heading for Philippines or Indonesia. After December 1 a passage such as that becomes much less likely. Summer winds are very fickle and can come from any direction in any strength, and then there are the cyclones. They start heading north again in May when the trade winds settle in and give a much better voyage.

If you feel like flying to Majuro, peak season for leaving is March and April. You might pick up a ride to Canada via Hawaii although California is the more likely destination.

Your best chance will be to look for a ride back from the Vic-Maui Race in about mid August. They will probably start leaving around August 10.

[Tientos]

Have to agree with Savoir! You are heading the wrong way.

[Sailboatminder]

From Dec to April you probably wont find any boats moving around the South Pacific.

[WildWill]

Originally Posted by savoir

Your chances of completing a voyage like that are almost zero.

This made me chuckle - the amount of times I've heard that!

But the rest of savoir's advice is great. It's all about seasons...

I've been thinking of the same route: work a season in Aus, then find my way up to Japan and work their summer, then with cash in pocket continue on to the US... buy a cheap boat and head for the horizon again That's my master plan anyway.

Soo the Oceanic / SE Asia sailing window starts in April, ends in November.. Are there safe routes to take otherwise, like the SW Caribbean during hurricane season?

Then the north Pacific sailing season starts up October, ending May. Is that right?

So there's a perfect Australia --> N. America passage window that starts in April, getting north of the Phillipines after Oct.. out to Hawaii by May, sailing into the American summer.

[savoir]

Do get back to us once you have completed your voyage . . . . in between chuckles of course.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Jeff.

[Sailboatminder]

Perfect doesnt really cut it. Sailing that far upwind is hard work. Do it the easy way. Fly to the US buy the boat then sail to Australia sell the boat make some money and repeat or keep sailing West.

Originally Posted by WildWill

This made me chuckle - the amount of times I've heard that!

But the rest of savoir's advice is great. It's all about seasons...

I've been thinking of the same route: work a season in Aus, then find my way up to Japan and work their summer, then with cash in pocket continue on to the US... buy a cheap boat and head for the horizon again That's my master plan anyway.

Soo the Oceanic / SE Asia sailing window starts in April, ends in November.. Are there safe routes to take otherwise, like the SW Caribbean during hurricane season?

Then the north Pacific sailing season starts up October, ending May. Is that right?

So there's a perfect Australia --> N. America passage window that starts in April, getting north of the Phillipines after Oct.. out to Hawaii by May, sailing into the American summer.

[Jeff_Of_Canada]

Thanks for the welcome, and all of the input. I'm definitely not keen on running into the heart of cyclone season.

I'm now reconsidering my options between flying up to Majuro and seeking a boat across, or perhaps down to South America / Carribean and trying to find my way north. I even saw some old posts about sailing around Tasmania, which would be pretty sweet too. So many wonderful things to see, I'm not too fussed about where I go, as long as I sharpen up my sailing skills and get to feel the ocean beneath me for a time. If my timeline was more flexible for this trip, I'd wait until August, but sadly I must be back for work somewhere in April / May.

Any recommendations for favourite voyages between mid-to-late Feb and April? Anyone looking for crew?

PS, Will, I'm in next year for buying a boat and sailing West to Oz if you're keen, including a stopover on Robinson Crusoe island to practice some wild living skills. We'll call out boat the S.S. Morelandia . - Grizzly