Sail Around the World

Sailing around the world has been done by government-funded explorers in the past. However, in modern times, people of all kinds are doing so, even people in their teens. Knowing the expenses involved, the risks, and how to go about planning your trip will mean the difference between a successful trip and one that you must abort. It can also mean the difference between a dream almost attained and a dream come true.

Steps

Getting on a Boat

1. Volunteer to be on a crew. If you didn't win a boat in a contest or inherit one from your rich uncle or decide on an impulse buy at your local boat store, a good way to get on a vessel that can circle the globe is to be on a crew. Contact or visit the nearest marina to you to find out if any boat owners are seeking workers on their boats. Generally your work will pay your way.
   • However, you could also obtain a position on a cost-sharing boat. Such a boat has a crew that shares the costs, which are typically $20 to $70 per day per person. But beware of boat owners that advertise cost-sharing arrangements that will cost you more than $1,000 per week. Typically, this is a very high amount and the boat owner is trying to make a profit off of you instead of having you simply share some of the costs.
2. Get on a friend's boat. Sometimes those already spending their lives sailing just want companionship. If you're lucky, you may be able to find someone you trust who can give you a free ride just for being the charmer that you are. It might not last forever, but would they want company for a few months? You can help out as needed, of course.
   • Just make sure you're not jumping on just anybody's boat for the free ride. When you're in the middle of ocean with someone, you are literally in the middle of the ocean with them. You're completely stuck with nowhere else to go and no one else to turn to. So before you sign up, make sure you can at least tolerate them willingly.
3. Be a teacher or nanny. Another way to get on a boat that's already sailing the seven seas is to help out with children. There are families that find themselves living on the water, needing help with raising their children and keeping them on track for when they resume a "normal" school schedule. Whether it's a private yacht or a corporate vessel, the kids still need to learn and be taken care of while the adults are sailing the ship.
4. Get on a research ship. Organizations like Green Peace and Dolphin Trust are constantly going to sea to conduct research. They don't only need scientists and researchers – they also need deck hands, administrative workers, maids, etc. It's essentially a business on the ocean, and you could be part of it.
   • These mostly pertain to environmental groups. If there's a specific cause you care about, do some research online. Many positions will be volunteer, for the record – they pay you get is the experience.
5. Be handy with activities like cooking. Most teams going to sea need able individuals to cook, clean, provide entertainment, interpret, bartend, instruct, and more. If you have a skill, why not take it to sea? It could be anything from a large cruise line to a family's private super yacht. You just have to find the gig.
   • Gigs on a cruise ship are easy enough to find with today's technology. Getting a position on a smaller boat can be a little harder. Stick to your local port and keep an ear to the ground. A lot of it is networking, knowing the right people, and timing.
6. Or just buy your own boat and learn how to sail. If you have $75,000 to spend, you could just buy your own boat and get it up to snuff – provided you have the sailing skills, of course. If you're a newbie to the global sailing community (and most of us are), speak with others in your sailing community who have taken long journeys on their boats. Ask for their recommendations on which types of boats work best and what you can do to join the elite.
   • In general, you'll want to purchase a boat that is {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} (10.67 to 13.72 m) long. The boat should be a sailboat. Using the wind instead of fuel will save a lot of money on a journey of this length. That being said, you need a boat that fits your needs. Cruisingworld.com has a nice website full of information on this topic that can help you get to researching.

Determining the Logistics of Your Trip

1. Plan your route and destinations. There are close to a million things you have to consider when you're planning your route (well, at least several). It's gotta be safe, for starters. It's gotta have bearable weather (hopefully), it's gotta be doable, and it's gotta be where you want to go. And that's not even mentioning the prevailing winds, ocean currents, and tropical storm systems. Entire books are written on this topic, but for now let's just touch on a few things:
   • The route from Panama to the Torres Strait is believed to contain some of the most attractive cruising destinations in the world, and there are a whole bunch of variations you can take even within this route.
   • Many sailors yearn to visit Tahiti. Over the years, Tahiti’s capital, Papeete, has turned from a quiet seaside refuge to a bustling city taken over by traffic. That being said, old Tahiti still survives if you know where to look for it.
   • If you've planned a stop in Bora Bora, you can either taken a northern route to the northern Cooks, Tonga, and Samoa, or a southern route to the Cooks, Tonga, and Niue.
   • Take your time and do your research online and by reading books. Jimmy Cornell has some great references on the matter; reading a couple of his books will help you make your decisions and leave no doubt for room in your mind that you've made solid, safe, choices.
2. Figure out your timeline. Again, figuring out when to sail is a wikiHow article (or six) within itself. You need to account for wind, weather, pirates, your own schedule, etc.
   • Most boats will choose to transit the Panama Canal before the onset of the hurricane season in the Caribbean (June to November), with most arriving in February and March. This is the same time boats sailing from Mexico and Central America should leave for the South Pacific.
   • If you're coming from the West Coast of North America, most boats travel it downward to South America, working their way to Tahiti via Easter Island and Pitcairn. The winds make it easier to sail this direction; trying to go back toward the east coast will likely prove troublesome.
   • If you're leaving from Australia, you have two choices in crossing the Indian Ocean: the northern route to the Red Sea and Suez Canal or the southern route to South Africa and Cape Horn. The southern route is more challenging and has bigger seas, but the northern route has pirates.
3. Research the areas you'll be sailing in. Research any area that you intend to stop in thoroughly before you decide to stop there. Be sure to take safety and expenses into account. How much does it cost to port? What's their infrastructure and government like? What are the odds you'll be taken advantage of in the best of scenarios and seriously hurt in the worst?
   • Research the health laws of any country you plan to stop in. Obtain any necessary medical certifications prior to embarking on your journey to make sure you don't get sick while thousands of miles away from home.
   • Research what you can't get, too. If you need a specific medication or other item and can't get it at your next destination, stock up from the one prior. What part of life will be difficult in this area of the world, if any?
4. Cover all the necessary paperwork. Speak with an insurance agent to make sure your trip is covered – after all, this is your entire life. Be sure that you have all of the required visas for your trip, too. Whether you come in by sea, by land, or by air, the rules and regulations are all still the same. If you want to visit other countries, you've got to play by their rules.

Preparing for Your Adventure

1. Get any required inoculations. Contact the relevant healthy agency in any country you plan to stop in for further information and do your research online. You'll be glad you got the necessary vaccinations when the time rolls around. Being sick when you're away from good doctoral care could mean the end of your trip.
   • Get a physical exam from a licensed physician before you leave. If you have any issues at all, they can be taken care of and you can start on preventative medication.
2. Stock up. Stock up on non-perishable foods, water purification tablets, and water filters, just to start. Make sure your boat has everything intact from radar to anchors to chartplotters. Bring things to do and methods to document your trip. Take into consideration what you can buy from place to place, too.
   • You want to travel light, but not too light. Keep a running list of everything you're bringing, adding to it as ideas come to you. What's more, keep a list of what'll be easily available and what won't be to determine your budgeting priorities.
3. Take care of everything at home. Thought you could just up and do a French leave, it's probably best if you take care of loose ends before you go off the map for a couple of years. Here's a few things to cover:
   • Make sure your bills are paid up to date. Arrange a way for them to stay in the black while you're gone through a friend or an automated billing system.
   • If you plan to stay at certain locations for extended periods, have your mail forwarded to each location for the duration of your stay. Have someone check your home regularly and alert you if anything important arrives in the mail.
   • Let friends and family know your itinerary and schedule. If things go wrong, they'll have a decent idea of where you are (or at least intended to be).
4. Have a boat mechanic check the boat and complete all necessary repairs. Even the Titanic sunk, so be sure to get your boat checked out and given the "all-clear" before you take it to sea. Never skip any of the maintenance parts, even if it takes you off schedule. It could mean the difference between life and death.
   • In some cases, your boat will have to be "refit." This could cost as much as the initial cost of your boat, if not more. Be prepared to shell out a chunk of change if need be.
5. Prepare yourself (and your crew) for emergencies. Things will happen in the ocean that you never, ever would've been able to account for in your wildest imagination. Someone will get a contagious rash, a tribe of natives will think you're their savior, you'll wake up to feel the bow wake of a massive ship, leaving you seconds from death, etc. These things will happen. Though you can't prepare yourself for everything, you can get yourself prepared as much as possible.
   • Carry a firearm and bullets with you if you have them. Keep them in a safe but accessible location. Better safe than sorry.
   • Make sure your boat is equipped with all the necessary supplies to successfully either A) get you to shore quickly or B) get you off the boat quickly.
   • Keep a fire extinguisher, a life-raft, flares, and a first-aid kit handy.
   • Keep a list of whom to contact in case of an emergency handy, like 112 to reach emergency personnel in Europe.
6. Pack for all extremes of weather. It's easy to think to yourself that you'll be sailing around the Southern Hemisphere and everything is going to be tropical birds, turquoise waters, and pearly-white sands. That'll be true some of the time, and then there will be other times when you dip so far south or north that you'd be freezing your limbs off if you didn't pack some long underwear. Do your research about the climates you'll be in (or could be in if things go wrong). Your life requires you to be ready.
   • You'll need foul-weather gear, fleece, long johns, gloves, hats, and socks if you're going far north or south. Two of your highest priorities should be staying warm and staying dry.

Setting Sail for the Seas

1. Determine standard procedure for just about everything. Quick – if there's a hurricane, what do you do? If there are pirates, what do you do? If the waves are crashing onto your stern, what do you do? If a man has gone overboard, what do you do? In any imaginable situation, you have should a procedure mapped out and everyone on board should know it. So when you call, "Fire!" everyone knows the job they have to do.
   • Run practice drills routinely, especially if you know you're coming upon an area that's prone to big gusts of winds/storms/pirates, etc. The more ready you and your crew are, the better your experience will be.
2. Make final preparations before you embark on your journey and then go. Months, potentially years, of hard work are about to pay off. You've put in the money and the time and now all that's left is going. Take one last look at your situation – is there anything you could have possibly forgotten?
   • Throw a party, say your goodbyes, stock up on champagne – however you want to give yourself one last hurrah on land. Check your boat for mishaps, check the weather, gather all your documents, and get excited. It's time to set sail.
3. Limit your exposure to dangerous areas. As you're in the open water, it cannot be stressed enough that you have to be careful. Pirates are not just old folk tales made up as scary bedtime stories. Crazily enough, they are real. Stick to areas where you know you'll be safe.
   • Pirates roam the seas, especially in areas off of the African and Indian coasts. They can even be found in the questionably boundary-less waters around the Philippines and Malaysia (few know who monitors what). For the latest piracy hotspots, visit the ICC's website.
   • Limit your time in other areas due to dangerous sea conditions or threats from other people. These areas include Cape Horn, the Malacca Straits, the Bering Sea, Southern Ocean, Cape Hatteras, the North Atlantic, the Bermuda Triangle, and the Andaman Sea.
4. Stay legal. When approaching the coast of any country, you are within that country's territory when you are within 12 nautical miles (22.22 km) of it. Otherwise, you are generally within your home country's jurisdiction when at sea. When you are within this range, you have to abide by that country's rules. Everything will be easier if you meet their requirements.
5. Check your boat routinely and at every port. Just like how you need to keep an eye on your health when at sea, you also need to keep an eye on your boat's health. At every port, give her a look. Any minute mishap should be addressed immediately. And the great part is that you'll be surrounded by people who can help, too.
   • If you're traveling solo or almost solo, this can be a bright spot in an otherwise lonely existence. There are usually day laborers that hang around marinas just waiting to help out. For that day, you could meet some interesting people, spicing up your stories and upping your morale.
   • Check the equipment, too. The last thing you want is a malfunctioning radar or emergency telephone gone haywire. It's a pain now, but it could save your life later.
6. Have a plan for coming back. After years at sea, you're either going to be ready for some time on solid ground or think that a normal lifestyle is unfathomable. That being said, living your entire life at sea is pretty hard to do, so you'll need some time of after-plan to make ends meet. After you've sailed around the world, what next? Hot air balloon, maybe?
   • Try to come up with a budget of how much money you'll need post-trip. You'll need time to live and find a job, housing, and to get situated in your new life. Having at least six months of financial padding will make the transition much less stressful.

Tips

• If you take a firearm with you, research the legality of it in any country you plan to stop in.
• Various locations have different qualities of and access to health care. Quality health care will be relatively easy to find in the US, Europe, Canada, Australia, and other developed nations. However, this will not be the case in all areas of the world.

Warnings

• The top reason that attempts to sail around the world are aborted is ill-health. Make sure you are in good health before your trip and monitor your health carefully while on your trip.

Related Articles

• Live on a Sailboat
• Travel for Free on a Sailboat
• Improvise a Sail Boarding Rig

Sources and Citations

See also

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• Be Vegetarian in a Non Vegetarian Country
• Do Laundry While Traveling
• Exchange Currency
• Travel Around the World

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