No boat? No budget? No sailing experience? But an urge for ocean adventure... No problem!
Sail the Atlantic Ocean as a Crew Member
Discover what it feels like to wake up on the ocean, breathe the ocean air, taste salty lips, have the wind in your hair, navigate by the stars, live simple and resourceful, and be eye to eye with dolphins. Day in, day out.
Travelling an ocean on someone else’s sailing boat is not a straightforward endeavour. To be ready to expect the unexpected, careful investigation and preparation is essential. In this comprehensive crew guide you will discover HOW TO:
Start the adventure! Take that first step out the door. Find a boat: where, when and why. Plan, pack, prepare and provision as crew. Check safety, reliability and the happy-factor of the boat, captain & crew. Deal with seasickness, limited resources, waste, watch-keeping & more. Make a positive difference for the health of the ocean.
Packed with practical advice and stories, Ocean Nomad guides you from the idea of “someday I would like to go on a sailing trip”, to sipping a coconut on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean celebrating the achievement.
“This ambitious guide book is the spark that will ignite your sense of adventure and provoke your compassion to create a better world.” Monique Mills - Captain & Ocean Advocate
***************** About the Author Suzanne Van Der Veeken hitched her first ride across the Atlantic as a complete newbie to the world of sailing. She has now sailed across the Atlantic three times on a strangers’ sailboat. In fact, she has explored almost every ocean on the planet with this alternative way of travel. She has figured out how (and how not) to catch rides on other people’s boats. Her ocean adventures have amazed her to the beauty of nature, but also the challenges the oceans are facing. With Ocean Nomad Suzanne aims to help adventure-seekers experience the magic of the high seas, to broaden horizons, and encourage positive change for the ocean. You can learn more about the author on theOceanpreneur.com
Suzanne is an adventure-loving, curiousity seeking ocean adventurer and advocate. For over ten years, she has been slow travelling around the world, of which last four years, mostly under sail, while living a minimalistic nomad lifestyle as a location independent entrepreneur. She feels at home anywhere there’s water. She’s a ‘do it yourself’ oceanographer learning about the ocean through (hitch)sailing, kitesurfing and freediving. As the ‘Oceanpreneur,’ she creates ocean adventure travel content, trips, and expeditions to excite and inform others about ocean travel and conservation. She is the author of Ocean Nomad, the hitchhikers guide to the Atlantic.
First up it is obvious that there has been an immense amount of work gone into this book, as is the genuine passion the author has for this subject (both sailing and the ocean). I consider myself a reasonably well travelled person but until now I had never even considered sailing an ocean! But this book has changed my perspective. It now feels possible, achievable and a very real prospect. But there is more to this than just sailing. And this is what makes this book stand out from the rest. This has a purpose behind it and one that I am now inspired to learn more about. Thanks to the author for taking the time to put together this information to help people to be inspired, realise their dreams, and learn about something very important all at the same time!
The hitch-sail bible At almost 400 pages, Ocean Nomad contains actionable information for anyone involved (or interested) in hitch-sailing. More than a simple adventure story, or even a personal memoir of what the author did right and wrong when hitch-sailing (3 times!) across the Atlantic, the book is a comprehensive look at all aspects of hitch-sailing, with interviews of 32 captains and 58 sailors for a wide perspective. I recalled fondly the year my best friend and I took a sailing-ship cruise in the Caribbean, helping to raise or lower sail, sleeping on deck, our adventures on the many tiny islands we stopped at (described by the captain as "Discovered by Christopher Columbus, 3rd voyage, didn't stop"), and being on watch when the bilge pump broke. This book is finding its way into the stockings of many friends and relatives for Christmas this year -- the ocean activist who is passionate about corals, a former Navy man who loves books about boats, an armchair adventurer who loves travel, a nature lover who has already hiked the Camino Real, and of course my sailing buddy.
What an inspiring journey! Being a midwest gal charmed by the Great Lakes, whenever I’m able to visit an ocean it always brings me a special kind of spiritual awareness. The Ocean Nomad, is a masterful how-to for navigating the Atlantic Ocean to most any point you’d ever want to reach. Just thinking about making a journey like this and the opportunity to spend uninterrupted time on the water is very exciting. It's also inspiring to learn how to help keep our oceans clean and safe for all as we enjoy them. It’s taken my love of just looking at or cruising the ocean to another level. It’s everything and more to help you plot an amazing journey on the Atlantic! In the words of one of Tina Fey's characters...I want to go to there!
After meeting Suzanne in January 2014 I followed her adventures closely via Social Media. When she started her first hitch-sail adventure I was absolutely amazed: is it really possible to cross an ocean if you don’t have sailing experience!? Inspired by Suzanne’s adventures and her very well provided details and information on the subject, I felt totally ready to throw off the bowlines myself. And I did! To me, Suzanne is THE example of ‘if you put your mind to it, you can do it’. This book will inspire and inform many more adventurous around the world. Thanks Suus for being such an inspiration and friend!
I can only imagine the amount of time and energy put into gathering the information and writing this book. Full of great photos and heads up calls, plus tons of information for becoming an ocean nomad (or upping your game if you're already one) ... this book is an invaluable resource! It even has a chapter "What to tell mom?" if you're worried that loved ones might not agree with your plans. If you love adventure, make sure you pick up this great book: the author speaks from experience and you'd be tempted to make ocean splashes yourself! If you're a conscious person, you'll be touched by the current status of the ocean, and you'll be eager to contribute in one way or another (plenty of suggestions inside). And if you're a curious person, make sure you grab it because you'll be surprised by what you'll find inside ... and even inspired!
This book is well structured/written and packed with comprehensive information about how to hitch-sail to cross the Atlantic. It includes costs, when and which harbors to start, and what happened on the boat. If crossing the Atlantic is your dream, this is the book for you.
The Ocean Nomad book is a treasure chest filled with practical information on crossing The Atlantic Ocean on a sailing boat. Where do you find a boat? How to assess the safety of the boat, crew and captain? How to prepare for a safe passage? What is the journey like? Suzanne answers all of these questions (and more) from her own experience and from the interviews of several dozen hitch-sailors and captains. You'll read vivid and comic ocean stories, many do's and don'ts, and the advice of other hitch-sailors who have crossed The Atlantic Ocean.
The theme throughout the book is ocean preservation and it inspires you to take action against the rapidly deteriorating state of our oceans. Suzanne's efforts are truly admiring and something we should all learn from.
More than a book, Ocean Nomad is a guide that you'll keep coming back to. It's hands down the best investment for an aspiring hitch-sailor.