Almost every day someone asks me this question. There is no straightforward way to find a boat to sail across the Atlantic. The most common three methods to find a boat are through connection via internet platforms, personal contact at the harbour, or referrals from your network. There is no fixed “best” approach. It depends on what kind of experience you want. It depends on luck. And it depends on your efforts. In Ocean Nomad, I dedicate 30 pages specifically to the topic of where to find a boat, including a review of the best crew websites to sign up for (I interviewed the seven largest crew websites), which harbours to go to when, where to search locally and other tips and tricks how you can find out about boats looking for crew. On the Ocean Nomads member ship portal we also have a resource on Atlantic Sailing and more and more sailing opportunities presented as the network grows.

Occasionally I do and owners/skippers ask me if I know any crew. At the moment I almost only share these opportunities with the Ocean Nomads community. You’re welcome to join!

If you want to get into sailing, you don’t have to cross an ocean right away. As a matter of fact, if you have never sailed before or if you want to learn how to sail, start small and near the coast. Coastal cruising is where most sailing action happens. In the beginning, I found sleeping on a boat to be a huge experience in itself. Go island hopping in Greece, Canary Islands, Cape Verde, the Caribbean or the Azores. This is the leisurely way to sail. It’s fun, relaxing, and involves lots of jumping in the sea. It brings you to harbours and bays, which the crowd doesn’t reach. You’ll be hooked. And in the unlikely event you’re not, or it doesn’t match with the captain, you can hop off on the next island. As opposed to the Atlantic, where the next island is thousands of nautical miles away. You owe it to yourself, captain, and fellow crew to be confident you’re ready for an ocean passage.

There is no ‘best’ place. You can either go to the most popular places from which boats leave for the Atlantic passage (like Las Palmas or Antigua), or choose to go to a harbour or bay where boats do initial preparations or pass ‘en route’ towards their last port of call before sailing out for the Atlantic. The smaller harbours and bays in Europe, the Canary and Caribbean Islands are worth checking out. The bigger marinas can be expensive and busy with other boat hitchhikers. Some boats prefer to prepare elsewhere ‘off the beaten path.’ There will be fewer boats but also fewer people looking for a boat. Find an extensive list of harbours and marina’s where you can try your luck in Ocean Nomad.

Hundreds of sailing yachts make the Atlantic Ocean crossing each year. These undertakings don’t happen all year round. Boats are dependent on the weather and seasons. Although the weather can’t be guaranteed, boats avoid risk by being in the right place at the right time.

Several different routes exist. The most popular route is the North Atlantic circle, driven by the season and trade winds: the Southern route goes from east to west and the Northern route from west to east. A small but increasing number of yachts also make a high latitude voyage like the North West passage or cross the South Atlantic from Africa to Brazil.

Some boats start searching for crew as early as one year beforehand. Some boats decide a few days before departure that it might be handy to get extra hands on board. Sometimes crew leaves vessels and replacements need to be found. Opportunities arise anytime. You can start searching, or decide to do this, anytime.

I’ll discuss the popular routes, harbours and what it’s like each month in detail in book Ocean Nomad.

Hundreds of sailing yachts make the Atlantic Ocean crossing each year. These undertakings don’t happen all year round. Boats are dependent on the weather and seasons. Although the weather can’t be guaranteed, boats avoid risk by being in the right place at the right time.

Several different routes exist. The most popular route is the North Atlantic circle, driven by the season and trade winds: the Southern route goes from east to west and the Northern route from west to east. A small but increasing number of yachts also make a high latitude voyage like the North West passage or cross the South Atlantic from Africa to Brazil.

Some boats start searching for crew as early as one year beforehand. Some boats decide a few days before departure that it might be handy to get extra hands on board. Sometimes crew leaves vessels and replacements need to be found. Opportunities arise anytime. You can start searching, or decide to do this, anytime.

I’ll discuss the popular routes, harbours and what it’s like each month in detail in book Ocean Nomad.

Hundreds of sailing yachts make the Atlantic Ocean crossing each year. These undertakings don’t happen all year round. Boats are dependent on the weather and seasons. Although the weather can’t be guaranteed, boats avoid risk by being in the right place at the right time.

Several different routes exist. The most popular route is the North Atlantic circle, driven by the season and trade winds: the Southern route goes from east to west and the Northern route from west to east. A small but increasing number of yachts also make a high latitude voyage like the North West passage or cross the South Atlantic from Africa to Brazil.

Some boats start searching for crew as early as one year beforehand. Some boats decide a few days before departure that it might be handy to get extra hands on board. Sometimes crew leaves vessels and replacements need to be found. Opportunities arise anytime. You can start searching, or decide to do this, anytime.

I’ll discuss the popular routes, harbours and what it’s like each month in detail in book Ocean Nomad.

Read a sneak peak here

Here are some free resources (Stories, Blogs, Tips)

Book Ocean Nomad – The Complete Atlantic Sailing Crew Guide is the book I wish was out there when I started figuring out how to sail the Atlantic Ocean as crew. From Dream to Reality it answers all your questions + more on how to make the dream happen, safe, happy, and meaningful. Available as Print in Colour, Print in Black & White, PDF, and Kindle. Learn more about the book here.

You can connect with more sailors, liveaboards, and aspiring crew in the Ocean Nomads community. Lots of answers to be found on your questions.

If you want to get into sailing, you don’t have to cross an ocean right away. As a matter of fact, if you have never sailed before or if you want to learn how to sail, start small and near the coast. Coastal cruising is where most sailing action happens. In the beginning, I found sleeping on a boat to be a huge experience in itself. Go island hopping in Greece, Canary Islands, Cape Verde, the Caribbean or the Azores. This is the leisurely way to sail. It’s fun, relaxing, and involves lots of jumping in the sea. It brings you to harbours and bays, which the crowd doesn’t reach. You’ll be hooked. And in the unlikely event you’re not, or it doesn’t match with the captain, you can hop off on the next island. As opposed to the Atlantic, where the next island is thousands of nautical miles away. You owe it to yourself, captain, and fellow crew to be confident you’re ready for an ocean passage.

Occasionally I’m asked if I know about any ‘adventure / eco ‘ minded crew. All requests I communicate within the Ocean Nomads platform. Within the network, we have more and more boat owners and captains reaching out for crew, exclusively within the network given the shared values and mindset of the members.

You’re at the right place! I started a couple of years ago from absolute zero in sailing. A few years of boathhitchhiking later, I’m now a qualified captain.

The best way to learn the ropes is by start doing. There are lots of boats out there who are welcoming hands on deck from zero experience people. I can relate. I had n0 experience a couple of years ago. These days I get paid to sail. If you’re lucky you can get paid right away (dynamics will then also be different on board) but in most cases, you’ll share expenses (and the adventure!) and sometimes chip in. To be honest, the most rewarding experience by far have been the ones I chipped in myself. Just to make the adventure happen. Think about what skills you have you can offer adn why you want to travel by sail. Act accordingly.

You can also join a sailing club, show up at regatta’s or take a course to learn how to sail. To learn more about seamanship and all that comes with it, travelling by sailboat is the way to go.

There is no straightforward way. A good starting place to find a boat is signing up for a few crew websites, and to connect with your network. I wrote a dedicated blog on finding a boat.  Finding a boat is one thing, finding a cool boat with cool people is what makes all the difference! That’s one big reaching I started Ocean Nomads, a global network of adventurous and impact driven ocean souls. We have more and more crewing opportunities in there. If you consider committing to a boat for a bit longer it has to be a ‘hell yeah’ or keep on searching! Good luck!

If you really want something, you have to gather courage and take action. Step by step you can move closer to make the dream happen. The journey is worthwhile.

We make excuses, procrastinate, or just react to whatever situation appears. It keeps us in our comfort zones. It keeps us warm and we know we are okay. That’s the thing. It makes us feel okay, not alive! If you react to every situation that crosses your path, then your life is lived by others instead of by you. There is always something going on that is immediately important but not helping us to realise our dreams. What’s more important in the long run? Time is much more valuable than money. We can always make more money but never more time. It requires some creativity, proactivity, adaptation, and shift in thinking, but it makes life exciting and rewarding.

Set you mind!

Drive, passion, and purpose bring us everywhere. If you’re clear why you want to make a dream happen, only take those actions that bring you closer to your dream and mission. Say no to everything and everyone that prevents you from going where you want to go. Don’t spend your time with people you don’t really like. Don’t waste time on a job you hate. Don’t lose hours scrolling down your Facebook feed and looking at how awesome other people’s lives are. Spend time with those awesome people instead! The internet makes it easier than ever before to connect with like-minded people. Find your tribe. Sign up for Meetup.com, Couchsurfing.org, or a Facebook group where you can find people passionate about the same things. Find out which globetrotters are maybe simply around the corner looking to meet a fellow adventure seeker. Spend time with people who make you happy, bring out the best in you and share the same dreams. This will give you tremendous energy and encouragement to go out there and do it. If you’re a (aspiring) salty dreamer, sustainability thinker and/or pirate looking for purpose, join the Ocean Nomads Community.

You must proactively pursue your dreams to make them happen. Set your standards and live the way you want to live. Happiness is worth more than any bank account. Choose time over money. The best investment you can make.

 “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. — Jim Rhone

The time to make your dreams happen is now. Be your authentic you and to do what excites you, at any stage in your life. Be who you would like to be. Follow your own path and don’t let anything or anyone hold you back. Be present and act in the now. Dreams are meant to be pursued, not postponed. Who knows if tomorrow will even arrive? If you are happy, you are your best you, and your surroundings will be happy as well. Happiness is contagious. Make your life a good one! Not only for yourself but for those in need and those to come.

The most difficult step is stepping out of the door! Once you’ve done that, the rest is easy.

All the time. I wish I had the resources to help everyone individually. Unfortunately, I don’t. At the moment I share opportunities with the Ocean Nomads community. You’re welcome to join if you feel like ‘yeah’ this is my tribe!

Also, I created some groups for different regions, which I don’t actively manage but occassionaly cool opportunities are shared:

Amateur crewing groups in other regions of the world:

For Atlantic Ocean Crossing -> https://www.facebook.com/groups/atlanticoceancrew

For the Mediterranean -> https://www.facebook.com/groups/med.sailing.crew

For the Caribbean -> https://www.facebook.com/groups/caribbean.sailing.crew

For Asia / Pacific -> https://www.facebook.com/groups/asia.pacific.sailing.crew