Asklemmy @lemmy.ml notsofunnycomment @mander.xyz 2 mo. ago

Crossing the Atlantic on a sailing ship as a passenger?

Does anyone know if there are any companies/organizations that offer the possibility to sail the Atlantic by boat as a passenger (so not as a (more or less) experienced crew member). Are there any? Or announced plans or something like that?

(I'm not talking about being a passenger on a large cargo ship. I'm curious about the possibility to cross the Atlantic with a low carbon footprint).

33 comments

Hear me out. The thing with cruise ships is that they sometimes relocate from North America to Europe operations and vis versa. Those cruises don't get tourists because the whole point of a cruise is to visit different places, no one wants that trip. But the relocation is going to happen anyway, so they sell tickets super cheap (and it's stripped of entertainment like comedians, shows, etc). Because the relocation is going to happen anyway, you're not exactly adding to any carbon footprint. You'd have to Google what exactly they're called.

But I get you if you want to sail. That does exist too.
- Repositioning cruise, I think
  
  He just flies everywhere
- Might as well fly, the plane is going regardless ಠ_ಠ
  
  Well no the plane wouldn't.
Permanently Deleted
- I also haven't looked at findacrew.net for years, but I remember seeing a few "M looking for F (>30) for crew/FWB" ads, which seemed kinda creepy. Especially, you know, because of the implication.
- Thanks, will have a look. (I guess that scammy social platform found a way back into my life).
It's generally really hard if you have no experience. But if you're willing to pay, maybe. Check this out: https://hitchwiki.org/en/Hitchhiking_a_boat
I mean, Cunard does transatlantic sailings with the QM2, but your environmental impact for doing so would be high. Your impact would be far lower (per kilogram) if you did travel passenger on a cargo ship.
- Those are regular cruise ships, right? Yeah no, not interested in that either. Those are incredibly polluting and wasteful things.
  
  It's the last ocean liner in existence and it's more efficient than a cruise ship but yeah it's still pretty fuel hungry. There aren't any commercial sailing ships left anymore though even in a cargo capacity, companies don't run them because their speed is so inconsistent that they can't run on a regular schedule.
Looks like the main options are the things you've already ruled-out:

Lowest impact travel: passenger on a cargo ship.

Zero-emissions vehicle: £6000 trip on a sailing boat, but any normal-sized boat is going to expect everyone on board to take shifts.

Maybe you can find a "tall ship" that's big enough to have passive passengers (example), or pay the small boat to bring a higher ratio of paid crew to let the passengers sleep.
- Thanks. The tall ships look amazing.
  
  I don't understand why there arent more commercial options around. Aren't there armies of rich tourists and digital nomads struggling with their CO2 footprints?
  
  Wouldnt it be possible to have WiFi on such tall ships? Wouldnt it be possible for people to work online for some weeks?
  
  It might be a trope by now, but when you mention "rich tourists and digital nomads"... have you read For The Win?
  
  When Cory Doctorow considers this question, ... His character, an archetype of the subcultures you mention, voiced by the most cyberpunk author you ever read, chooses a cargo ship.
Like a transatlantic cruise?
- No, I basically mean a sailing ship. A ship with sails. I'm curious about the possibilities to cross the Atlantic with no/low CO2 emissions. I have adjusted the title to make this clearer!
If you are looking to make the crossing on a sailboat under 50', there are a few hitchhiker facebook groups that are pretty active. Maybe start in the FBG 'All Things Sailing" and move on from there.

Source: am fulltime liveaboard crusier
- Interesting, thanks. What does "fulltime liveaboard crusier" mean? You spend your days sailing the ocean? In sailing boats?
  
  I've been living full-time off the grid for six years on my Bayfield 29, either sailing or at anchor. After storm season I'll be leaving the States bound to Colombia, Brazil & Panama.
As others have said private boats are probably the best bet, but there are also sailing cruises which cross the atlantic, I believe the Alexander Humboldt stationed in Bremen makes that trip once a year. There are also other ships that I forgot the name of. It is really expensive though
Lots of sailors look for crew of varying levels when crossing with personal boats. Lots of work aboard for tall ship experiences as well. We live in a place where there are loads of sail boats on the east coast of North America and folks are looking all the time. Head to a marina and start asking around. Find sailing groups on facecrack or any social media and advertise yourself. Many will require experience but many will train you as well.
I think most sailing ships do expect all passengers to be capable of crew duties to some degree. Especially on an arduous and long journey like across the atlantic
- We need you to salt this pork
https://www.59-north.com/ take you on as crew for different lengths of legs. I think they usually go back and forth with two boats per year.
I'd go for something smaller first and gain experience.
Royal Caribbean has a couple of one way routes from the us to Europe.

Some shipping companies will also rent cabin space for civilians to cross the atlantic.
Feeding and housing you for the multi day trip will outweigh any emissions reduction from travelling by boat instead of by plane
- That makes sense because you don't need to eat and be housed those days in your life when you fly.

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