Crew Available: New Zealand Bound

[Obtenebrix]

NONSMOKING (allergic) photographer and author looking to crew across the ocean. Willing to meet in Panama or potentially along your route there. Until a ship is found I'll be working my way along taking photos as I progress, then waiting near Panama City/Balboa and walking the docks until I find a vessel or outfit a fishing boat to solo attempt it myself. Incremental legs across the Pacific are fine, I can piece the voyage together once in the Pacific if you don't have NZ on your itinerary. This trip is for an autobiographical book about this emigration voyage - I'm happy to leave out anything to identify you/your vessel. This book is not yet listed on my website.

Certified diver, ASA sailing courses, ~2 years coastal experience 30-40' fair weather sailing in S. California & S. Florida. No blue water, minimal storm experience (If there's a cloud on the horizon it seems everyone buckles down in harbor - that's IF they take their boat out of the harbor to begin with. Most boats in CA are dock queens). Never logged or tracked miles as I was planning to buy my own vessel and was only concerned with practical experiences. Fit, easygoing, about 100# luggage with me (I still carry it all).

I'll check here intermittently going forward when I'm in wifi zones, and if I find a vessel I'll post an update. But the best way to reach me is to email me direct. My email is all over my wesbite, should be at the bottom of each page.

Safe Sailing!

L.Y.G.E.R. | Shades of Gray Photography & Publishing | Official website & store for Independent Author & Photographer L.Y.G.E.R., a Traveler without a Passport

[EzzyD]

Originally Posted by Obtenebrix

NONSMOKING (allergic) photographer and author looking to crew across the ocean. Willing to meet in Panama or potentially along your route there. Until a ship is found I'll be working my way along taking photos as I progress, then waiting near Panama City/Balboa and walking the docks until I find a vessel or outfit a fishing boat to solo attempt it myself. Incremental legs across the Pacific are fine, I can piece the voyage together once in the Pacific if you don't have NZ on your itinerary. This trip is for an autobiographical book about this emigration voyage - I'm happy to leave out anything to identify you/your vessel. This book is not yet listed on my website.

Certified diver, ASA sailing courses, ~2 years coastal experience 30-40' fair weather sailing in S. California & S. Florida. No blue water, minimal storm experience (If there's a cloud on the horizon it seems everyone buckles down in harbor - that's IF they take their boat out of the harbor to begin with. Most boats in CA are dock queens). Never logged or tracked miles as I was planning to buy my own vessel and was only concerned with practical experiences. Fit, easygoing, about 100# luggage with me (I still carry it all).

I'll check here intermittently going forward when I'm in wifi zones, and if I find a vessel I'll post an update. But the best way to reach me is to email me direct. My email is all over my wesbite, should be at the bottom of each page.

Safe Sailing!

L.Y.G.E.R. | Shades of Gray Photography & Publishing | Official website & store for Independent Author & Photographer L.Y.G.E.R., a Traveler without a Passport

Do you have a Passport?

What is with the | intro about you that says you worked in the intelligence field and as an assassin?

[Obtenebrix]

Are you trying to confirm what you read? The only thing that came thru your post clear is your incredulity. You can probably deduce enough of the "why's" for yourself. As I said, this is an emigration. I will not be complicit or support despotic governments of any caliber or agenda any longer. If your question was "how," again, my background should help answer that as well. It's not that hard if you put your mind to it, and happens every day around the world on a frequent basis. I carry enough ID to placate the immigration officials I've met into letting me pass and move forward, and includes a birth cert. And I don't mind landing or swimming ashore on a random beach to make it easier on a ship either. It's usually easier for me to plan to bypass so officials don't spend time 1) scratching their heads 2) wondering if I'm actually an unofficial envoy of some sort (which may be why a couple let me proceed paperless).

I'll add blog posts related to my travels to my site soon. They are still in draft form and not ready to be published, IMO. The full story will be reserved for an autobio I'll publish after I reach NZ. My only expectations are "the golden rule": treat others with respect and fairness, and expect the same in return. Regardless of who I'm dealing with or why.

If you have a specific inquiry, a public post here is a lot less likely to engender much in the way of those details than a direct email - another reason I said to contact me that way, if you wanted more info..

[maxingout]

Not many yachts will let you travel with them if you don't have a passport. The captain of the yacht is responsible financially and legally for the actions of the crew, and bringing someone into port without a passport would be nothing but trouble.

You would have to concoct a tale that the passport was accidentally destroyed or lost overboard, and then the red tape would begin.

When I sailed to Israel, I did not have them stamp my passport, but they still wanted to see a passport, and they stuck a piece of paper in the passport which was removed at a later date.

I lived overseas for 28 years and have sailed around the world, and countries on the sailing routes take passports seriously. French Polynesia not only wants a passport, you also have to post a bond equal in value to a plane ticket to your country of origin.

If I had no passport and wanted to sail to New Zealand, I would get a small boat, and sail non-stop singlehanded to New Zealand.

In the sailing world, you have to be cleared out of your last destination by customs, and if you show up at a new destination without clearance papers from your last destination, they may arrest you and your boat.

Not in a thousand years would I have a crew member on my sailboat who did not have a passport.

[Obtenebrix]

While your approach is a viable one, it's not the only option. Arrest or seizure of the boat in the Pacific is rather unlikely, especially in my case. Further, the red tape isn't that bad. I've dealt with it. It could be worse in countries without certain embassies, I haven't had to address that yet, but maritime law provides for rescue situations and most people pulled from the sea don't have any papers at all when that happens.

French Polynesia could be a problem, but again, if I agree to never leave the boat or dock they will almost certainly be just fine with the situation. Your description is only likely as a possibility rather than melodrama in parts of the Orient and Indonesia, not the S. Pacific between Central America & NZ. I could counter that every country I've passed thru far could have seen fit to arrest and deport or charge me instead if they wished. I've had no trouble. I'm a very likable guy, unless you try to screw me first.

I've done my research and know what to expect. I would have dealt with the same things on my own vessel. And If I don't find one making the transit, I will load a fisherman's skiff with three month's water and food, rig a sail, and set out myself. Hardly ideal, but I will reach my destination or perish in the effort. Finding a larger vessel would be much safer however, which is why I'm still posting for that, regardless of naysayers. I've taken care of myself in a lot of dicey situations over the years, knowing I would be disavowed by my own government if I couldn't avoid trouble or talk or act my way out of it. This, in comparison, is nothing. Crossing an ocean intact, that's it.

Besides, since my last passport was stolen, the truth really isn't inconvenient to my situation at all. In my case, I was identified as "deceased" so even if I hadn't renounced that country, they wouldn't be reissuing a passport to a presumed corpse.

What Israel did for you is common in other countries and is often a tourist visa or permit that you return at departure. Only one country saw fit to provide that so far, and that was more so they could collect a fee for it than anything else. It wasn't their standard process.

You are welcome to your opinion, but I fail to see any merit to your post, for me or anyone else for that matter, since it's largely a melodramatic exaggeration under the circumstances and territory to be covered, with the sole exception noted above, which I wasn't concerned about since many cruisers decide to move on from French Polynesia or bypass it once they realize it's probably the most expensive and overpriced Pacific destination. I could if I wanted to concoct a story, probably make it even easier and claim to be a kiwi lost at sea heading home when the time came, but that was for me and a potential vessel to discuss and decide, not an uninterested party, thank you.

[maxingout]

Fair winds and following seas on your adventure to New Zealand. It's a great trip with some of the best sailing in the world. You will have plenty of time to write and take photographs along the way.

Good luck on your publishing career. I checked out your website, and it looks like you are well on your way.

[Obtenebrix]

Thank you. That depends. I doubt it if I am singlehanding a fishing skiff across the Pacific, but we shall see what comes of it yet.



Safe sailing and adventure to you as well.