Hello!
My name is Wojciech, and I'm from Poland (just call me Mojo, though). Next year, I'm setting for the greatest adventure of my life (so far), which is to settle and study in Melbourne, where I intend to travel by land and see only (meaning no flights and a long, perilous journey through Eastern Europe, all of Russia, China, South-East Asia, Indonesia, and finally the Outback, or East Coast). The problem with this premise is that there seems to be no regular non-flight passenger routes that I could use in order to get across the Timor and Tarafura Seas, at least not any that would start in Indonesia or East Timor (there's a freight line that takes passengers from Singapore, but it's pretty expensive and I'd like to visit Indonesia and East Timor when provided the opportunity). Hence, the only shot that I seem to have is hitching a yacht somewhere from Indonesia / East Timor to Darwin. That's why I have a couple of questions:
1. Since I plan on departing sometime around April 2017, I will most likely arrive in Indonesia / E. Timor near the end of the year, during the wet season (October to December). I could not find any information on this topic, so could anybody tell me: is it common to sail in this area this time of year? Or, in other words: is there any chance that there will be _anyone_ sailing there, who could potentially help me out, or am I doomed to getting on a plane?
2. My second question is related to the topic of the dangers of this passage. While I have some sailing experience (mostly lakes here in Poland, but also a couple of cruises on the Baltic and Adriatic seas), I'm worried that it might be considered insufficient for this cruise by any sane person, who could potentially help me out with a free berth. Are my concerns valid, or am I overthinking this aspect?
3. Finally: would there be anybody nice enough to suggest a way to get in touch with a crew (looking for a crew member) that would be sailing in that area (and that way)? I've heard about those sites like findacrew.net, crewseekers.net etc., but I'd like to have some alternatives in case I had no luck there. Are there any regional internet forums where I could find some help? Maybe somebody here would be capable of aiding me in my endeavour?
I will be very grateful for any advice anyone may give! Cheers!
Hi Mojo,
There is a Fremantle to Bali race in May 2017. You might be able to pick up a delivery crew spot for the way back. Some of the boats stay up in Asia for other races before coming back to Perth.
Contact Fremantle Sailing Club for more info.
www.fsc.com.au
www.gumtree.com.au/s-rideshare-travel-partners/sailing+crew+wanted/k0c18332
www.easybackpacker.com/2011/07/08/how-to-get-from-asia-to-australia-on-a-boat/
Quick google search brought these up Mojo. Could be worth putting a post on the Gumtree site.
If you're too late in arriving it might be hard to get a ride on a yacht as from Nov to April is the cyclone (hurricane/typhoon) season for the top end of Australia.
Most yachts travelling to Oz would be gone earlier to be out of harms way. Cyclones often track down from the Northern Territory along the West Australian coast.
Thank you for the replies, Free Radical and simmrr!
Simmr, I've already stumbled upon that second page that you've provided (I didn't know gumtree had that section, though), but still I wanted to get more of an insider's view on the topic. During my inital research, I've also came across numerous other accounts of travellers, who had a similar plan to mine, but ended up stranded in Bali or Dili for months and that's something I would like to avoid. Also, I want to find out about as many different channels as possible in order to boost my chances of success. Thank you once again!
