Tips on Hitchhiking from Cairns to Port Moresby

Created by sue. Last modified on 2010-07-12 11:09:57
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Hello!

My name is Matias, and I am preparing myself to cycle around the world to support and raise funds for the NGO LIBERA! (http://www.liberaong.org/), which specializes in the welfare and protection of wild animals in captivity.

My expedition will start in Melbourne, Australia, in August 2010, and I will try to cycle all the way up to Madrid (where I am living at the moment), visiting Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Brunei, Indonesia, all South-East Asia, China, Middle-East and center-Europe on the way.

As you can see, I will have to jump from island to island before reaching the Asian continent, and the first issue is how to get from Cairns, to West Papua, in Indonesia. I first considered traveling by yacht from Cairns to Port Moresby, but I still haven't found any information on yachts or boats traveling following that route.

So my question would be the following: ¿do you think it's possible for me to hitchhike between these two cities? My aim is to reach Indonesia, which is well communicated with the Philippines by ferries, hopefully visiting some other islands along the way, like PNG, the Solomon Islands, or even Palau on my way to Davao. ¿Where could I get information about this matter? I don't want to catch any planes if possible, for that would break the chain of trying to reach my final destination all by land or on the surface of the planet.

I am also aware that my bike and equipment can be an impediment for taking me as crew member of a yatch, buy it can be folded and be stored quite neatly.

Any advice or help on the matter would be more that appreciated!

Matias Hyde

Hi Matias,

Thanks for your email, sounds like you have quite an adventure planned!

Take a look at our routing pages (which is where we give advice to cruisers undertaking passages globally). The link takes you to routing advice for the area you wish to travel. This should give you a good idea of the kinds of routes cruising yachts take and at what time of the year.

A useful book to buy which details all world cruising routes, is Jimmy Cornell's World Cruising Routes (6th edition). This is like the "bible" for many cruising yachts, and explains in great detail the popular routes, times of the year to make passages, winds, etc. etc. If you intend to travel by boat much of the time this would be a great source of info.

As for finding boats, well we can put an ad on our crew messageboard. There are also boats advertising for crew here, so perhaps you'll see something that could work. There are plenty of other crewing forums out there on the internet, so do a search and get your message posted.

Another avenue for securing a boat would be via the yacht clubs in Cairns/marinas (as this is your planned starting point). Check out Cairns for info. on docking and yacht clubs. Contact them ahead of time, but even better rock up there and try to meet cruisers. Anyone needing crew or willing to take a hitch hiker will 99% of the time want to meet you first, so networking once you get there will likely be the most effective, assuming you arrive in passage season. Equally, I am sure you would want to meet your skipper/crew before agreeing on undertaking a passage, and see the boat!

Finally, your gear. Well, your average cruising yacht does not have alot of stowage space or want to take alot of extra weight as it slows down the passage. If your bike is v.light, can be reduced in size by folding/taking apart and has a protective bag, then it could be strapped on deck. Just a holdall as other kit would mean you may not have any problems. If you have heaps of other gear, then I suggest you look into shipping it seperately, or at least have a back up plan should you not be able to get it on board.

Of course, it's never certain you will get a ride. I've waited a whole month in Gibraltar to get a ride across the Atlantic, and on the day I bought a plane ticket to fly out I got a ride! It takes alot of hard work, is very repetitive walking the docks etc. and you have to be prepared to hassle people somewhat, which is always a little uncomfortable. However you are doing it all for a good cause, so have that to your advantage.

All the best, and let us know if you'd like a message posted, and if so what (keep it short). And most importantly, include some info. about your sailing experience as few cruisers would take a complete novice on a trip of this nature.

Regards,

Noonsite Team