How to Find a Free Ride to Antarctica

"If your ship doesn't come in, swim out to meet it!" Jonathon Winters

No experience sailing. No contacts or leads. No knowledge on how people get to the least traveled continent. I cannot count how many people told me how hard and even impossible it is to find a free ride to Antarctica. I am a person that simply believes that anything is possible. I smiled at any doubters and told them I would find a way.

This blog post will outline how I found a free ride. This is not the only way. There are multiple ways to experience success in anything you do. So take this as advice as one way to do this. I hope it helps.

1. Decide 100% you will go.
Write this goal down with the reasons you want to go, and what you will experience if you do not reach your goal. Read it multiple times in the days, months or years leading up to the moment you leave.

2. Timing is everything.
November through March. Every year. These are summer months, and the only possible months to travel. Trips generally last three weeks on supply ships and private and charter boats. Cruise ships trips vary from a week to several weeks.

3. Decide how you want to travel.
You can find a free ride by working for one of many companies or private charters. Your main options are: private charter (sailing yacht), private boat (sailing yacht), cruise ship, supply ship and airplane.

The difficulty varies depending on where you want to go.
If you fly, you will fly to King George Island, the most touristic location that is not really considered Antarctica but the Shetland Islands.
If you work on a cruise ship, you will be on the ship the vast majority of the time, working with organized schedules and catering to an older generation. You will see much more of the Antarctic Peninsula and may step off the boat to take a small hike.
If you work on a supply ship, you will be lucky to look out a porthole window every now and again while working 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. You will likely not step off the boat.
If you work on a private or charter boat, you will have an intimate experience on many levels. You can explore places no other option can offer. You can get on and off the boat many times.
After learning about these options, it was clear to me I wanted to find work on a private or charter sailing yacht.

4. Travel to Ushuaia, Argentina and/or Puerto Williams, Chile.
Every cruise ship, private charter and boat leaves from Ushuaia or Puerto Williams. These towns have docks where all the boats stay up to a week to prepare before beginning their journey.
If you decide to fly, go to Punta Arenas, Chile. Visit DAP office to make connections to talk to a manager or anyone that is important and explain you want to exchange work for a free flight.

5. Introduce yourself to Everyone
This may be scary for some people, but it is necessary. You must introduce yourself to all the captains, managers of cruise ships and anyone who makes decisions with whether or not to hire you. Since I was determined to get on a yacht, I went to the dock at Puerto Williams and Ushuaia to talk to all the captains present.
How? I knocked on their deck. I climbed onto their boat from the dock, stood on their deck, knocked three times, and waited for someone to come outside. At this point, I simply introduced myself and asked them where they were planning to sail. I told them I planned to sail to Antarctica and I was looking to crew (work on the boat). The answer I heard from almost everyone was 'no.' I did not hear this 'no' but rather I viewed it as a numbers game. The more people I asked, the closer I would get to a 'yes.' This may be hard for you, as getting rejected is not very fun. But you must be persistent and realize their 'no' is not personal.
Since boats prepare for their trips for only several days before leaving again, this means there is movement between boats in the docks. So every couple days there are new people with whom to network. So keep going back every day! This also shows every person that sees you day after day that you are committed.

6. Be ready to go!
Sometimes a captain is in a hurry to hire a crew at the last minute. Maybe an injury, sickness or something random happens to a crew member and he is in a bind. If you are there and ready to go, you are in.
In my situation, I had a 'maybe' answer from a captain. I knew the date they planned to leave. They had two different crew members that were hoping would commit for the final spot before they could said 'yes' to me. They said they could not tell me until the day before they left, so I decided to be there, on the ground with my bags packed and a smile. Turns out the two others could not crew, and I was there. Smiling.

--Other miscellaneous tips that may help
Ask a captain for an exchange. Maybe you find other tourists that are willing to pay full price to fill their boat in exchange for a free ride. Then ask around at hostels or go to where people are entering tourist offices buying tickets on cruise ships.
Have a past manager send a recommendation letter to the captain's email address
Post flyers around Puerto Williams and Ushuaia
Be yourself!

Ushuaia Yacht Club

Puerto Williams Yacht Club

Sailing the Patagonian Channels on Imvubu

 "The only thing that stands between you and your dream is the will to try and the belief that it is actually possible." Joel Brown

It is amazing how things fall into place. We returned to Ushuaia from Antarctica on February 3rd. Throughout our trip, I was on a roller coaster of emotions as far as how I liked sailing. Crossing the Drake Passage for three days of non stop boat rocking seemed to never end whilst in the moment. As soon as we reached calm waters, I forgot about the tough times and began enjoying the good.

So I decided to find work on another yacht. After an afternoon knocking on every boat in the dock asking if they needed extra crew, I heard nothing but "no" and began to accept that maybe it was not meant to be. Later that night Jordan Mowbray, the captain of 'Commitment', gave me a heads up that a South African captain was looking for crew. Sweet.

My dear friend Molly and I introduced ourselves to Ralf Dominick on his private yacht, Imvubu. It seemed that immediately we all knew we would be working together and the next day he offered us crew position to help him sail from Ushuaia, Argentina to Puerto Montt, Chile. Molly and I seem to have found an excellent teacher and will be receiving private sailing lessons as it is just the three us us on the this trip. The route spans the Patagonian channels that neighbor ice fields, mountains, glaciers, wildlife and more that we will learn about. The trip will last about one month and we begin tomorrow, February 12th.
Life is great.

And an early happy birthday to my younger sister, Maryellen and my Mom. Love you both!!

Here are the pictures from our trip. We sailed ten days from Ushuaia. Argentina to Puerto Natales, Chile and decided to end our trip early.

Saloon and communication station on Imvubu

Seals playing in water

Imvubu from a distance in Puerto Natales

Molly and I enjoy the views

Making contacts to find a ride to Antarctica

December 27, 2013

"When you run into a wall, do not pound on the wall. Just locate the door." - Guru Singh

If you want to find a free ride and have no sailing experience, I will show you one way to get there. I am learning as I go and still do not have a set ride. But, I am going. 100%. 

The sailing season to the continent of Antarctica are the summer months from November until March. Over the winter (summer months in the northern hemisphere), I lived near the southern tip of the continent of South America. Here I continue to network with many people and have put myself in a good position to sail.

One of the best contacts I have is a couple named Greg Landreth and Keri Lee-Paschuk. They have a beautiful sailboat named Northanger and I worked with them for a month in the winter for a couple weeks this December. Although they do not plan to go to Antarctica, they have been an amazing contact to help me find a safe ride across the Drake Passage.

They taught me that there are two towns from which sailboats leave to cross the Drake Passage and arrive on the Antarctic peninsula. These towns are Puerto Williams and Ushuaia. Over the past month (December), I have been networking in these towns, meeting fascinating sailors from all over the world. I knock on each sailboat's deck to introduce myself and explain how keen I am to help them sail. Persisting through many no's and continually introducing myself to more people, I have found myself in a good situation.

Nothing is 100%, but I have a chance to get on a couple different boats the first week of January. The trips last about 24 days.

Stay in touch. An amazing chapter of this trip is coming soon.



Also, another thanks to the Erratic Rock family in Puerto Natales. This is my home away from home. They invited me to celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas and have treated me like a loving family.

Puerto Williams

Plane getting set to fly from Punta Arenas to Puerto Williams

Plane ride with incredible view of the Beagle Canal and Darwin Mountain Range

Don't tell the guidebooks this plane ride is cheap and amazing

Yacht club in Puerto Williams with Dientes de Navarino in the background

Puerto Williams, from Cerro Bandera trail. The town, which is on Navarino Island, is considered the southernmost town in the world. Across the Beagle Canal is the island of Tierra de Fuego.

My stay in Puerto Williams was made comfortable by Luis and his generous and loving family. Luis is holding his adorable niece Leoni. Thank you all!

Ushuaia

Yacht club in Ushuaia

Ushuaia near the yacht club

Life at the End of the World

Life at the End of the World

 ¨You have great impact on others by the way you listen, than by the way you talk.¨ - Unknown

We crossed the Strait of Magellan by ferry to arrive on the island of Tierra del Fuego

Sheep Farming

Hitchhiking from Puerto Natales was an adventure, and I arrived at the farm after several different rides from several different characters. Life at Por Fin was quite an awesome experience. The small sheep farm is run by the Maclean family of Scottish background. Patrick and his son Michael are the main farmers. Daniela, Michael's girlfriend, and the local that lives there year round, Telo, help on the farm as well. 

I arrived not knowing what to experience, other than the life of a sheep farmer. To my surprise, I learned a lot more than just the farm life. Patrick, Michael and Daniela opened my eyes to a healthier mindset, the life cycle and how peaceful farm life can be. 

Set in the middle of nowhere more than an hour from any small town, the house is run on wind energy, wood burning stoves and love. No cars, no streets, no light pollution, no signs of city. Peace.

The simple life includes listening to birds singing, watching animals roam the rolling hills, enjoying sunrises and sunsets, noticing the weather every day, playing music, eating delicious food and finding the inner peace inside yourself that is shared amongst nature. Some of the farm jobs I learned are chopping wood, building fences, herding sheep, clearing dead sheep and saving nearly dead sheep. 

10 beautiful days passed by rapidly, but I will always remember the incredible hospitality shared by Patrick, Michael and Daniela. Thanks you again!!

Patrick, Michael, Dani and me enjoy a meal

Michael and I pose in front of the wood we chopped for heat in the house

Rainbow overlooking the farm and a water hole

The newborn colt stays near her mother. The farm has nearly 30 horses

The stones in the foreground of this picture are in a circular formation. Less than 100 years ago, their were indigenous familes living on this land. This area marks where they once had a teepee. What makes this area so special is that no one has roamed the land except for the Maclean family since the natives were killed.

Hitching a Ride to Wherever You´ll Take Me

The Maclean family gave me a ride to the northernmost part of Tierra del Fuego, where I could most easily hitchhike to other parts of the island. We said our goodbyes and I began sticking my thumb out to the truckers and cars coming off the ferry from the Strait of Magellan. Quite a beautiful place to find for a ride, it took several hours before my ride found me. A trucker named Luis hauling fruits and vegetables from Mendoza, Argentina, offered to give me a ride to Rio Grande. Perfect, I´ll go there! We set off around sunset and drove into the night until 10 pm. He offered for me spend the night in his truck cabin with him instead of paying for a hostel. I hesitantly agreed as I had never spent the night in an 18 wheeler truck cabin. Luis is a great person, and offered me rides to and from Tierra del Fuego and Mendoza whenever I want.

The next morning, I sent messages through couchsurfing, a website where people share a place to stay for free. I got a response from a mom named Nancy and decided to stay with her. What a pleasure to stay with Nancy!! Natalia, a friend of hers, picked me up and drove me to her house. As we arrived, lunch was getting prepared by Nancy and her daughter Ludmila. A week passed by quickly in Rio Grande as I found interesting museums about the indigenous culture on the island, attended tango and guitar lessons, shared many laughs, delicious food and great conversations with Natalia, Nancy and her family. Thanks so much for the warm hospitality and the love you share!

Nancy and I share a glass of wine

We went mussell hunting in the Atlantic Ocean! We filled our buckets to later cook and enjoy

Tolhuin

Nancy had asked a friend of hers that lives in Tolhuin, a small town 60 miles south of rio grande, if I could spend some time with her family. Valeria, her husband Leonardo and their three boys welcomed me to their home for the weekend. They live in the middle of a small forest outside of town in a house they built. Thanks for everything you shared with me. 

Leo, Valeria, their sons and me enjoy a meal in their quaint home

Overlooking Lago Khami at sunset. This lake sits on the southern end of the island, is part Chilean and part Argentine, and sits on a fault line.

Ushuaia

After several days in Tolhuin, I hitchhiked to Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world. Upon arrival, it began to snow. As I looked around, I saw the Beagle Canal and sailboats to the south, and the city nestled in front of snow capped mountains to the north. Snow began to fall as I began to walk around town to find a hostel.
I have spent several days in Ushuaia, hiking trails nearby and sharing with the locals living here. The first night I stayed in a hostel, and afterwards I was welcomed by another couchsurfer, Mariela. Thanks for opening your home to me Mariela! 

The Beagle Canal hosts sailboats in front of the towering mountains

Tomorrow, September 15th, I will leave for National Park Tierra del Fuego to hike and camp. It is winter still, but I have the desire and the gear to explore. After hiking, I assume I will head north, as I do not have the option to travel further south unless by boat.

Tierra del Fuego National Park

At the hostel in Ushuaia, I met some great friends. Lu, Flo, Maria are Argentinians and Kyle from California. We hiked around the park together enjoying a beautiful day

I camped out for three nights on a small island in the park. Pretty beautiful view to wake up and see!

Near my campsite the views were amazing

 I am currently traveling north via the Atlantic coast of Argentina. The general idea is to take advantage of the season for whale watching.