hkskyline
June 18th, 2005, 09:33 PM
Holidays for would-be stowaways crossing the high seas on cargo ship
PARIS, June 16 (AFP) - The high seas have always lured those with a passion for adventure, but today's would-be stowaways can enjoy all the comforts of the captain's cabin while plying the oceans on board a cargo ship.
Huge ships from banana boats to oil-tankers or even ice-breakers setting sail from France, Britain, Germany and the Netherlands these days accept to take up to 12 paying passengers on their voyages.
For about 100 euros a day (150 dollars), contemplative, solitary souls, drawn by vast open spaces, attracted by the unknown and seeking to escape the woes of modern life, can make their dreams come true.
And instead of having to hide out under wet sails and awnings, today's stowaways get to stay in comfortable, modernised officers cabins vacated over the past 20 years as crew numbers have dropped.
Passengers eat with the officers, can use the swimming pool or gym if there is one, and head for exotic destinations few people will ever get the chance to visit.
From Greenland to the islands off Antarctica, from the Weddel sea to the Tasmanian sea, from France to China, from South Africa to the Saint Helena in the middle of the southern Atlantic.
The shortest trip takes about seven days, the longest is a round-the-world voyage of 84 days which needs to be booked two years in advance.
"It's an open voyage into infinity. You don't have to take care of anything. The only restriction is the meal times. You can do what you want -- write, read, paint or surf the Internet," said Catalina da Silva, who puts hopeful travellers in touch with maritime companies.
"It's a childhood dream," said Fabrice Marquat, a 35-year-old film director, who was preparing to head off to Latin America.
But passengers need to be flexible and patient. It is not a luxury cruise. Nothing is organised for the passenger who has to fit in with the running of a busy cargo ship.
"Stopovers are never guaranteed. When a cargo ship arrives in port, it goes to work straight away, loading and unloading. In some ports you stay two hours, in others, two days," said Francois Gerboin, 51, a bank employee.
He began his life on the high seas 10 years ago with a first trip to the Antilles on a banana boat. Since then, he has used every available holiday to criss-cross the world's oceans, from the Atlantic to the South China Seas, from the Mediterranean to the North Sea.
On his next trip he is planning to spend 35 days aboard a ship heading to Latin America.
Virginie Moreno, 57, who is heading for the first time this month from Italy to Brazil, via Spain and Argentina, is searching for "solitude and a certain bohemian lifestyle."
"There are also those who don't airplanes, others who want to take their jeeps or caravans with them to visit far off countries," said Francois de Tailly, from Mer et Voyages, the only French specialist agency in such cargo boat trips.
But beware of lurking dangers. Some 325 acts of piracy were carried out in 2004 mainly in Asia, during some 50,000 ship passages, according to the International Maritime Bureau.
"There are more and more pirate acts at night-time in Asia," confirmed Captain Victor Broi, who undertakes two round-the-world trips a year carrying a maximum of six passengers. He added his 200 metres (600-foot) long ship did not carry any weapons.
In France, ex-passengers still reeling from their experience have formed a club which meets once a month in Paris to relive their voyages and dream of where they can go next.
PARIS, June 16 (AFP) - The high seas have always lured those with a passion for adventure, but today's would-be stowaways can enjoy all the comforts of the captain's cabin while plying the oceans on board a cargo ship.
Huge ships from banana boats to oil-tankers or even ice-breakers setting sail from France, Britain, Germany and the Netherlands these days accept to take up to 12 paying passengers on their voyages.
For about 100 euros a day (150 dollars), contemplative, solitary souls, drawn by vast open spaces, attracted by the unknown and seeking to escape the woes of modern life, can make their dreams come true.
And instead of having to hide out under wet sails and awnings, today's stowaways get to stay in comfortable, modernised officers cabins vacated over the past 20 years as crew numbers have dropped.
Passengers eat with the officers, can use the swimming pool or gym if there is one, and head for exotic destinations few people will ever get the chance to visit.
From Greenland to the islands off Antarctica, from the Weddel sea to the Tasmanian sea, from France to China, from South Africa to the Saint Helena in the middle of the southern Atlantic.
The shortest trip takes about seven days, the longest is a round-the-world voyage of 84 days which needs to be booked two years in advance.
"It's an open voyage into infinity. You don't have to take care of anything. The only restriction is the meal times. You can do what you want -- write, read, paint or surf the Internet," said Catalina da Silva, who puts hopeful travellers in touch with maritime companies.
"It's a childhood dream," said Fabrice Marquat, a 35-year-old film director, who was preparing to head off to Latin America.
But passengers need to be flexible and patient. It is not a luxury cruise. Nothing is organised for the passenger who has to fit in with the running of a busy cargo ship.
"Stopovers are never guaranteed. When a cargo ship arrives in port, it goes to work straight away, loading and unloading. In some ports you stay two hours, in others, two days," said Francois Gerboin, 51, a bank employee.
He began his life on the high seas 10 years ago with a first trip to the Antilles on a banana boat. Since then, he has used every available holiday to criss-cross the world's oceans, from the Atlantic to the South China Seas, from the Mediterranean to the North Sea.
On his next trip he is planning to spend 35 days aboard a ship heading to Latin America.
Virginie Moreno, 57, who is heading for the first time this month from Italy to Brazil, via Spain and Argentina, is searching for "solitude and a certain bohemian lifestyle."
"There are also those who don't airplanes, others who want to take their jeeps or caravans with them to visit far off countries," said Francois de Tailly, from Mer et Voyages, the only French specialist agency in such cargo boat trips.
But beware of lurking dangers. Some 325 acts of piracy were carried out in 2004 mainly in Asia, during some 50,000 ship passages, according to the International Maritime Bureau.
"There are more and more pirate acts at night-time in Asia," confirmed Captain Victor Broi, who undertakes two round-the-world trips a year carrying a maximum of six passengers. He added his 200 metres (600-foot) long ship did not carry any weapons.
In France, ex-passengers still reeling from their experience have formed a club which meets once a month in Paris to relive their voyages and dream of where they can go next.