Against the current?

[healthyplanet]

Hello! I'm going to start looking for crew work in the summer of 2006, and I have a question about ocean currents and the prospects of finding boat work when I'm looking ...If I would be so lucky as to get work on a boat from the Caribbean heading to the mediterranean, would it be likely that I would be able to find a boat heading to the Indian Ocean from the Med? And is it likely to find a boat heading from New Zealand to the Americas? If anyone responds and knows the best months of year to find boats heading from the med. to the indian, and from NZ to the Americas, thank you.

[nolatom]

Don't know the answers to all your questions. But pilot charts showing ocean currents and prevailing winds for each month of the year are available on-line at http://www.nga.mil/portal/site/maritime/

Many yacht owners may not want to transit the Red Sea at present because of Somali pirates, so the Med to Indian Ocean may have fewer boats making the trip these days.

[mistletoe]

heathy planet,your thinkin backwards mate! your unlikely to find sailboats going east from the caribean, right in the teeth of the ne trades,boats come east to west from there.also unlikely east into med to suezthen red sea,contrary winds and then a freakin war zone! think east to west following the trades around,thats the way most sailboats go. wind behind as much as poss,guess ya havnt got beat up by beatin yet..good luck..try posting on this site for crew available,..cheers bill

[camaraderie]

Boaters leave the Carib for Europe in the mid to late spring and generally heaf north to bermuda and then across to the Azores then on to the Med or other points.
Extremely unlikely you will find anyone headed to the Red Sea from the Med looking for crew as most Red Sea transits are from South to North completing circumnavigations + political and piracy situation there is keeping down even that traffic.
Finally from NZ boats generally head north and then across on an extended cruise to reach the US west coast in trade winds. One would not go there directly. Given what you seem to want to see, your best bet would seem to be trying to hook up with someone from the W. Coast or going through the Panama canal on a circumnavigation...S. Pacific...Indian Ocean...Red Sea /Med...then on to the Caribe and up to the US Coast.