What is it called when you board a ship without permission?

Is there a word for sneaking onto a ship? I mean, really sneaking on, like without a ticket or anything? It's called being a stowaway. And wow, just thinking about it gives me chills. It’s not just like hopping a fence, you know? It’s this huge, risky thing.

I remember reading a story once – I think it was set during the Great Depression – about a guy who stowed away on a cargo ship. He was just desperate for work, any work, anywhere. He was hiding in the hold with, like, rats and who knows what else. Can you imagine? Weeks at sea, no food, no water, just hoping someone finds you before, well, before things go really bad. Talk about terrifying.

Technically, I guess the legal definition is all about boarding a vessel without consent or paying for passage and all that jazz. But it’s more than just a legal term. It speaks to this whole other level of desperation. What kind of situation would drive someone to such extreme measures? It's kind of heartbreaking, really. I mean, the risk… it's immense! You're literally putting your life in someone else's hands, and not necessarily friendly hands either. It's a last resort, a desperate gamble. And so often, those gambles don't pay off. They can be… fatal.