Sailing and cooking: Ready, Steady, …Sail & Cook!

So, you plan to charter a sailboat, spend as much time as you can at the open sea, and cook on a boat? Here are some useful tips for you.

If you're not sure how much food you should take: consider the number of people aboard, the amount of food they can eat daily, and add a little extra. It is common for people to get hungrier when on the boat.

Prioritize: do you need more beer than water, more snacks over the canned food or vice versa? Plan well what you'll eat and drink.

Carry multi-functional things: something like a Swiss knife is the best choice as it has a knife, bottle opener and many other functions. This also applies to food: buy groceries that can be used to prepare different meals, like potatoes, rice, pasta.

Top everything up before you leave the dock: running out of dish detergent, having to change a toilet paper roll or finding the flour canister empty can bring you to tears if a storm is raging. Topping everything up before you leave the dock reduces possible stressful situations.

Get enough drinks: make sure you get at least 2 lit of liquid per person/day. Don't forget to buy enough water. Coffee and tea should also be on the list. Also, a few alcoholic drinks are fine (in case you have a party).

Don't waste space: on things you don't need. Buy boneless meat and make sure you freeze it. Your space on the boat is very limited. 

Know what you’ve got and where it is: don’t waste your time and energy digging through lockers unnecessarily. Keep a good inventory list so you know exactly what you’ve got and where it is.

Prepare meals ahead of time: try to prepare as many meals as possible before you leave the dock.

Creativity is the key: don't be scared, if you have forgotten something. The only thing you can do in that case is ask yourself „what to do with what I have aboard“, and be creative. You never know, maybe the best meal you'll ever cook will be the one from your first time aboard a sailboat.

Keep it simple: when the weather is rough, it’s really better to stay out of the galley, if possible. Design meals to be quick and easy.

Make clean-up easy: design your meals so clean-up isn’t a major chore. One-pot dinners served on paper plates makes life easier for everyone.

Make time to sit together and eat: if you are on the boat with your family, friends or with your partner, it's important to find time for eating at least one meal a day together. If you enjoy meals with the people you love and those who love you, you will surely enjoy them more, and even the most basic meal will be the most delicious. Sometimes it does not matter what's on the table, but who you share your table with.

The most important thing is to enjoy and spend some quality time with you family and friends. And don't forget to cook something!