One of the more difficult aspects of boating to get used to is learning the best ways to stock your fridge and pantry areas for long weekends or extended stays aboard. There is an art to provisioning!
Most cruiser style boats that are under 40 feet in length will have 1 or 2 small mini-fridges with freezer shelves. This does not provide much room for cold storage, and many people will often also have a large cooler for cold storage options. In addition to cold storage there are usually a few drawers and cabinet spaces for dry storage.
Our boat, "The Other Side," has 2 mini fridges and a separate ice maker. We use the refrigerator on the deck for drink storage and keep food items in the refrigerator in the galley.
Fortunately, we are only provisioning typically for 2 people. We often buy items like sandwich meat, cheese, and pre-made side dishes in small containers. In addition to the items that we need to keep cold, we also buy non-perishable items to snack on, which will easily be stored in the cabinets
We tend to buy breakfast and lunch items for on the boat and plan to eat out for dinner on most evenings. This also helps us keep our storage options open.
Common breakfast items for us can include: yogurt, bagels with cream cheese, or protein bars. I occasionally will pre-cook hardboiled eggs and bring those down in Tupperware. These are great for breakfast, to top salads, or chop up for egg salad sandwiches. Look for items like that, where you can pre-prepare them for multiple uses or options. We also enjoy our morning coffee, make sure you look for shelf stable creamer to save room in the refrigerator!
As I mentioned before, we often keep simple sandwiches and side dishes for mid-day meals or light dinners. Look for flat resealable packages for simple storing and smaller containers for side dishes.
Snacks are usually the easiest. We like popcorn, protein bars, fresh apples, or crackers. Once in a while, I will make charcuterie boxes that can be kept in the fridge with meats, cheeses, olives, and pickles. I have seen online where people are calling these snackle boxes, lol!
Remember, bananas are bad luck on boats! Especially fishing boats! 🎣 SO say no to bananas when you're stocking up. Why are banana's bad luck on a boat? It is an unusual nautical superstition that began in the 1700’s that are still persistent today. When trade ships sailing from the Caribbean & Spain started to disappear, legend has it that only the curved yellow fruits would be found floating amongst the wreckages. Seafarers believed the bananas had caused the ship to sink, which led to many rumors back at dock and throughout the seas.
If you'd prefer to make dinner on the boat, then there are a couple of methods that it seems people prefer for dinner preparation aboard the boat. The first is obviously grilling. Almost all of the marinas now have picnic areas with gas grills available to do your own cooking. An easy way to be ready to grill is to pre-package and prep your meals so that you don't have to carry a large number of items to the grilling area or store them on the boat. I like food prep containers or even better foil packet meals that are ready to be tossed on the grill and include your protein, veggies, and rice or potatoes. It's an awesome way to store as little as possible and still enjoy a great meal on the boat!
The other potential option is to have a crock pot on board the boat! You can use this to make pulled chicken, chili, one pot dinner,or other casseroles. Slow cooked proteins always taste amazing. You can even cook ribs in the crock pot and then finish them on the grill! Again, preparing these meals at home and bringing as few separate ingredients as possible is what makes this such an appealing option!
So learning how to provision your boat really comes down to recognizing how you like to eat, doing a lot of at home prep before going to the boat, being mindful of buying shelf stable items in lieu of items needing refrigeration, and generally staying organized! After that, the sky is the limit. You can have everything from snacks and light lunches to 5 star meals with just a little preparation and planning! I will start sharing some of our favorite recipes here soon, too! In the meantime, bon appetite and happy boating! ~Courtney Bailey
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