ETA - I see lots of tips on provisioning sailboats for months on end (canned butter?) and lots of pretty recipes for a day out, but nothing really in the middle.

Don’t forget to send me directions and remind me when we’re leaving?

Where are you doing this and with what charter co? We had crew and chef in the BVI (through The Moorings) and the chef/meals was one of my favorite parts of the trip. I loved being served gourmet meals on board and not having to be bothered with provisioning, cooking, etc. We were able to specify what kinds of things we wanted to eat and drink ahead of time and it was superb. The crew were fun and helpful but kept out of the way - it was one of my favorite vacations of all time. Seriously - I would highly recommend you let them do the provisioning, cooking, cleanup, etc. We've done it ourselves on other trips and it's a bit of a PITA.

I’ve had friends who did this. I think they had fresh fish and veggies delivered to their cat. Have you inquired about what is available each day? Good question about whether you are just feeding yourselves or the crew too. And I believe they often tendered into a port for dinner. Check for reservations wherever you are going as many were damaged in the BVI’s in the storms and might be slim pickings.

FYI - If you’ve never sailed or have only sailed day cruisers you might get a kick out of the Bravo show, Below Deck Sailing Yacht. The show is NOT a completely true representation of sailing.

Bravo TV

My sail boat galley kitchen has only an ice chest but my parents have a good size fridge/ freezer under the counter. You will be surprised at how much can be stowed in a galley. When we sail away I use vacuum sealed boxes of milk for cereal and coffee. I do lots of cheeses, fresh bread loaves, crackers, nuts and fruit and smoked salmon with bagels for lunches and snacks. For dinner I keep it simple usually fresh grilled salmon, filet mignon need less prep to taste good, and chicken breast, grilled peppers and onions, asparagus or grilled green beans, or pre washed salads. I often skip rice or potatoes because of the ciabatta we snack on before dinner but new potatoes boiled with garlic and oil and a fresh squeeze of lemon is easy and do not need fridge space.

If possible do what Maddie said and stop at waterfront restaurants to dine. Take drinks and snacks. We haven’t owned a boat for several years now but it was always a lot of fun to stop along the water to eat.

Jterri, Outside, 3katz, We don't know where we will be exactly, as it will be a function of weather and wildlife conditions, but we want to eat on board those three nights (the first and the last night of the charter, we will eat on land). We are also spending several days before the charter at an inn in KeyWest, and will be eating out all the time then. Honestly we get very tired of eating out, and part of the adventure in our minds is the experience of "living on a boat." The kitchen looks pretty pleasant, and there is a grill.

Roarah, those are all great ideas ... perfect... just what I was looking for! Bagged salads, bread and a grilled protein sounds like a really good approach. And nuts, too. Thanks so much.

3Katz, I recall you mentioning. Your enthusiasm about the trip was a factor in me deciding to try it! Maybe next time we will do it with a bigger crew, longer itinerary, etc.

AFA feeding the captain, i think we would want to --- its only polite. I don't see any info on this. It does say he sleeps elsewhere (we have 4 double-bedded cabins for just the 5 of us, so that will be nice as each kid gets their own stateroom) but we need to give him access to one of the 4 bathrooms. I think we will save him from sharing a BA with either of our teen girls (eye roll) and assign my son that hospitality!

PS SueB; we'll talk when your coronavirus clears up

How fun - can't wait to hear how you like it!!

I've watched too many "below Deck" shows (seems to coincide with my workouts.) According to that show, you always serve ceviche and surf and turf. Not together, though. Get thinking about your pirate-themed party and tablescapes. (I definitely need to change channels once in a while.)

Snacks; gorp, fruit roll ups, beef jerky keep well and need no refrigeration, for fruit, mangoes, avocados, papaya and other native fruits, buy ‘em a little underripe and eat as you go.

I’d prepare pasta’s of your choice al dente and put in gallon ziplocks. Endless things to make with that.

Looks relaxing! DS is going to KW tomorrow to play tourist for a week and "elope" on a beach while there, I might mention going going out on a Cat while there.

What about tuna salad sandwiches? Delicious during warm weather.

Wait is he really eloping, Oak? He also may want to try the seaplane trip to Dry Tortugas. Not sure but I think I first heard about that from Allison. Looks fab!

PS My girls never acquired a taste for tuna. I blame hot lunches. At my DD2's school, they are not even allowed to bring lunch.

You’re going to have so much fun!! My neighbors took their sons and had an absolute blast! I think the Captain’s wife did the cooking (my friend is like me and was more than happy to be banished from meal prep! 😂) She said that they had a lot of fresh fruit, and that dinner was often fish that they caught themselves. She said everything was delicious, and her sons tried and enjoyed many new things.

If it were me, I’d definitely bring a box of Clif Bars and maybe peanut butter crackers just in case.

This is all making me want to do another sailing trip!

Yes, they are definitely eloping! Thursday is the big day. They're staying in a resort/marina next door to KW so they'll be close to everything. Since he's a huge history buff I'm sure he'll check out all the forts there, and I'll let him know about Fort Jefferson.

How about PBJ for your girls? Oh, that and guacamole/chips go great together. :)

Since refrigeration space is an issue, I'd look at ordering irradiated milk.

One thing we used to take camping, was those specialty dry Italian sausages. They are great for mini-charcuterie boards for snack times/lunches, but can also be thrown into omelettes, pizzas, etc. Also, our favourite specialty cheeses come completely wrapped in a wax outer cover and keep forever.

Do take things like garlic, shallots, ginger that don't need refrigeration, but are essential if fish is caught. However, don't count on fish being caught. I'm addicted to sailing vlogs and it seems that sometimes there are not as many fish waiting to take a hook as you might think.

Very jealous. As I said, I'm addicted to sailing vlogs and I'm trying to convince the rest of my family to come on a charter with me in Panama next winter. So far they are unconvinced, but I've got a whole year to work on them.

What a great time you will have! I'd suggest requesting pictures of what's inside the galley cupboards and drawers - this way you'll know you have a pot large enough to boil pasta in (for example) and a strainer for rinsing. Bring your rice cooker for an easy side. Baked potatoes wrapped in tin foil and/or fresh corn on the grill. (Can you tell I like my starches?) .

Congrats Oak!

LOL, I am drop shipping our beach towels .to save luggage space .. so I am def not flying with a rice cooker. I should though, because I never use it and hopefully I'd forget it in the OH bin. But baked potatoes is brilliant thanks!

Like the sausage idea --- and yes, garlic!

I know you are good about doing this, but just a reminder to please do an update post afterwards. Would love to hear how it goes.

You are kind Daisy. Of course I will.

Super jealous sounds like a fabulous trip! Regardless of the food (did I really say that?) I'm most envious that you can manage to get all five of you in one place for that amount of time. Difficult to do as kids get older. Way to go!

Closest I ever came to this was an Outward Bound sailing trip in the Gulf Of Mexico. Eating was rather bare bones, as was everything else. No head on board. You just did the “orangutan hang” over the side of the boat. We threw the oars across the benches ( it looked like a rowboat with sails) , sleeping bags on top of that. Very hard and lumpy.

All I remember eating was peanut butter and jelly but I know we had more than that. The stars at night were amazing.

Now is the time to indulge your children with their favorite junk food! We tend to do a lot of cheese and charcuterie on our boat. Also grill fish/steak and salad or grilled veggies for the side.

dedtired, I did that Outward Bound trip off the coast of Maine!

I have always wanted to do a sailing trip around the Caribbean...definitely want to hear your trip report Mtn. I would be opting for the chef since I don't enjoy cooking. Really, I could easily live on cheese, fruit, bread and nuts and salads.

Jack, I think,that trip,would be far more challenging in the cold waters of Maine than the balmy Gulf. We went snorkeling a couple times. We were so lucky to have perfect weather since they go no matter what. Well, maybe not a hurricane.