Yacht provisioning list
The provisioning list matters most on handover day. It decides what the whole crew will eat for a week, and it is the one shopping trip nobody wants to get wrong. That is why it pays to plan it before you arrive. Skipper Connect comes with a ready-made list that adapts to your trip length and to the crew on board.
Your provisioning list, doing the maths
Set the days and the number of people, and every recommended amount on the list adjusts instantly. No sums in the supermarket, no second piece of paper.
- The calculator does the work. Fourteen days instead of seven, six people instead of eight. The recommended amounts follow automatically.
- One list for the whole crew. Everyone sees the same list, adds their own items and ticks things off. Whoever is in the supermarket sees in real time what is already in the trolley.
- Recipe ingredients go straight onto the list. Pick from 30 galley recipes in the app. One tap and the ingredients land in the right category of your provisioning list.
- Adding your own items is simple. Anyone can add something, visible to everyone.
The yacht provisioning list at a glance
The default provisioning list is built for 7 days and 8 people, and can be adjusted in the app. Below you see three examples from each category. The full list with all 87 items is waiting in the app.
One list for the whole crew
The recommendations are already there, your own items go on top, and everyone ticks off together. Every person on board sees the same shopping list.
The most common mistakes with a yacht provisioning list
A yacht has limited storage, limited refrigeration and only a small freezer compartment. All three should shape your provisioning list before you set foot in the supermarket.
Underestimating water
Two litres per person per day is the rule of thumb, sometimes a little more, sometimes less. For eight people over a week that is well over a hundred litres to plan for. The fresh water tank on board is not a drinking water tank — it is there for washing up and showering. Buy the bulk of it at the start. You can always top up along the way.
Too much frozen food
The freezer on a charter yacht is usually a small drawer inside the fridge. It holds a few packs, not a week's shopping. On many boats it does not hold a steady temperature either. Plan with tinned and fresh ingredients instead, and buy frozen goods only for the first few days. And remember the ice cubes for that sundowner.
Everything at once, on day one
A full week's shopping has to be carried from the supermarket to the pontoon and then stowed away. That is a lot of work for the first day. Consider buying just the basics at the start. Depending on your route there will be another chance to restock drinks, fresh meat and fish, fruit and vegetables. A well-planned provisioning list makes that second stop quick too.
Adjust quantities with one click
All 87 recommendations come with adjustable quantities, and they change as soon as you set crew size or trip length. No calculating.
How much of what? A yacht provisioning list keeps you on top of it
Starting from a list makes both the planning and the shopping easier. It saves you deciding what to buy in the middle of the aisle, you get the provisioning done faster, and you spend more of the day on board. A few things worth knowing before you plan:
Water: two litres per person per day
The biggest and heaviest item on the whole list. Try to buy water in large five-litre containers — they are easier to carry and easier to stow. Take a few six-packs of small bottles as well: they are handier to drink from, they can be refilled, and above all they are easier to keep and drink in the cabin at night.
Breakfast and lunch get underestimated
Most crews plan dinner, and that is where the provisioning list usually goes into detail. But you also need seven breakfasts and seven lunches, even if both are often small affairs under way. Bread, cold meats, fruit and something to snack on covers most of it.
Fresh food only for the first days
Salad, leafy greens and fresh meat will not last a week in a small boat fridge. Firm produce will: onions, carrots, cabbage, apples and lemons survive the whole trip without refrigeration. Hard cheese keeps far longer than soft cheese.
Plan for at least one dinner fewer
At least once a week most crews eat ashore. Shop for seven evenings and you will carry food back home. Six planned dinners plus one reserve meal from tins is the more realistic sum — unless the whole crew wants to eat out more often.
Alcohol on board is a matter of taste
Beer and wine are hard to plan from a rule of thumb. The only thing that helps is asking the crew beforehand. One thing is certain: cans are more practical on board than bottles, and glass has no place in the bilge, where it breaks easily in a seaway.
What depends on the cruising ground and the marina
You do not always have to do the shopping yourself. Many marinas, supermarkets and charter companies offer a provisioning service. You send your list and preferences ahead and your shopping is delivered straight to the boat. The upside: no stress and almost nothing to carry. The downside: a provisioning service is usually a little more expensive, and you miss the local products that would have given you ideas in the supermarket.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a PDF or Excel version of the provisioning list?
No, and that is deliberate. A file cannot do the maths and is awkward to share. In Skipper Connect you set the days and the number of people, the amounts adjust, and the whole crew ticks items off together.
When and where should you do the shopping?
You buy the bulk on arrival day, right before you cast off. Many marinas have a supermarket within walking distance or will deliver to the pontoon for a fee. Get drinks and tinned goods in full, fresh food only for the first days. Restocking along the way is almost always possible.
What is already on board?
Pots, pans, crockery and cutlery come with the charter. Oil, salt, spices, washing-up liquid and bin bags are usually missing, or left over from the previous crew. Coffee makers, tea towels and foil are often missing too. Ask before the trip — it saves buying things twice.
What keeps for a week without refrigeration?
Onions, garlic, carrots, cabbage, potatoes, apples and lemons. Plus hard cheese, whole salami, eggs, tinned food and anything dry.
How do you plan the cooking on board?
One dish per evening, one of them a reserve meal from tins, and at least one night in harbour without cooking. Simple dishes work better on board than multi-course meals — the galley has little space and the stove usually has few burners. Skipper Connect comes with thirty galley recipes whose ingredients move straight onto the provisioning list, all of them built for cooking on a boat.
On board with you
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A sailing trip needs more than a shopping run
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