What to Choose for a Well-Stocked Galley

If you’re familiar with sailing, you likely understand the importance of organizing a well-stocked galley. But if this is your first time embarking on such an adventure, you might need some tips on how to provision your boat without making mistakes in either the types or amounts of food. Assuming your trip will last at least a week, it’s not realistic to rely solely on portside restaurants or takeaway meals—those are options for occasional use only.If you’re familiar with sailing, you likely understand the importance of organizing a well-stocked galley. But if this is your first time embarking on such an adventure, you might need some tips on how to provision your boat without making mistakes in either the types or amounts of food. Assuming your trip will last at least a week, it’s not realistic to rely solely on portside restaurants or takeaway meals—those are options for occasional use only.

Basic Supplies from Breakfast to Dinner

The considerations for stocking a boat are similar to those for packing: space is limited, so we need to bring only what’s truly necessary. However, what’s necessary must be brought! While cooking onboard is different from doing so at home—spending hours in the kitchen isn’t practical—the essentials remain the same. Just like at home, your galley should include some basic items. Extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, spices, and dried herbs are essential for any savory meal, just as sugar, honey, tea, and coffee are for breakfast. To this, we’ll add dry and packaged goods, both in bags and cans. Pasta (both short and long), rice, and even couscous, which is quick to prepare, are must-haves.

Canned Goods and Dry Baked Products

To add variety to the basic ingredients—because living on pasta with olive oil alone isn’t feasible for a week—you’ll need to stock up on canned tomatoes and possibly long-lasting ready-made sauces. To complement your grain-based dishes or to eat on their own, canned fish like tuna, mackerel, and sardines are good options, though it’s wise to watch out for the pitfalls of oil-packed products. It’s also a good idea to have canned legumes, such as beans, chickpeas, and peas, which are great for hearty dishes and salads. For a touch of sweetness, you might consider canned fruit. Before setting off, don’t forget to load up on bread, especially crackers, rice cakes, croutons, and breadsticks. These dry products keep well and are helpful not only for meals but also in case of seasickness. For breakfast, in addition to the basics of tea, coffee, and sugar, be sure to include dry biscuits, packaged pastries, and rusks, which can be paired with jams or honey according to your taste.

Drinks (Almost) Without Limits

Hydration is key, so it’s essential to stock up on plenty of water. Along with that, consider cartons of long-life fruit juice and milk. To accompany meals or enjoy during aperitifs, bring along some cans of beer and bottles of wine to sip at sunset, perhaps with a snack of croutons, peanuts, or other nuts, which can also be added to the shopping list.

Fresh Vegetables and Other Perishable Foods

After covering dry and long-lasting goods, let’s move on to fresh products. Starting with the less perishable items, consider initially buying onions, carrots, and potatoes—excellent bases for countless dishes that can be combined with canned tuna, legumes, and other preserved foods. Apples, pears, slightly green bananas, lemons, and oranges also have good shelf lives, while other fruits and vegetables can be purchased during stops along the way. Keep in mind the limited space in the onboard fridge: it’s best to buy only what you can consume in a couple of days. In the fridge, you can store butter, cheese, yogurt, cold cuts, and any leftovers from opened packages, though it’s always wise to plan meals to avoid perishable leftovers. When it comes to meat and fish, these can be bought at ports but should be cooked and consumed on the same day. It’s also important to remember that a boat isn’t the best place for ambitious culinary endeavors—long cooking times and potentially dangerous tools are best avoided for everyone’s safety.

Initial Stock-Up

Having discussed quality, let’s now address quantity. A well-stocked galley not only includes all the necessary ingredients but also in the right amounts to meet everyone’s needs. Considering the number of people, their habits, and the length of the journey, you might want to grab a pen and paper (and perhaps a calculator) to figure out how much pasta, sauce, beer, and cookies will be needed. For a general idea, assuming a crew of six adults for a week, you’ll likely need 2 liters of olive oil, 1 kilogram of salt (coarse and fine), 5-6 kilograms of pasta, 2 kilograms of rice, 1 kilogram each of canned tomatoes, tuna, and various legumes, plus a selection of sauces and pickled preserves. For breakfast, plan on at least half a kilogram of coffee, a large box of tea, half a kilogram of sugar, and at least 1 kilogram of dry biscuits, 3 liters of milk, 4 jars of jam, and 4-5 packs of bread. As for water, plan on at least 1.5 liters per person per day, while the amount of wine and beer depends on your preferences and the space left in the storage compartments after the rest of the supplies are loaded. Regarding fresh products to be bought during the journey, it’s hard to give exact amounts, but remember that apart from leafy greens, which spoil quickly and should be avoided, vegetables are always welcome along with fruit. Aim for 1-2 kilograms at a time of the varieties most favored by the crew.