How much food is too much?

[TeddyDiver]

Originally Posted by collinn

I recommend only healthy food. It may sound funny, but I started feeling better after I started using this

My daughter refused to sail with me if she must eat healthy food..

[jeankelly]

personally I think that there is not such thing as too much food
because when I went sailing last time at one point I ended not having enough food and money to buy it

[Sparx]

We use a spread sheet of menu items to figure out what basic ingredients we would like to have on board. Meals are then made using these ingredients, sometimes as the menu item in the spreadsheet but other times used in a different meal prep.

Typically we stock for the duration of a panned passage plus one week. We used to stock for months at a time, but have been transitioning to more frequent replenishment runs.

Bread is made fresh on board.

[Bowdrie]

Store plenty of Beans and Bacon.
Hardtack for between meal treats.
Cases of Beer.
Gotta love a sailors life.

[donradcliffe]

I just walk down the aisles of Costco and throw things in. A normal delivery is a cart per week per 6 people. Heavy on rice and pasta dishes, but I throw in steaks and burgers for the first week if we have refrigeration. Canned chile and beans is a good rough weather meal. My main protein sources are unsliced cooked ham and canned tune/chicken. I always throw in a case of cup of noodles for emergency food.

I have found a real treasure in the Hawaii Costco. Hawaiian bread which lasts 2 months without getting moldy. If you buy 12 loaves they throw in a free one.

[GordMay]

On one cruise, we ran out of beer & spirits.
We had to subsist, on food and water, for weeks.

[AKA-None]

Originally Posted by GordMay

On one cruise, we ran out of beer & spirits.
We had to subsist, on food and water, for weeks.

Oh the horror the horror

So how long do you expect to be away from replenishing
Add 50% or a week whichever is longer

[Marexetan]

Originally Posted by GordMay

On one cruise, we ran out of beer & spirits.
We had to subsist, on food and water, for weeks.

Sounds like a nightmare

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Marexetan

Sounds like a nightmare

It was!!!
At one point, I was forced to swallow purple food color.
I felt violated.

[Kettlewell]

If there any general rule of thumb? What kinds of foods do you recommend? For this threads sake, let's assume trans-ocean i.e. Mainland US to Hawaii or similar distance.

There's a huge number of variables. If we're out cruising fulltime we try to hit someplace with huge supermarkets about every three months or so, and there we try to stock up on basics for the next three months: coffee, tea, canned veggies and fruit, dried pasta, cereals, crackers, paper towels, toilet paper, dishwashing detergent, etc. We'll also usually get about two weeks worth of fresh stuff, depending on what is available. If you have a good freezer you can get a month or more's worth of meat and butter. Some fruits and vegetables can last more than two weeks: apples, lemons, carrots, potatoes, etc. For offshore runs we'll stock up on lots of muchies: granola bars, nuts, raisins, beef jerky, dried fruits, cereals that can be eaten right out of the box, baby peeled carrots, etc. I usually keep a small amount of instant coffee for when we need a pick-me-up quickly in rotten weather or on a cold night, though usually we can boil up water and make it in a big metal French press. A friend of mine once told me something I always keep in mind. No matter where you go in the world the people always eat food and drink something, and they are probably much less affluent than you and can afford to eat and drink. In other words, there is always something to eat in every port, and the ones that complain bitterly about prices are a) considered insanely wealthy by the locals and b) trying to purchase the exact same stuff they eat at home, which is rare and expensive there.

[sailorboy1]

I find the problem with a big stock up and freezer loading is that the oldest food ends up on the bottom and forgotten.

But I have also experienced the horror of running out of rum!

[chrisr]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

...But I have also experienced the horror of running out of rum!

i buy mine by the 10 litre drum now...puts off that horrible thought for a week or 2

cheers,

[SomeGuyInaShirt]

It's too much if it jeopardizes your safety due to excessive weight but other than that, I like to stock up when I can. At least a month worth of food should be on board prior to leaving IMO. Never know when you'll be stuck at anchor for a long time or stuck offshore.

[GordMay]

Pretend you are on a raft, in the middle of the ocean, surrounded by sharks. You only have a one day supply of water, no food, and a harpoon.
Q: What do you do?

A: Stop pretending.

[Liberty Tambien]

Few years late to this thread but hopefully someone will see this.. For me i had an idea to make meal plans, a sort of restaurant menu, couple different meals for breakfast lunch and dinner, hopefully all that you pick are easy to make and high in fat and protein.. or whatever you like. this helps when shopping and managing how much you might need to buy to last you for however you plan on being away, always good to bring 2x the amount you would otherwise need, or simply however much you can store based on boat size, plan for guests, or damaged cargo along your journey, cruising to me is very much a preppy ordeal and you wanna make sure you account for every scenario!