Less Thinking, Better Meals Offshore

There’s a certain stillness that comes with being offshore.

Horizon doesn’t change much.

Days blur together, and time is measured in watches instead of hours.

It’s beautiful… but it’s also where small things matter more than you’d ever expect.

Like food.

I didn’t realize how much until we were well offshore one night and someone casually asked,
“What are we eating tomorrow?”

Not in a demanding way.
Not even stressed.

Just curious.

And suddenly I realized how comforting it is to know the answer.

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Life at Sea Has a Way of Stripping Things Back

When Stevo and I lived aboard our 46-foot Leopard catamaran, life became wonderfully simple — but also very real.

No grocery runs.
No backups.
No “we’ll just grab something later.”

What you have onboard is what you have.

Some days that meant getting creative with ingredients we didn’t plan on using yet. Other days it meant accepting that tonight’s dinner would be… interesting.

Over time, I learned that the less mental energy we spent on food, the more energy we had for everything else — sailing, watch schedules, rest, and just being present.

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That’s where planning started to feel less like control and more like freedom.

The Salty Dog Rally Was the Turning Point

This 14-day meal plan was originally created when we joined the Salty Dog Rally, crewing aboard our friends’ 46-foot Nautitech catamaran, Spicy Nugget.

The crew was a mix — different diets, preferences, and “absolutely nots”:

One dairy-free pescatarian
One mushroom-hater
One bean-avoider
One person who couldn’t eat quinoa or raw chickpeas

I remember laughing at the list and thinking, this could either be really fun… or really annoying.

Thankfully, it was fun.

Because the meals were planned.

And once we were underway, food became the easiest part of the day.

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The Protein Problem (Solved)

One thing I learned early on is that protein is what people miss first offshore.

Fresh meat doesn’t last forever.
Fishing isn’t guaranteed.
And there’s only so much canned tuna anyone wants to eat.

One of the smartest choices we made was carrying freeze-dried chicken and beef onboard.

They became our quiet safety net.

No refrigeration needed.
Long shelf life.
Easy to rehydrate.
And surprisingly good when added to stews, curries, soups, and pasta dishes.

Knowing we had reliable protein tucked away meant we never felt like we were “running out” of real meals — even when plans changed, weather delayed us, or fresh supplies ran low.

It took a huge amount of pressure off provisioning and gave us flexibility when we needed it most.

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What I Learned About Food Offshore

I learned that offshore cooking doesn’t need to be fancy — it needs to be:

Predictable
Filling
Flexible
Easy to execute when the boat (and you) are tired

I learned that short instructions are better than perfect ones, and that you don’t need a recipe telling you how long to whisk something when you’re bracing yourself against a counter.

And I learned that having meals decided in advance removes an incredible amount of background stress — especially on longer passages.

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This Planner Is Just Our System, Written Down

The Ultimate Offshore Passage Meal Planner isn’t a polished chef’s cookbook.

It’s a system that worked for us.

It includes:

A full 14-day offshore meal schedule
Breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and snacks that make sense at sea
A complete provisioning list
Galley tips, seasickness tips, and personal hygiene reminders
Recipes written assuming you already know your way around a knife and a stove

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Many meals were designed around an Instant Pot because it makes life easier offshore — but everything can be done stovetop, or made ahead and frozen if that suits your boat better.