Provisioning Tips: What Surprised Us Most

“100% you won’t be able to paddleboard that back,” I said to Mark as he loaded our 100-litre dry bag onto his paddleboard.

“Nah. It’s fine.”

It wasn’t.

He swam back to the boat while pushing the paddleboard—and our food. Just another day in the life of provisioning as liveaboard sailors.

While it’s not always that dramatic, buying groceries as a cruiser is a different experience than running to your neighbourhood store to grab a loaf of bread. It takes planning, flexibility, and sometimes a willingness to get wet.

When we first moved aboard, we were still living in a marina in the city. We had a car and easy access to big-box grocery stores. Honestly, it felt a lot like apartment living—just on the water. But once we started cruising full-time, everything changed. We had to adjust to infrequent shopping trips, small stores, and tight storage. Here’s what surprised us most about provisioning once we left the dock behind.

Storage Space Reality Check

Living on a boat with limited fridge and cupboard space forces you to rethink how and what you buy. Not everything needs refrigeration—and that alone was a game-changer.

We quickly learned that eggs, most vegetables, fruits, and even many condiments do just fine stored at room temperature. Since our boat doesn’t have bilge storage, we’ve made use of every available nook: hanging baskets, countertop bins, and carefully packed cupboards.

One of our best discoveries? Shelf-stable boxed milk. It takes up less space than gallon jugs, doesn’t need refrigeration until opened, and tastes remarkably close to fresh milk. It’s become a provisioning staple.

We also vacuum-seal meat for long-term freezer storage rather than relying on fresh meat at every stop. When we’re lucky enough to catch fish, we do the same—fillet, seal, and freeze it for later.

The same goes for grains and legumes. We’ll vacuum-seal bulk buys like sushi rice to keep them fresh and (hopefully) bug-free for the long haul.

The VIP of the galley - the hanging baskets.

Fresh Produce Strategy: What Lasts and What Doesn’t

When it comes to fruits and vegetables, we take two different approaches depending on our cruising plans.

If we’re anchorage-hopping with stores readily available, we buy what we like and restock as needed. But if we’re heading somewhere more remote, we plan more carefully. Without a deep bilge or extra refrigeration, it’s all about strategy.

Cabbage, potatoes, garlic, and onions last well unrefrigerated—as long as you keep potatoes and onions in separate bins. Apples, mangoes, limes, plantains, tomatoes, and oranges are among our most frequent fruit purchases. Carrots, jalapeños, and cucumbers get prime real estate in the fridge’s veggie drawers.

We skip lettuce (it wilts too fast and hogs space), but we’ll grab berries when we see them and freeze them right away for future use.

Once the fresh goods are loaded, we meal plan based on what needs to be eaten first. This “eat what’s ripening” method works well for us, and we can usually stretch our fresh produce for about three-four weeks. After that, things get a little weird in the veggie department and we lean on canned or dried veggies to fill the gaps.

Quantity Misjudgments: Hits and Misses

Before we sailed to Mexico, we went all-in on provisioning. We loaded the boat with dried beans, rice, canned tomatoes, coconut milk, fancy soy sauce, and Kewpie mayo.

Regrets? The beans.

Mexico has plenty of dried beans—and we don’t actually cook with them often. Two years in, and we’re still working our way through that stash.

But no regrets on the soy sauce, coconut milk, and sushi rice. Those items are harder to find outside the U.S. and Canada, and we use them frequently.

One item we never seem to have enough of: coffee. No matter how much we bring aboard, we always seem to run low. Lesson learned.

Local Surprises: What We Found (and Didn’t)

Provisioning isn’t just about what you bring aboard—it’s also about what you find along the way.

In Mexico, we quickly discovered tortillerías—small shops selling freshly made tortillas. In Baja and northern mainland areas, flour tortillas are more common than corn. A delightful surprise for the flour tortilla lovers on the boat (me).

On the flip side, finding baking supplies wasn’t always easy. Yeast was often tucked away in odd parts of the store. And, shockingly, green peppers were really expensive. We started substituting with poblanos, which we now prefer. Another unexpected favourite: tomatillos. We roast them for salsa, and they quickly became a staple item.

In El Salvador, wheat flour can be tricky to find, especially in small village stores. We stock up on it, along with baking powder and soda, whenever we hit a major city.

But you know what’s easy to find and super cheap in El Salvador? Great coffee, $.25 big mangoes and local rum. Calling that a win.

Tomatillos in paradise.

Changing Tastes at Sea

Our love for Asian cuisine hasn’t faded, but we’ve had to adapt. We don’t always have access to imported ingredients, so we’ve learned to cook with what’s local and in season.

We’ve tried things we never thought we’d eat—like yuca and rambutans—and ended up loving them. Eating seasonally has not only cut our costs but helped us discover new flavours and expand our recipe rotation.

Over time, our cravings and routines have shifted. We snack less and cook more from scratch. And we appreciate the occasional treat even more—like a block of good cheese or real maple syrup.

Making our own bagels has become the norm.

What We’d Do Differently

If we could go back and repack the boat for our first cruising season, we’d do a few things differently:

• Stock less of what’s easy to find locally, like dried beans and white rice.

• Bring more of the hard-to-find comfort items, like good coffee, real maple syrup, and specialty sauces.

But most importantly, we’d remind ourselves that provisioning is a learning curve. You won’t get it perfect the first time. And that’s okay.

Storage is key.

Final Thoughts: Provisioning Is Part of the Adventure

Provisioning as a full-time cruiser is equal parts strategy, creativity, and flexibility. You’ll get it wrong sometimes—overbuy one thing, forget another, or find yourself swimming your groceries back to the boat.

But you’ll also discover new foods, develop systems that work for your space, and gain a whole new appreciation for a well-stocked pantry.

The key is to stay adaptable, learn from your missteps, and embrace the journey. Whether it’s figuring out how long a head of cabbage will last or celebrating your first successful fish-and-freeze session, provisioning becomes one of those small daily adventures that make cruising life so unique.