Term Image

How much food should I take?

Enough for your expected passage time plus two weeks.

Sometimes the passage takes longer than you expect.  Maybe the wind is light, or you sail too far north, or you have a gear failure that will slow you down (no mast, rudder, etc).  The extra two weeks' worth of food should not be frozen and need not be real good.  Heck, a case of ramen and a case of Dinty Moore will cover you.

Don't cut this too fine.  You will be mocked if you run out of food.

Provisioning for Pacific Cup

Planning

How long will this race take you?

Before you can begin planning for how well you will eat on this trip you need to figure out how long it’s going to take.  Note the phrase “eating well.”  You are going to be occupied with three things on this voyage: sailing the boat well, sleeping and eating.  With a little navigating and i-pod zoning out as well.  So even the most basic of boats should pay some attention to making the process of fueling the crew efficient and enjoyable.