Provisioning for an Atlantic crossing — food for 3 weeks at sea
Updated 2026-10-08
The trade-wind crossing from the Canaries to the Caribbean — the route of the ARC rally, which leaves Las Palmas de Gran Canaria every November — is about 2,700 nautical miles, and most boats take two to three weeks. It's the longest stretch most crews ever provision for: no shop, no fridge rescue, and a galley that rolls for days on end.
By the numbers
Example: 4 crew, 18 days from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria to Rodney Bay, St Lucia, leaving in late November, with a 30 % safety margin (spare days). Planned by Galley Wizard — breakfast, lunch and dinner for 18 days plus 6 spare days.
- Food to buy
- 92 kg
- Per person per day
- 1.3 kg
- Fresh fruit, veg & herbs
- 20 kg
By category
- Tins & jars31 kg
- Vegetables18 kg
- Bread, pasta, rice & grains16 kg
- Dairy & eggs10 kg
- Meat5.4 kg
- Baking3.3 kg
- Fruit2.5 kg
- Fish1.7 kg
- Oils1.6 kg
- Nuts & seeds1.5 kg
- Sauces & condiments0.8 kg
- Spices0.4 kg
- Fresh herbs0.1 kg
The 20 biggest items
- Canned chopped tomatoes · Tins & jars12 kg
- Canned chickpeas · Tins & jars6.8 kg
- Onion · Vegetables6.7 kg
- UHT milk · Dairy & eggs5.8 kg
- Dried pasta · Bread, pasta, rice & grains4.2 kg
- Coconut milk · Tins & jars3.7 kg
- White rice · Bread, pasta, rice & grains3.6 kg
- Eggs · Dairy & eggs3.2 kg
- Potato · Vegetables2.5 kg
- Lamb shoulder · Meat2.2 kg
- Carrot · Vegetables2.2 kg
- Couscous · Bread, pasta, rice & grains2 kg
- Roasted red peppers · Tins & jars1.8 kg
- Banana · Fruit1.7 kg
- Bread flour · Baking1.6 kg
- Rolled oats · Bread, pasta, rice & grains1.4 kg
- Canned white beans · Tins & jars1.4 kg
- Canned black beans · Tins & jars1.3 kg
- Almonds · Nuts & seeds1.2 kg
- Sweet potato · Vegetables1.2 kg
Weights as bought, for normal appetites, including the spare days. Your own boat, crew, diets and menu change these numbers — the free calculator works them out for you.
Plan the whole crossing before you shop
Write every meal down — breakfast, lunch and dinner for every day — and add spare days for a slow passage. Shopping from a menu, not from a feeling, is what stops the over-bought pasta and the missing onions.
Plan fresh food for the first week and a half, long-life food after that, and a few dishes that cope with a seaway for the rough days.
Eat the most perishable things first
Soft fruit, salad leaves and fresh herbs go in the first days; hard vegetables (cabbage, carrots, onions, potatoes), citrus and apples last much longer if they are kept cool, dry and turned. Meat goes in the freezer or is cooked and frozen in port.
Unwashed eggs keep for weeks out of the fridge; turn the box every couple of days.
Rough days: one bowl, one pot
Expect several days when cooking is hard. Keep pre-cooked frozen dinners, one-pot dishes and things that can be eaten from a bowl with a spoon.
Water is separate
Food planning doesn't replace a water plan: tanks, a watermaker if you have one, and sealed emergency water. Work out yours with the water calculator.
Questions
How much food do I need for an Atlantic crossing?
For our example of 4 crew and 18 days with spare days for a slow passage, Galley Wizard's planner buys the amounts shown on this page. Scale it to your own crew with the free provisioning calculator.
What should I eat first on a long passage?
The most perishable food: soft fruit, salad leaves, fresh herbs and fresh meat that isn't frozen. Hard vegetables, citrus, apples and tins last much longer.