Caribbean catamaran charter: a group food plan for the week

The Caribbean charter season gets going as the Atlantic hurricane season ends on 30 November, and the first crews of the winter fly out for Thanksgiving week and early December. A week on a catamaran in the islands is mostly sun, swimming and short hops between anchorages, so the food plan is about cold drinks, light lunches and not spending half the holiday in a supermarket.

What makes a Caribbean charter different

Compared with a Mediterranean week, the hops between islands are often short, so most days have a long stop at anchor and lunch is eaten on board. The heat means a lot of drinks and very little appetite for hot food at midday. Most food on small islands is imported, so groceries usually cost more than at home and the choice in small shops can be limited, especially for fresh produce.

Timing matters too. The Atlantic hurricane season officially runs from 1 June to 30 November, and the main winter season is roughly December to April. A charter in late November or early December can be good value, but check your insurance and the charter company’s policy for storms, and expect some marina restaurants and beach bars to be still opening for the season.

Provisioning package or your own shop?

Many charter bases offer a provisioning service: you choose from a list or a ready-made package and the food is on board when you arrive. It costs more than shopping yourself but saves the first afternoon of the holiday. A good compromise for a group:

• •Order the heavy and boring part ahead: water, soft drinks, beer, long-life milk, breakfast items, tins and cleaning supplies.
• •Do one shop yourselves for fresh produce, bread and the things people are fussy about.
• •Check what is already on board (galley equipment, basics such as oil, salt, coffee) before ordering duplicates.
• •Ask the base how big the fridge is: on many catamarans it is smaller than the crew expects.

A simple daily rhythm

• •Breakfast on board: fruit, yoghurt, cereal, toast, coffee before the morning sail.
• •Lunch at anchor, cold and quick: wraps, salads, cold cuts, cheese, hummus and crackers, fruit.
• •Snacks and drinks all afternoon between swims; keep a separate cool box for drinks so the fridge stays cold.
• •Dinner: grill on the stern barbecue if the boat has one, or simple one-pot rice and fish dishes, and two or three evenings ashore at beach restaurants.
• •Leave room in the plan for local food: fresh fish, fruit stands and the beach bars that are part of the trip.

Water, ice and the heat

1. Count drinking water generously: in tropical heat a crew working the boat and swimming drinks far more than at home.
2. Ask whether the boat has a watermaker, and how big the tanks are; tank water is usually for washing, not drinking, unless the base says otherwise.
3. Buy ice at the start and top it up wherever you find it; keep drinks out of the main fridge.
4. Shop for food that copes with heat: hard cheeses, cured meats, tins, wraps rather than soft bread.
5. Keep raw meat and fish cold and cook it early in the week, and see our guide on food safety on a self-catering holiday for the basics.

Who pays for what

A charter week mixes a pre-ordered package, one or two shops, ice and drink top-ups, mooring fees and restaurant evenings, often in more than one currency. Agree on day one that everything goes into one shared tally, note the currency of each receipt, and settle once at the end of the week.