The art of provisioning—where necessity and ingenuity collide in a small fridge and a freezer that some might consider more “polite suggestion” than practical storage. It is the glamorous, gritty, and sometimes groan-worthy part of living aboard, where space is as sacred as rum (and twice as scarce). Allow me to introduce you to the balancing act of turning a floating pantry into a masterpiece of minimalism.

Let’s start with the cold, hard truth: there is only limited room in Koko’s fridge for all the gallons of fresh milk we would like to bring along. Those dreamers among us who envisioned frothy cappuccinos every morning? Alas, reality serves us a splash of compromise with Ultra-High Temperature (UHT) milk—known to our German friends as H-Milch. This shelf-stable savior does not care if it is stored next to cans of tuna or under the first-aid kit, as long as it is sealed. We keep just one precious carton open in the fridge at a time. Practical? Yes. Bougie? Not so much. And do not even get me started on how much this stuff costs stateside. Four times the price of regular milk. Yes, you read that right. At those prices, this milk better come with an honorary crew membership.

We also have adopted a “team canned goods” mentality because canned food does not demand prime fridge real estate. Canned chicken, canned butter (yes, it exists), and other tin treasures form our galley’s backbone. Of course, certain European delights sneak into the stash—pumpernickel bread and Knäckebrot (how to translate that to English; maybe “crunchy rye bread”?). Because even on the water, our taste buds deserve something better than soggy crackers.

And then all the other stuff! If it feels like UPS, FedEx, USPS, and Amazon are competing for “most packages delivered to one address,” that is because they are. In the week leading up to our departure to Florida (this Thursday), they have made more stops at our house than we have made decisions about which anchorage to pick. The deliveries? An eclectic assortment of essentials: insect repellent for Florida’s infamous no-see-ums, sunscreen by the gallon (we like our skin slightly less crispy), fuel and oil filters to keep the engine running, padlocks, extension cords, razor blades for electricity-starved shaving, bungee cords, and enough Ziploc bags to organize the life out of everything. Oh, and reading glasses—because squinting at a nautical chart while underway just screams “poor planning.” And so much more…!

Despite our best efforts, we know the first gust of wind will carry with it the chilling realization of forgotten items. That one must-have thing we left behind? It will haunt us as we jerry-rig some contraption to fill the void. But hey, part of life afloat is learning to improvise. Besides, we have a rule: what the boat does not provide, creativity does.

So there you have it—the not-so-scientific art of provisioning for life on the water. It is a chaotic dance of logistics, a sprinkling of humor, and a generous dose of patience. Now, if only the fridge could fit just one more carton of UHT milk… Dream big, provision small!