Charter Guide
Provisioning and the Preference Sheet
Few documents shape a charter more quietly than the preference sheet. Completed well before embarkation, it tells the crew how you like to live at sea, from the coffee you take at breakfast to the wine you would rather never see again.
In short
The preference sheet is a confidential questionnaire covering guests' dietary needs, allergies, favoured dishes, drinks and celebrations. The crew use it to plan menus and provisioning, which is paid from the Advance Provisioning Allowance. Complete it fully and truthfully, and the chef will shop and cook to match.
On this page
What the preference sheet is
The preference sheet is a private questionnaire sent to the charter party once a yacht is booked, usually a few weeks before boarding. It is the principal means by which the chef, the chief stewardess and the captain learn how you and your guests prefer to eat, drink and spend your days. Nothing about it is a test, and there is no single correct way to complete it. Its only purpose is to allow the crew to prepare thoroughly, so that the yacht already feels tailored to you on the first evening rather than after several days of adjustment.
It is treated in confidence. Details you give about health, faith or personal taste are shared only with the crew who need them, and they are not retained beyond the charter without reason. If you would like to understand how the sheet fits into the wider booking process, our guide to how to charter a yacht sets out the sequence from enquiry to embarkation.
What it asks
A good preference sheet is thorough without being exhausting. Expect sections covering each guest by name, since tastes differ around a table, and questions on the following.
- Dietary requirements and anything you avoid, whether by necessity or choice
- Allergies and intolerances, with a note on their severity
- Favourite dishes, cuisines and ingredients, and those you dislike
- Preferred styles of dining, from relaxed buffets on deck to more formal dinners
- Drinks, including coffee and tea, soft drinks, spirits, and preferred wines and Champagnes by house or region
- Brands you favour for anything from water to a particular gin
- Celebrations during the charter, such as a birthday or anniversary
- Daytime activities and water sports, and your rough appetite for a full or gentle programme
Answer what you can and leave the rest. A chef would far rather read "we love good bread, dislike heavy cream sauces, and are happy to be surprised" than a blank page. The more character you convey, the more the galley can anticipate you.
Allergies and dietary needs
This is the one section where precision matters absolutely. A stated allergy is treated as a genuine medical matter, not a preference, and the chef will provision and cook to avoid cross-contamination. If a reaction is serious, say so plainly and note whether anyone carries medication such as an adrenaline pen. Coeliac disease, shellfish and nut allergies are handled routinely on well-run yachts, but only if they are declared in advance.
Dietary patterns such as vegetarian, vegan, pescatarian, kosher, halal or low-carbohydrate diets are equally welcome. Where a diet requires specially sourced or certified ingredients, flag it early, as some items take time to obtain in a Mediterranean port. Do not soften a real need for fear of being difficult. The crew cannot cook around a requirement they were never told about.
A chef would rather read a page full of real detail than a blank one filled in politely.
How provisioning works
Once the sheet is returned, the chef builds provisional menus for the length of the charter and draws up a shopping list. In the day or two before you board, and often during longer trips, the crew provision from local markets, specialist suppliers and reliable wholesalers. On a Balearic itinerary this might mean fish landed that morning, produce from the mainland, and cheeses and charcuterie chosen for a particular menu. Our notes on cruising the Balearics give a sense of what the region's ports and markets can offer.
Provisioning is a craft in itself. A capable chef balances your stated favourites against what is genuinely good and in season, keeps a sensible reserve for changes of plan, and stows it all within the limits of the yacht's cold storage. You are not expected to plan menus yourself, though you are welcome to discuss them with the chef once aboard.
Paying from the APA
Provisioning is not included in the charter fee. It is paid from the Advance Provisioning Allowance, a sum you place with the yacht before the charter, customarily around a quarter to a third of the base fee. The APA also covers fuel, berthing, and other running costs incurred on your behalf. The chef and captain draw on it as they shop, keep receipts, and provide an account at the end of the charter, returning any balance or asking for a top-up if costs run ahead of the estimate.
Because food and drink are billed at cost, generous or unusual requests are reflected plainly in the final reckoning rather than hidden in the headline price. If you would like to understand the APA more fully, including how it differs from the crew gratuity, see our guides to the Advance Provisioning Allowance and to crew tipping.
Realistic expectations
A yacht galley is remarkable, but it is not a shore restaurant with unlimited storage and a brigade of cooks. Setting sensible expectations makes for a happier charter. A single chef preparing three meals a day for a party of ten is working hard already; very elaborate multi-course dinners every night, on top of full lunches and constant snacks, ask a great deal. Rarity of an ingredient, remoteness of the cruising ground, and the state of the local season all shape what is possible.
The good news is that constraint rarely shows on the plate. Tell the crew what matters most to you, be a little flexible on the rest, and the result is usually better than a rigid brief would have produced. Trusting a good chef with "surprise us" evenings often yields the most memorable meals of the week.
Special requests and sourcing
Genuine special requests are part of the pleasure of chartering, and crews take real satisfaction in meeting them. A particular vintage, a cake for an anniversary, a favourite brand of tea, flowers in the cabins, or a chilled bottle waiting at the end of a long swim are all readily arranged when known in advance. The earlier a request is made, the more likely it can be sourced without compromise, since some wines, spirits and specialist foods must be ordered in.
Requests that take planning
- Rare or aged wines and Champagnes, which may need to be located and shipped
- Specific spirits or non-Spanish brands not stocked locally
- Certified dietary or religious ingredients
- Cakes, florists and any hired entertainment for a celebration
- Equipment for a particular water sport not carried as standard
If in doubt, raise it. A quiet word before the charter is always better than a wish revealed on the day. You can convey anything sensitive directly when you make an enquiry, and it will be passed only to the crew who need it.
Children and crew meals
Families are well catered for. Note the ages of any children, their favourite foods, and any allergies, along with practical needs such as high chairs, earlier meal times or particular milk. A thoughtful chef will keep children's cooking simple and familiar while the adults dine more ambitiously, and the interior crew will make cabins and decks safe and comfortable for younger guests. Our guide to superyacht etiquette touches on children aboard in more detail.
The crew, too, eat from the same provisioning, and a small allowance for crew meals is normal and expected. This is not an extravagance billed against you unfairly; a well-fed crew is an attentive one, and the amounts involved are modest. You need not think about it beyond understanding that it forms part of the ordinary running of the yacht.
A sample checklist
The list below is a guide to the ground a thorough preference sheet covers. Treat it as a prompt rather than a form, and add anything particular to your party.
- Names and ages of every guest, including children
- Allergies and intolerances, with severity noted
- Dietary patterns such as vegetarian, vegan, kosher or halal
- Foods and ingredients each guest loves
- Foods and ingredients to avoid
- Preferred breakfast style and timing
- Coffee and tea preferences
- Favourite wines, Champagnes and spirits by house or region
- Soft drinks, water and mixers, with any brands
- Any celebrations and the dates during the charter
- Preferred dining style, formal or relaxed
- Appetite for water sports and daytime activity
- Special requests to be sourced in advance
Completed carefully and returned in good time, the sheet does its quiet work before you ever step aboard. To see the yachts and crews that bring it to life, browse our fleet or read more in the journal. A fuller vocabulary of terms is kept in the glossary.
Common questions
When should I return the preference sheet?
As early as you can, and ideally two to three weeks before boarding. This gives the chef time to plan menus and the crew time to source anything unusual. A late sheet limits what can be provisioned, particularly for rare wines or specialist ingredients.
Is the information kept private?
Yes. The sheet is shared only with the crew who need it, chiefly the chef, chief stewardess and captain. Health and personal details are treated in confidence and are not retained beyond the charter without reason.
Do I pay for food separately from the charter fee?
Yes. Provisioning is paid from the Advance Provisioning Allowance, a sum placed with the yacht before the charter. Food and drink are billed at cost, with receipts and a final account, and any balance is returned to you.
What if I do not know what I want to eat?
That is perfectly common. Note a few likes and dislikes, flag any allergies, and invite the chef to design the rest. Many guests find that trusting a good chef produces their best meals of the week.
Can the yacht cater for serious allergies?
Yes, provided they are declared clearly in advance. State the allergy and its severity, and note any medication carried. The chef will then provision and cook to avoid the ingredient and any cross-contamination.
Are children's meals a problem?
Not at all. Note ages, favourite foods and any allergies, along with practical needs such as high chairs or earlier meal times. The crew will keep children's food simple while the adults dine as they wish.
This guide is general information, not legal, tax or insurance advice. To plan a charter, make an enquiry or browse the yachts.
If you work the galley
Crew-side: the preference sheet is a working document, not marketing — chase it early, read it literally, and flag conflicts (allergy versus favourite dish) back through the captain rather than improvising on the day. Provisioning against the APA means receipts for everything; the reckoning at the end of the week is only as clean as the paper trail behind it.