When you are in charge of lunch for a group sailing from Alicante on Peggy, the first decision belongs on the itinerary, not the shopping list. Would everyone like to eat on board, or is lunch the reason they want to go ashore on Tabarca? Those are two different days out. Guests can bring their own food on Peggy. Meals are not included in the charter, and guests pay the restaurant directly if they choose to eat ashore. Basic drinks are included on board.
Match the meal to the length of the trip
On a four-hour sailing trip, choose something that takes only a few minutes to bring out, share and put away. A ready-made Spanish omelette, bread rolls and fruit can be plenty. If you are meeting after lunch, a snack may be all anyone wants. In either case, you can meet at the harbour with the shopping already done. A hot meal is optional when the point of the afternoon is spending time together.
A six-hour charter leaves more room for a leisurely meal. Our operating notes list a barbecue as an option on trips of six hours or longer when guests bring their own food. If the barbecue matters to your birthday plans, mention it when you agree on the charter. Knowing that a grill is available does not settle the menu, who will prepare the food or which utensils you will need. Sort that out before someone arrives with a bag of ingredients and expects another person to cook.
On the eight- and eleven-hour trips that can include Tabarca, you can pack lunch, ask us to arrange a restaurant table, or combine a small snack on board with lunch ashore. Compare the sailing options on Peggy before making plans. If sitting down at a restaurant on the island is the main reason for your trip, tell us that before you settle on the duration.
What the galley can accommodate
The cover photograph shows Peggy’s galley. The boat’s equipment inventory lists two cold-storage units, an upright fridge and a chest unit, with a combined capacity of 330 litres. That figure describes the equipment as a whole. If you want to bring a tall birthday cake or a large platter that cannot be split up, its measurements matter more. Check them with us before you order. A cake box still has to fit through the opening, whatever the capacity of the fridge.
Instead of packing everything into one large tray, divide the food according to when you will serve it. Use one container for the first snack, another for lunch and a third for dessert. That makes it easier to put chilled food away as soon as you board and bring out only what people are ready to eat. A lid that fastens properly and a simple label will often serve you better than a platter laid out in advance. The guide to Peggy shows the boat and how the space is arranged.
A shopping list for a birthday picnic
Imagine a half-day trip with friends who want to raise a glass and share something to eat. Here is a suggested shopping list you can adapt. It is an example for guests bringing their own lunch, rather than a menu served by the crew.
- To start, bring drained olives in a lidded container and a few rolls. Pack cheese and sliced cured meats separately so guests can choose what goes into their rolls.
- For lunch, choose a fully cooked Spanish omelette kept chilled during the journey, or sandwiches prepared before you set out. If people have different tastes, label two fillings instead of opening every sandwich to work out what is inside.
- For dessert, choose washed fruit divided into portions or a sweet that travels well. If you bring a cake, agree who is bringing what you need to cut and serve it. Leave someone in charge of a container for any leftovers as well.
Before working out quantities, ask how many people actually expect a full meal. Friends who have had breakfast and fancy a late-morning snack have different appetites from a group meeting at midday for lunch. If you are organising a birthday on Peggy, put the rough meal time in the same message as the meeting time. It saves everyone having to guess whether to eat before they arrive.
Getting chilled food from home to the harbour
Think about the journey to the boat as well as the time spent on board. Spain’s food safety agency recommends keeping food that needs refrigeration chilled in transit, separating raw ingredients from ready-to-eat items and protecting prepared food. In practical terms, pack the cool bag just before leaving home and move the food into cold storage when you board. The agency’s outdoor meal guidance, in Spanish explains how to organise the journey.
If someone in your party has a food allergy, keep the product labels and discuss specific requirements before you finalise the plan. A friend recalling that a dish contains no nuts is different from the person concerned being able to read the label for themselves. Equally, do not assume a particular brand of drink is available or that the galley can support a special arrangement you have not discussed.
Which drinks to buy
Water, Coca-Cola, beer, tinto de verano and ice are included. You can bring additional drinks, such as a particular cava for the birthday toast or an alternative preferred by one of your guests. Share the list of included drinks before dividing up the shopping. It saves three people buying the same thing while the one bottle everyone wanted for the toast gets left at home.
If lunch on Tabarca is part of the plan
On trips to Tabarca, Peggy does not take the group directly into the island harbour to disembark. When a table and transfer have been confirmed, the restaurant collects guests in its tender and brings them back to the boat after lunch. If you choose to remain on board for your picnic, the plan is to enjoy the island from the water. Being anchored off Tabarca does not in itself include a transfer to shore.
To settle the details, send one message with the charter you are considering, the number of people eating, where you would like to have lunch and any special requirements. Add measurements if you plan to bring something bulky. If the restaurant is the part everyone is especially looking forward to, wait for confirmation of the table and transfer before organising the rest of your day around lunch ashore.
