Sailors are asked when they register if they have any dietary restrictions. Always make sure you have a vegetarian alternative. You should be able to determine the percentage of non-meat eaters from the registration information. Your registrar will be able to provide you with these details. As you plan your meals, please take careful note of what these are. Most people can manage their own needs so it’s just a question of being sure to offer a choice of foods that they can select from.If you have specific concerns, please feel free to e-mail the sailor directly. They will be very appreciative of the question and glad to tell you what they can and cannot eat.

For lunch and breakfast: Buffet style is best and what isn’t used can be refrigerated until the next day. This is the most economical choice. As a rule of thumb, a seventeen year old boy will eat one sandwich for every race.  Make you own lunches make this possible.  Box lunches may be easier for you but the waste is enormous, it increases the level of trash, and limits what sailors can or will eat.  As US Sailing Championships are green regattas, the level of trash should be something you would factor in.

The most successful method is to have coolers with bow numbers on them and ask the sailors to label a gallon zip lock bag with their bow number and/or name. They then put their lunch in the appropriate cooler. Lunch boats should be identified by cooler number.

Here are some suggestions:  Breakfast

• Fruit juice
• Breads
• Fruit
• Cereal
• Yogurt
• Peanut Butter - huge jars

If possible

• Something hot – but this will depend on your budget
• Breakfast meats

Lunch – should be laid out at the same time as breakfast in a make your own format.

• Breads
• Meats - a good estimate is 4 oz per sailor. Leftovers can be refrigerated.
• Peanut Butter - huge jars – it’s a food group.
• Jelly
• Cheese - a good estimate is 2 oz per sailor. Leftovers can be refrigerated.
• Lettuce, tomatoes etc. Leftovers can be refrigerated.
• Chips
• Fruit
• Granola/ power bars
• Water  to fill your refillable water bottle
• Mustard or mayo in little tubes so they don’t sit in the hot sun.

Dinner

• The more boys you have, the more food you will need. Go with items that will feed hungry mouths. Plain and plentiful should be your guide. Have plenty of bread, salad and other fillers available.
• Suggestions include a pasta bar with sauces that meet vegetarian and meat eaters’ needs alike; cookouts including veggie burgers as well as regular burgers and hot dogs; Mexican but always include a vegetarian alternative; pizza (if you can get pizza donated, that is the most cost effective solution) – boys will eat ¾ of a large pizza on their own so plan accordingly.
• Estimate using the ratio below.  Again, these are just for guidelines.
• Chilled Salads:  4 ounces per person
  Hot Side Dishes:  3-4 ounces per person (depending on number of side dishes)
  Pasta as an entrée:  6-8 ounces per person
  Dinner Entrée Portion:  6-8 ounces per person
  Dessert:  3-4 ounces per person
  Rolls/Bread:  2 per person

Water

• You may want to ask the sailors to bring and reuse their personal water bottles to save on trash. If that’s the case,  let them know in their welcome packet so they don’t forget it.  Providing refillable water bottles for your RC and coaches is a nice but if your budget won't stretch to it, then be sure to ask them to bring their own.