Three weeks after a provisioning run in the Caribbean, the second engineer opens a dry stores locker at 0200 and a cockroach runs across his hand. By the time you see one, there are hundreds. It came aboard in a cardboard box that somebody could not be bothered to break down on the dock.
Design for cleanability
Food premises - and the galley, pantry, crew mess and stores all count - must be designed so they can be cleaned. The principles:
- Surfaces: smooth, impervious, non-absorbent, durable, easy to clean and disinfect. Stainless steel is the standard. Coved junctions where the bench meets the bulkhead so dirt has nowhere to hide.
- No cracks, no bare wood in food areas; damaged surfaces cannot be disinfected. Equipment should be movable or sealed to the deck; the gap behind a fixed fridge is a pest nest.
- Ventilation to remove heat, steam and grease; extraction filters cleaned on schedule - a grease-laden filter is both a hygiene and a fire hazard.
- Hand-wash basin: dedicated, with soap and towels, separate from food-preparation sinks wherever the layout permits.
Water onboard
Water is an ingredient. Only potable water may be used for food, ice, drinks, washing produce and handwashing.
- Bunker from a verified potable source with a dedicated, capped, labelled water hose.
- Keep the tanks clean, inspected and disinfected on schedule; run the chlorination/UV/filtration the yacht is fitted with, and record it.
- Test the water per the yacht's system; note Legionella risk in warm, stagnant systems - flush little-used outlets.
- The watermaker is not a free pass: do not run it in a marina, close to shore, or in a bay full of anchored yachts discharging holding tanks.
- Ice is food. Ice machines are a classic contamination point - scoop with a dedicated scoop stored outside the bin, never with a glass, and clean and disinfect the machine on schedule.
Waste
- Sealed, lidded, foot-operated bins in the galley; empty frequently; never let waste build up.
- Waste is stored away from food, in a designated space, and disposed of according to MARPOL Annex V - food waste discharge at sea is heavily restricted by distance from land, and plastics are never discharged.
- Drainage must run away from food areas; keep grease traps clean; a blocked, backing-up galley drain is a direct contamination risk.
Pests at sea
| Pest | How it boards | Signs |
|---|---|---|
| Cockroaches | Cardboard boxes, crates, provisions, pallets | Droppings like pepper, smear marks, egg cases, a sweet musty smell, night activity |
| Rodents | Mooring lines (fit rat guards), passerelle, stores | Droppings, gnaw marks, greasy runs, urine stains, shredded nesting material |
| Weevils/pantry moths | Flour, rice, pasta, cereals in dry stores | Webbing, larvae, holes in packaging |
| Flies and ants | Open doors, provisions, waste, shore power cables | Bodies, maggots in bins, trails |
Pests carry pathogens (Salmonella, E. coli), contaminate food with droppings, urine, hair and bodies, damage stock and packaging, and are a legal offence to tolerate.
Prevention - and provisioning is the entry route:
- Break down and bin all cardboard on the dock. Decant into clean crates. This one habit prevents most infestations.
- Inspect provisions on receipt; store dry goods in sealed rigid containers, off the deck.
- Fit rat guards on lines and hatch screens where practical.
- Keep the boat clean, dry and crumb-free; deny food, water and harbourage.
- Report any sighting immediately - do not deal with it privately, and never use insecticide sprays near food.
Onboard Notes
Once cockroaches reach the deckhead voids and wiring runs, the only reliable answer is a professional fumigation with the boat empty - a five-figure problem and a lost charter. Freeze bulk flour and rice for 48 hours on receipt, or decant and inspect. Keep the water tank log: a contaminated tank poisons everyone aboard at once, including the crew who would otherwise be nursing the guests.
Scope note: xplor is not an approved centre or an accredited training provider. This lesson is preparatory study only - no certificate and no regulated qualification is awarded here, and the Level 2 food safety award must be sat and assessed with an approved centre of a regulated awarding organisation.