Free Boating Checklists and Resources for Life Afloat

Carolyn Shearlock, John Herlig, and Larry Webber on a beach in the Bahamas, representing experienced cruisers behind The Boat Galley’s trusted resources for living aboard and cruising.

Essential Free Resources for Every Cruiser

Simplify your cruising life with these practical tools and mini-courses, designed to make boat life easier.

Whether you’re a new cruiser or an experienced boater, these resources help with organization, planning, and building confidence.

Every resource includes a subscription to our newsletter filled with actionable tips for boaters, or you can get the newsletter by itself. And don’t worry—we never sell or share your email address.

Explore Our Free Resources

Discover practical tools and mini-courses to simplify your cruising life—all available at no cost.

Tools and Checklists

The Boat Galley Newsletter

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Your weekly guide to making cruising easier, whether you're a newbie or experienced hand

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Provisioning spreadsheet tool for boaters to organize shopping, plan meals, and track food supplies for cruising trips.

Tile image for free Provisioning Spreadsheet to simplify meal planning, shopping, and storing food aboard.

Provisioning Spreadsheet

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Streamline your provisioning calculations with our powerful spreadsheet

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Free checklists and documents for boat buyers and owners: stay organized and prepared

Tile image for Part 1 of free essential documents, helping boat owners and buyers organize critical boat records.

Checklists and Documents for Boat Owners

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Essential documents for buying, owning, and managing your boat

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Tile image for free Hurricane Checklists to help boaters prepare and protect their boats during hurricane season.

Hurricane Prep Checklists

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Checklists to help ensure you don't forget any essential tasks in event of a hurricane

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Mini-Courses

Free mini-course on living aboard: learn the realities of life on a boat and explore the liveaboard lifestyle

Tile image for the free Discover Cruising Life mini-course, introducing the joys and challenges of living on a boat.

5-star review for Discover Living on a Boat:

Discover Living Aboard

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Dip your toes into the liveaboard lifestyle with this mini-course

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Free mini-course on living on a boat full time: learn essential skills, planning, and gear for the liveaboard lifestyle

Tile image for the free Prepare to Cruise mini-course, guiding boaters through essential steps for starting their cruising life.

Prepare to Live on a Boat Full-Time

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Start your journey to living on a boat with this free step-by-step guide

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Free resource offering essential advice for new liveaboard boaters to handle the steep learning curve of boat life.

Tile image for the free mini-course Overcoming Overwhelm, offering strategies to tackle the challenges of boat life.

Overcoming The Learning Curve

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Learn to navigate the challenges of boat life

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Free mini-course on cooking aboard: create easy, delicious meals with limited galley space.

Tile image for the free Cooking for Adventures mini-course, helping boaters plan, prep, and cook meals while cruising.

A blue background shows a black square border with a red check mark at the top. Inside, text says: Learn to cook delicious galley meals anywhere with Intro to Cooking on a Boat, a free, on-demand course for adventurers by Carolyn Shearlock from The Boat Galley.

Intro to Cooking on a Boat

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Create delicious meals no matter how minimal your kitchen setup

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Why Choose These Free Resources?

✔ Practical: Whether it’s a ready-to-use spreadsheet or a focused mini-course, these resources are designed to solve specific challenges without being overwhelming.

✔ Newsletter: Arrives at 8AM ET every Wednesday -- right in your inbox.

✔ Checklists and Documents: Links to download are sent to you immediately by email.

✔ Flexible Mini-Courses: You'll get immediately access on the order confirmation screen as well as an email with login info. On-demand, self-paced, and lifetime access, so you can learn on your schedule.

✔ Always Free: No cost, no strings attached—enjoy these tools and courses as part of your cruising journey.

✔ Secure and Trusted: Your email address is safe with us—we never sell or share your information.

Free Resources That Truly Deliver

Whitney M.

Judy

Tammy A.

"Carolyn’s resources are a gold mine."

Verified User, Documents for Boat Buyers & Owners

Thumbs-up icon with stars, representing customer testimonials praising The Boat Galley’s products and resources.

"This is a game-changer."

Verified User, Provisioning Spreadsheet

"These courses have been absolutely crucial for us being total newbies. They are full of information. Definitely worth it."

Verified Student, Prepare to Cruise

Where You've Seen Us

Meet The Boat Galley Team

At The Boat Galley, we’re all cruisers. We know the joys—and the challenges—of boat life. The steep learning curve, costly mistakes, and hours spent searching for answers can be overwhelming. We’ve been there. That’s why we’ve created practical tools, trusted resources, and real-world guides to help you skip the frustrations and focus on enjoying your cruising life.