Sailing Nutrition and Supplements: Fuel, Boat Weight and What Works

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The cooler in the coach boat holds peanut butter sandwiches, bananas and a dozen water bottles, and by the third race of the day the junior sailors are taking all of it. That’s most of what sailing nutrition comes down to: eating enough, carrying enough water, and eating real food. Supplements play a small part. This page is the short, honest version for every level, from juniors and college sailors to Olympic-class campaigners and adults racing keelboats: what sailors need to eat, how boat weight plays into it, which supplements have evidence, and why third-party testing matters.

General information, not medical or nutrition advice. Talk to a doctor or registered sports dietitian before changing your diet or starting a supplement. Back to the sailing hub.

How much do sailors need to eat?

More than many expect. Collegiate dinghy sailors at a training camp, on the water about 7 hours a day, used about 4,130 calories a day on average, measured with the doubly labeled water method. Club sailors studied during a regatta ate and drank far less than sports-nutrition guidelines suggest. Sports-nutrition guidelines from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and partner dietitian groups scale carbohydrate with training load:

Training load	Carbohydrate per kg per day	For a 70 kg sailor
Light (skill sessions, a short evening race)	3–5 g	210–350 g
Moderate (about 1 hour of exercise a day)	5–7 g	350–490 g
High (1–3 hours of hard work a day, regattas, camps)	6–10 g	420–700 g

Protein: 1.2–2.0 g per kg of body weight a day, spread across meals, with 15–25 g after training. Most sailors who eat three real meals and pack snacks get there without powders. For what to eat and drink on the water itself, see our regatta day page.

A regatta day of eating, in practice: a carbohydrate breakfast you know sits well; a sports drink and small snacks between races (bananas, bars, sandwiches cut in quarters); a recovery snack with some protein on the dock; and a full dinner with rice, pasta or potatoes, protein and vegetables. Then breakfast again before the next day’s dock-out. Keep water handy all evening, and go easy on alcohol at the regatta party, since it can get in the way of recovery.

Boat weight: the sailing-specific question

In hiking dinghies, body weight is righting power. In a study of 55 ILCA (Laser) sailors, higher body mass went with better race results. Each class and crew combination has a weight that tends to suit it, and sailors feel pressure to gain or lose weight to fit. Do it slowly and sensibly:

• Gaining for a heavier boat: add regular meals and snacks and do strength training, so the gain is useful muscle. Sailors who need extra calories should still choose real food over “mass gainer” products.
• Losing for a lighter boat: slowly, with a sports dietitian, and never by skipping meals or dehydrating before a weigh-in.
• Juniors: choose the boat that fits the body, not the other way round. Growing sailors shouldn’t diet for a class.

The International Olympic Committee’s 2023 consensus statement on REDs (relative energy deficiency in sport) warns that eating too little for your training affects both women and men: bone health, hormones, mood, illness and performance. Warning signs include constant tiredness, frequent illness, stress fractures and, in women, missed periods. Restoring energy intake is the main treatment, with a doctor and dietitian involved.

Supplements: what the evidence says

A 2020 study of young elite Spanish dinghy sailors found that men and sailors competing internationally used more supplements, and that everyone used more on competition days. The IOC’s 2018 consensus statement on supplements comes down to “food first”: a few products have good evidence for some athletes, and most add little.

• Sports drinks and electrolytes: useful sports foods for long, hot regatta days when you can’t eat much.
• Protein powder: a convenience when dinner is hours away; not needed if you eat well.
• Creatine and caffeine, for adults: among the better-studied performance supplements. Creatine is popular for strength training but can add body weight, which may or may not suit your boat. Caffeine can cause anxiety, an upset stomach, poor sleep and a racing heart, and it isn’t for everyone (heart conditions, pregnancy, sensitivity). Stay within the label.
• Vitamin D and iron: test, don’t guess. Extra iron you don’t need can do harm; get blood work through your doctor first.
• Junior sailors: the American Academy of Pediatrics says caffeinated energy drinks have no place in children’s and teens’ diets and advises against creatine for young athletes.

Third-party testing

Sailing is an Olympic sport, and national-team and international sailors can be drug-tested. Under anti-doping “strict liability” rules, a contaminated supplement is no excuse. One international study found about 15% of 634 supplements contained undeclared prohormones. Programs like NSF Certified for Sport and Informed Sport test products for banned substances. They lower the risk without removing it, and they don’t test whether a product works.

Product	In one serving	Certification	About (Oct 2026)	Per serving
Thorne Whey Protein Isolate	21 g protein	NSF Certified for Sport	$65 / 30 scoops	about $2.17
Skratch Labs Hydration	400 mg sodium, 19 g carbs	Maker says NSF Certified for Sport (not found in NSF’s database in Oct 2026)	$24 / 20 servings	about $1.20
Nuun Sport	300 mg sodium, 150 mg potassium, 1 g sugar	Informed Choice (maker says)	$7.49 / 10 tablets	about $0.75
Thorne Creatine	5 g creatine monohydrate	NSF Certified for Sport	$44 / 90 scoops	about $0.49
Klean Multivitamin	2 tablets; 1,000 IU vitamin D	NSF Certified for Sport	about $46 / 30 servings	about $1.53

Why these: the Thorne and Klean products are NSF Certified for Sport, Nuun says its Sport tablets are Informed Choice certified, and Skratch’s maker says it is NSF Certified for Sport (we couldn’t find it in NSF’s search, so look it up before relying on it). Follow the label for how much to take. Full comparisons: best protein powder for athletes, best electrolyte powders, best creatine and best multivitamin for athletes.

Check the Skratch Labs Hydration price on Amazon

Talk to a professional. Before starting any supplement, check with your doctor or a registered sports dietitian, especially for sailors under 18 and anyone who is pregnant, takes medication or has a heart, kidney or other medical condition.

Keep going with sailing fitness and sailing recovery, or see how rowers handle weight classes on our rowing nutrition page.

Sailing nutrition: FAQs

How many calories does sailing burn?

It depends on the boat, the wind and your size. Collegiate dinghy sailors in a training camp with about 7 hours a day on the water used about 4,130 calories a day on average. A calm afternoon on a keelboat burns far less.

Do sailors need supplements?

Most don’t. Enough food, water and a sports drink on long days cover the basics. If you do use supplements, choose third-party tested products, especially if you could be drug-tested.

Should I gain weight to sail a heavier dinghy?

Weight helps in hiking boats, but gain it slowly with good food and strength training, ideally with a sports dietitian. Juniors are usually better off moving to a boat that fits them than changing their body for a boat.

Is caffeine OK before a race?

For many adults, a usual coffee is fine. Too much can cause jitters, an upset stomach and a racing heart. It isn’t for everyone (heart conditions, pregnancy, sensitivity), and the AAP says teens should skip caffeinated energy drinks. Try anything new on a training day, not race day.