Charter Yacht Chef Reveals the Logistical Nightmares of Cooking at Sea (Exclusive)

Jordan GreeneMon, June 1, 2026 at 12:59 PM UTC

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Lily Davison holding up a fruit platter on the yacht
Credit: Courtesy of Lily Davison -

Lily Davison, a private yacht chef with over 1 million social media followers, works aboard a catamaran in the Bahamas

She faces challenges like cooking in rough seas, accommodating dietary restrictions and managing limited provisioning options

Davison and her fiancé, the yacht's captain, balance intense work schedules with brief breaks and family visits in the Bahamas

Cooking on a moving yacht comes with challenges most people never think about. For Lily Davison, a 27-year-old private yacht chef, those challenges are part of everyday life.

Davison, who has built a combined social media following of more than one million across Instagram and TikTok, currently works aboard a Bali 5.4 catamaran in the Bahamas. The yacht runs eight-day charters, with a season stretching from November through August.

“Cooking while the boat is moving can definitely be challenging, especially when the sea is rough,” Davison tells PEOPLE exclusively. “Trying to plate food while everything is shifting around is not for the weak.”

Lily Davison holding bread
Credit: Courtesy of Lily Davison

But for Davison, the biggest pressure begins before guests even step on board. Provisioning must be done entirely in advance, with no access to shops once a charter begins.

“You need to make sure you have absolutely everything before leaving the dock,” she says. “If you forget something, you have to get very creative very quickly.”

That logistical pressure quickly turns into operational intensity once guests arrive. Davison recalls one charter where every guest had different allergies and dietary requirements. “I was essentially cooking separate meals for everyone all week,” she says. “By the end of it, I was shattered!”

Even presentation — usually the most refined part of yacht dining — becomes a technical challenge at sea, particularly with desserts.

“I'd probably say a properly decorated cake is the hardest thing,” she says. “Icing melts quickly, and it takes up so much fridge space.”

Lily Davison holding a plate of her food
Credit: Courtesy of Lily Davison

Over time, she has adapted her approach, opting for dishes that hold up better in a moving kitchen. Now, if there's a birthday on board instead of making classic cakes, she'll make a pavlova cake — a meringue-based dessert — instead.

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"You can throw it together quickly, and it always tastes and looks amazing," she says.

Beyond the kitchen, Davison says the structure of life onboard adds another layer of intensity and challenge. Between charters, she and her fiancé Nik — who is also the yacht's captain — have only a short window to reset.

Normally, they have a minimum of three days between charters. During that time, if they're down in the islands, they love going for swims, heading to the beach, or taking the tender out to explore. But even those breaks are fluid rather than fully off-duty.

“In between charters, there's also a huge amount of prep work involved — writing menus, planning shopping lists, deep cleaning parts of the boat and getting everything ready for the next guests,” she says.“Even if we have a week between charters, that doesn't necessarily mean a full week off because there's always work to do behind the scenes,” she adds.

Lily Davison in the boat's kitchen
Credit: Courtesy of Lily Davison

Along with this, the job also comes with an emotional toll that builds over time. Being away from family and friends for most of the year can be difficult, she says, though occasional visits help.

“Luckily, I have some family in the Bahamas, so we're able to see them regularly, which helps a lot,” she says.

One of the most meaningful parts of the job is when that distance temporarily closes.

“We also do a friends-and-family week every year where our families come on board — which is a huge job perk,” she says. “My family [is] always so happy to be there.”

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”