On the Radar: Katrina D’Artois, The Yacht Nutritionist

Editor’s note: This article discusses disordered eating and personal experiences with food and body image. Please read with care, and know that support is always available through WaveWellness if needed.

Blending wellness at sea with grounded nutritional support, Katrina D’Artois brings a refreshingly real approach to crew health – with lived experience, science-backed knowledge, and zero diet culture fluff.

Let’s start at the beginning – how did you land in yachting?

It’s a total fluke, actually. I was managing a Bikram yoga studio in Halifax, Canada, teaching 20 classes a week. Three “tourists” kept showing up to class – I thought they were a British family. Turns out they were a yacht captain, chief stew, and mate. They invited me to their end-of-season dock party, and by the end of it, they offered me a job on board. I didn’t even know what a yacht was! I got my STCW and flew to Palma to join their 40m.

So how did that evolve into nutrition?

I’ve struggled with food since I was 14. Fitness and “clean eating” became my coping tools – rigid, obsessive ones. Yachting challenged that. Surrounded by processed foods and zero routine, I spiralled. I hid in bilges, bingeing on cookies, then punished myself with overexercise and restriction. Eventually, I realised I didn’t want to leave yachting – I wanted to thrive in it. That meant healing.

“Nutrition is also a mental health issue. You can’t talk about wellbeing onboard without talking about the fuel.”

So you went back to uni?

Yes – at 28, I started a nutrition degree in Adelaide. It took five years and changed everything. I learned to replace blind food rules with science, to listen to my body, and to find peace in balance, not perfection. Now, I support crew through that same process – with empathy, education, and evidence.

What’s the biggest trap you see crew falling into today?

The all-or-nothing mindset. There’s huge pressure to be the “fit” person – Pilates, 10k steps, protein goals. But then you hit the Med season and can’t keep up. That’s when bingeing, burnout, and shame spiral start. You miss a workout, grab some guest leftovers, and suddenly feel like a failure. It’s brutal.

“Education is everything. That’s how we empower crew to stop fearing food – and start fuelling their life at sea.”

What can stews and chefs do to help?

Keep the basics available: low-fat Greek yoghurt, hard-boiled eggs, fresh fruit and veg, smoked salmon, rolled oats. Even stocking cherry tomatoes and snack cucumbers helps. Frozen berries are underrated – their antioxidants are more bioavailable than fresh. And please... ditch the beige-on-beige deep fryer diet.

Rapid Fire Questions:

A well-fed crew is... A healthy and happy crew.

One meal that always hits after a long charter? A pizza and Aperol Spritz on the Amalfi Coast.

Health myth you'd love to bust? That you can diet through the season. Cutting whole food groups isn’t wellness – it’s a gut health disaster.

“A healthy gut microbiome is a diverse gut microbiome – and that doesn’t come from steak and butter alone.”

🧠 Want to work with Katrina?

Book a session with Katrina via your WaveWellness app

About Katrina — The Yacht Nutritionist

Mission:

Yachting is hard. What makes it harder is your health and wellness goals going out the window every time guests step onboard. Between long hours, food choices, and zero routine, it’s easy to lose yourself, physically and mentally. I’m here to shake up the wellness world and give you everything you need to elevate your life, and your glow. This isn’t about chasing trends or squeezing yourself into some diet box. It’s about helping you thrive long-term through real science, balanced hormones, a healthy gut, and lifestyle medicine rooted in longevity. This is where we take the guesswork out of wellness, focusing on education, empowerment, and confidence. You deserve to feel amazing, look chic, and be in control of your body. I’m here to show you how. With real strategies, lasting results, a lot of education and a little luxury vibe along the way.

Core Services

The Lifestyle Membership

A monthly lifestyle club giving you VIP access to all of our signature online programs, designed to help you master gut health, balance your hormones, heal your relationship with food, transform your body composition (without dieting), and thrive on or off the yacht. Think: realistic routines, meal plans, and wellness tools that actually work, all accessible online and at your own pace.

Targeted, Science-Backed Supplements

Premium formulas created for people with high standards who want results. Available online and in select luxury stores across Spain, our supplements are made with clinically-backed ingredients and designed to support bloating, skin health, cravings, and real-life longevity, without compromising on quality or aesthetics.

Check out her website here