Provisioning a Tortola Bareboat Yacht Charter
If you're going bareboat yachting in Tortola and the
British Virgin Islands, you'll need to be prepared for everything. That means
you need to provision the boat. Fortunately, in most towns with bareboat charter
companies you'll also find provisioning companies who will be happy to deliver
proper provisions to your boat at prices comparable to an ordinary store, and
who will help you select the provisions you need. This can be a significant
savings over asking the charter company to do this for you, and it allows you to
easily modify your provision needs by yourself. If you choose to provision your bareboat yacht yourself,
remember the following tips. Plan your own meals before you go bareboating. Consider
what you'll really need to feed the crew, keeping in mind that most crews tend
to eat a lighter than usual breakfast and that dinners are often eaten on shore,
especially when you spot tempting restaurants that are easy to tie up at. Once
you've planned your menus, go online and look for provisioners and their
inventories. Often, you can do most of your shopping online before you go on
your trip, saving time and worry. When planning meals, figure on eating breakfast and
lunch onboard, but probably only half your dinners on the boat. The rest will be
at some of the nice area restaurants. Small, portable foods can be purchased at home and
brought to the British Virgin Islands with you. This will save money on some
of the most expensive provisions. Coffee, spices, and meat, for instance, are
easy to transport (freeze meat and bring it in a cooler as a carryon) and cost
much less at home than at Tortola's provisioners. If you're planning to fish,
you can also figure on at least one meal being your tasty fresh catch. Bring lots of ziplock bags. This saves time, as you
can more easily pre-prep and separate out meals, toss them in baggies, and then
store them in the ship refrigerator, labeled and ready to prepare. It also makes
it very easy to store leftovers. You'll find dozens of other uses for ziplock
bags, from storing extra fish fillets to sorting medications or creating quick
ice packs. Buy your rum, gin, and vodka at the British Virgin
Islands, but if you want wine and are picky, you may want to bring your own or
check ahead for availability. Because ship water, despite being potable, gains an
interesting and unpleasant flavor from the tanks, it's a good idea to get
bottled water. Figure on a half-gallon per person per day. Roaches, unfortunately, are a problem on many boats and yachts, even the nicest ones. Ensure that the charter company you're renting from has recently sprayed for vermin on board before you get on the ship. To avoid carrying more critters onto the boat, take your provisions out of the cardboard boxes the provisioner delivers in before carrying them onto the boat. Roaches like to piggyback in cardboard, and this is the route through which most boats get an infestation.
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