Provisioning Guide

Provisioning your yacht before you arrive is one of the easiest ways to make the first day of your BVI bareboat charter simple.

Rather than spending your arrival day grocery shopping, you can place your food and beverage orders in advance and have everything delivered directly to your yacht at Nanny Cay.

We recommend placing larger provisioning orders well before your charter, particularly during busy weeks. Products in the BVI are imported, so availability can vary and specific brands may occasionally be unavailable or substituted.

When placing your order, use the following delivery information:

Virgin Charter Yachts

G Dock, Nanny Cay Marina

Tortola VG1110

British Virgin Islands

Let the VCY team know when your provisions are scheduled to arrive. If your order arrives before you do, we can make sure refrigerated and frozen items are properly stored until they can be placed aboard.

Before You Place Your Order

Talk with your group about how you actually expect to eat during the week.

One of the most common provisioning mistakes is simply ordering too much.

Most guests enjoy a combination of meals aboard and meals ashore. Breakfast and lunch are particularly easy to prepare aboard a powercat, while dinner is a great opportunity to explore restaurants and beach bars throughout the BVI.

Think about:

• How many breakfasts you expect to eat aboard
• How many lunches you’ll prepare
• How many dinners you realistically want to cook
• Snacks for the boat
• Dietary restrictions and allergies
• Water and non-alcoholic beverages
• Beer, wine and spirits
• Ice
• Coffee and tea

You don’t need to provision as though you won’t see another store for seven days. There are opportunities to replenish basic groceries, drinking water, beverages and ice during your charter.

Check Your Order Before You Leave

Once you arrive at Nanny Cay, take a few minutes to check your provisioning order before leaving the dock.

If something was missed, substituted or you suddenly remember something you forgot, there is a RiteWay grocery store conveniently located at Nanny Cay for last-minute items.

Our VCY team is also happy to help with provisioning questions before you arrive.

What Is Already Aboard?

Your VCY bareboat is already equipped with bed linens, bath and beach towels, normal galley appliances and kitchenware, cooking utensils and basic starter supplies.

You don’t need to order or bring basic household and boating equipment that is already provided with the yacht.

See What’s Included on Your VCY Bareboat

The easiest way to provision a BVI bareboat is to order your groceries before you arrive and have them delivered directly to your yacht at Nanny Cay.

You don’t have to purchase everything from one company. Many of our guests place one large supermarket order and then supplement it with smaller orders for specialty meats, seafood, cheeses or other items.

RiteWay — Our Recommendation for Most Groups

For most charter groups, we recommend RiteWay for the primary grocery order.

RiteWay has the largest overall selection and is a good one-stop option for most of what you’ll need for the week, including:

• Fresh produce
• Dairy
• Meat
• Pantry staples
• Frozen foods
• Breakfast items
• Snacks
• Water and soft drinks
• Beer and wine
• Household items

You can place a large order in advance and arrange delivery directly to Nanny Cay.

There is also a RiteWay store at Nanny Cay, which is extremely convenient if you need to pick up a few last-minute items before leaving the dock.

Bobby’s Marketplace — Great for Large Orders & Dietary Needs

Bobby’s Marketplace is another excellent choice for a full yacht provisioning order and delivery.

We particularly recommend checking Bobby’s if someone in your group is looking for gluten-free or specialty dietary products, as they carry a good selection of options.

Bobby’s can also be a useful alternative if you can’t find a particular product through RiteWay.

Steakation — Specialty Meats & Seafood

If your group enjoys grilling aboard, Steakation Butchers is a great addition to your regular supermarket order.

We recommend Steakation for specialty meats and seafood when you want something beyond the normal supermarket selection.

Rather than trying to purchase every item from one provisioner, you can order your normal groceries through RiteWay or Bobby’s and add a smaller Steakation order for the proteins you plan to cook aboard.

French Deli & Gourmet Shop — Cheeses, Charcuterie & Pastries

French Deli & Gourmet Shop is one of our favorite places for specialty foods.

It’s an excellent option for:

• Specialty cheeses
• Charcuterie and cured meats
• European foods
• Specialty ingredients
• Frozen French pastries

The frozen pastries are particularly good for a charter. Keep them in the freezer and bake them aboard in the morning for an easy breakfast without having to make anything from scratch.

French Deli is another supplier we recommend using to supplement rather than replace your main grocery order.

Planning Meals for Your Charter

There is no ‘right way’ to handle meals on a bareboat.

Some groups love cooking aboard. Others discover very quickly that they would rather take the dinghy ashore and let someone else do the cooking.

Our recommendation is usually a combination of both.

Breakfast is easy aboard. Coffee, fruit, yogurt, cereal, eggs, toast and pastries don’t require much preparation.

Lunch is also simple. Sandwiches, salads, snacks and something easy from the grill work well when you’re spending the day swimming and exploring.

For dinner, leave yourself some flexibility.

The BVI has excellent restaurants and beach bars throughout the islands. You may plan to cook dinner and then decide after a day of snorkeling that going ashore sounds much more appealing.

Provision for the meals you realistically expect to prepare rather than three complete meals for every day of the charter.

Explore BVI Restaurants & Beach Bars →

Drinking Water

We recommend including drinking water in your initial provisioning order.

Gallon jugs are generally easier to store aboard than large quantities of individual water bottles and create considerably less waste.

Your yacht has freshwater aboard for normal onboard use, and VCY powercats equipped with watermakers leave the base with the watermaker ready for use. Even so, most groups prefer to provision separate drinking water for the week.

You don’t need to worry about getting the quantity exactly right. Drinking water and ice can be replenished at several locations around the BVI during your charter.

Beer, Wine & Spirits

For most groups, the easiest option is to include standard beer, wine, mixers and other beverages with your main RiteWay or Bobby’s provisioning order.

If you want a larger selection of wine, Champagne, spirits or particular brands, we recommend Caribbean Cellars or Tico.

Both specialize in beverage provisioning and can deliver orders directly to your yacht at Nanny Cay.

Different BVI distributors carry different brands, so if there is a particular wine, beer or spirit your group really wants, check both companies and order it in advance.

Don’t Forget the Mixers

It’s surprisingly easy to remember the rum and forget everything that goes with it.

When planning beverages, consider:

• Tonic water
• Club soda and sparkling water
• Soft drinks
• Juice
• Cocktail mixers
• Limes and lemons
• Coffee and tea
• Ice

As with food, think realistically about how much time you’ll spend aboard. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to visit restaurants and beach bars during the week, so you don’t need to stock the yacht as though you’re never going ashore.

The food and drinks aren’t the only things worth arranging before your charter.

If your group wants snorkeling equipment, paddleboards, kayaks, floating mats or other water toys, we recommend reserving them before arrival so everything can be ready when you leave Nanny Cay.

Island Surf & Sail — Water Toys

For water toys, we recommend Island Surf & Sail.

They offer a large selection of equipment including:

• Stand-up paddleboards
• Kayaks
• Floating mats
• Floats and water hammocks
• Underwater sea scooters
• Kids’ life jackets
• Other water and beach toys

One of the biggest advantages is convenience: Island Surf & Sail can deliver your equipment to the yacht before you arrive, so your water toys can already be aboard when you begin your charter.

Blue Water Divers — Snorkel & Scuba Equipment

Snorkeling equipment is not provided aboard VCY bareboats.

If you plan to snorkel during your charter, you will need to bring your own gear or rent it locally.

We recommend Blue Water Divers, conveniently located right next to us at Nanny Cay.

They rent masks, snorkels and fins and can also provide scuba equipment for certified divers.

If you’d rather dive with a local guide, Blue Water Divers can arrange rendezvous diving during your charter, allowing their dive boat and crew to meet you during your itinerary.

Larger RIB Rentals

Every VCY bareboat includes a 12-foot dinghy with a 15 HP outboard, which is suitable for normal transportation between your yacht and shore.

If your group wants a larger or faster RIB, we recommend Island Time, located at Nanny Cay.

There is one important consideration:

A larger rental RIB will need to be towed behind your powercat.

The hydraulic platforms on our powercats are set up for the size and weight of the supplied 12-foot dinghy and 15 HP outboard. Larger and heavier rental RIBs should not be carried on the hydraulic platform.

For most charter groups, the supplied dinghy is all you’ll need. A larger RIB can be worthwhile for a larger group or if you specifically want the additional room and performance.

BVI EFOILS & Sea Scooters

For something a little more adventurous, BVI EFOILS offers eFoil experiences in the British Virgin Islands.

An eFoil is an electric hydrofoil board that rises above the surface of the water as you gain speed. It’s a fun activity to add during the week if your group wants to try something different.

Underwater sea scooters are another fun option, particularly for snorkeling. They are much easier for most guests to use than an eFoil and can be rented for the charter.

You don’t need every toy available. For most groups, snorkeling equipment plus a paddleboard, kayak or floating mat provides plenty to do. More active groups can add sea scooters, an eFoil experience or a larger RIB depending on what they want from the week.