A lesson in timing, patience, and local knowledge for provisioning. For those familiar with seafaring chef escapades, you’re well aware that provisioning can often feel like navigating a stormy sea. I’ve had the pleasure of working my culinary magic on yachts ranging from small day trippers to superyachts, and provisioning is always a pain in the stern. Let’s start where most chefs start when organizing a provisioning run — a quick chat with the captain. Armed with the details of any upcoming charters, vessel movements, and timings, I craft a provisioning plan. I’ll spare you the intricacies of storage logistics and focus instead on the art of provisioning itself. Yacht chefs on vessels 50 meters or smaller find themselves thrust into the role of provisioning alone. I’m currently a sole chef, so I have that pleasure on a weekly basis. I make sure I have an easy lunch ready to go for the crew that I prepare early that morning or the night before, like pizzas, sandwiches, and a few salads. I take the crew car and as many shopping bags as I can pry out of the stew’s hands before heading to at least two stores to find everything I need. I go around with two carts — one for crew and one for guests. Once a cart is full, I move it close to the checkout and grab the next one. I try to make it easy to unpack by putting fruit and vegetables in one cart, proteins in another, and dry in the next. Once I’ve filled up five to seven shopping carts, it’s off to check out. It’s good to know the delivery days in the Caribbean and the Bahamas because some protein and fresh green veggies can be hard to find — except fresh fish, which is usually easy to locate. The WhatsApp chef groups help me find local hot spots and the delivery days, but beware, just because it’s a delivery day doesn’t mean it will be on the shelves when you get there. I’ve seen a gaggle of chefs standing around a trolley of boxes, trying to pick through the good stuff before the shelf stacker has a chance to put it out on display. Provisioning agents — love them or loathe them, they are here to stay! If your boat has the budget to use a provisioning agent, do it. Use a couple of them for small orders first; that way you get to know how they work and build up a solid relationship with them. Try to pick ones that will deliver to the boat in most of the locations you’re going to be for that season. A lot of the Caribbean islands are Dutch, French, American, or British, and some will ship directly from Europe. Of course, there are always nightmare stories with provisioning agents. My first visit this year to St. Maarten was after a long passage and one week into a charter. I was running out of fresh veggies and was low on a lot of dry food items, like pasta, tinned tomatoes, and rice. I posted in a WhatsApp chef group asking where the best place to get these items and have them brought to the boat. I won’t mention names, but I had so much trouble getting what I needed to be delivered. They were more than three hours late and only delivered a quarter of what I asked for. I’d planned to take delivery while the guests were at the beach but ended up struggling to get everything on board with a few minutes left to go before cocktail hour. Having said that, it was just one experience. In the past, I have had great service and amazing quality from provisioning agents. I usually find them to be helpful, very clear with communication, and on time with deliveries with everything in order. If you have to go it alone, use the network of yacht chefs via Facebook and WhatsApp groups to guide you where to go. Be sure to check out as much of what the island offers, as there are always hidden gems for provisioning. Should you find yourself amidst the chaos of provisioning, fear not, for the culinary community stands united, ready to guide you through the storm. For a deeper dive into provisioning, check out my latest videos on Behind the Line with Chef Danny Davies on YouTube, where I explore the nuances of provisioning in the Caribbean with some seasoned provisioning agents and what they have to offer.