The three tiers of Caribbean supply
Every island falls into one of three tiers, and knowing which tier you are in tells you whether to load deep or top up.
| Tier | Ports | What it means in practice |
|---|---|---|
| Deep hubs | St Maarten, San Juan, Fort Lauderdale, Providenciales | Widest imported range, daily freight, wholesale pricing. Load your dry goods, frozen, wine and specialty here. |
| Strong regional | Antigua, St Lucia, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Barbados | Reliable fresh plus a decent imported range. Good for full charter loads with a few days' notice. |
| Fresh-only islands | Bequia, Dominica, Virgin Gorda, Anguilla, the Grenadines | Excellent local produce and fish, thin imports. Top up fresh, but bring the pantry with you. |
Rule of thumb: never plan a full restock south of St Lucia without pre-staging it.
How freight actually moves
- St Maarten (SXM) receives daily European and US freight and re-distributes across the Leewards — it has the widest specialty range in the region.
- Miami and Fort Lauderdale feed the northern islands, the Bahamas and Turks & Caicos on a 24 to 48 hour cycle.
- San Juan (SJU) is US domestic freight with no import duty, which makes Puerto Rico the cheapest deep load in the northeast Caribbean.
- Pointe-à-Pitre (PTP) and Fort-de-France (FDF) receive mainland French cargo as EU-internal freight — the value route for cheese, charcuterie, wine and patisserie.
- Everything south of St Lucia is a second leg: inter-island ferry, small freighter or air, adding two to five days.
Realistic lead times
| Brief | Notice we ask for | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Fresh top-up | 24 – 48 hours | Market and day-boat buying, packed the morning of delivery. |
| Full charter load | 72 hours | Local wholesale plus one freight cycle from the nearest hub. |
| Imported specialty | 5 – 7 days | Two freight legs plus clearance on non-US, non-EU territory. |
| Christmas / New Year, Antigua show week | 3 – 4 weeks | Supplier and courier capacity in the peak ports is committed well in advance. |
What to load where
A simple pattern works for most itineraries: load deep once at a hub, then buy fresh locally as you move south. Loading deep in San Juan or St Maarten and topping up in Tortola, Gustavia or Bequia is cheaper and faster than trying to source specialty on a small island.
- Dry goods, frozen, wine, spirits, cleaning and interior consumables — hub port, once.
- Fruit, vegetables, herbs, eggs, bread — locally, every three to four days.
- Fish and lobster — locally, at landing, confirmed the day before rather than promised weeks ahead.
- Champagne allocations and rare spirits — briefed early, staged at the hub, moved with the yacht.
How Ychtly runs it
One brief covers the whole itinerary. We source through vetted local suppliers in each port, consolidate imported lines through the nearest hub, log the cold chain supplier to gangway, and send one invoice. If something isn't available — a fish that didn't land, a vintage that isn't in the country — we say so at brief and offer alternatives rather than substituting silently.
Frequently asked
Which Caribbean island is best for provisioning?
St Maarten for range, San Juan for price, Guadeloupe or Martinique for French and European product, Antigua for reliability mid-season. Small islands are for fresh, not for restocking.
How far in advance should we brief a Caribbean charter?
72 hours covers a normal full load. Christmas, New Year and Antigua Charter Yacht Show should be briefed three to four weeks out.
Can you provision at anchor?
Yes, in most ports we cover. Tender rendezvous or lighter delivery with logged cold chain, timed to the yacht rather than to market hours.
Do you charge a percentage or a fee?
We quote per brief before you commit, so you see what the provisions cost and what the service costs. No surprise line items after delivery.