How to provision a superyacht for a charter week: lead times by port, splitting the order, vessel stores and bonded rules, and typical budgets.
Provisioning a superyacht for a charter week starts from the preference sheet and the menu plan, not a shopping list. Every good chef works backwards: how many dinners aboard, how many lunches ashore, which nights are formal, what the guests actually eat — and only then what goes on the order.
This guide covers the sequence, the lead times, the paperwork that saves real money, and where Guest Trip keeps the preferences and the plan in the same place as the itinerary.
The itinerary decides the order. A week with four dinners ashore needs a fundamentally different provision from one at anchor every night, and a passage day needs food that can be served in a seaway. Before anything is ordered, the chef needs the stable version of the itinerary: which nights are aboard, which are ashore, which days have an early start, and where the yacht can restock mid-charter.
preferences and the day-by-day itinerary sit against the same trip, so the chef plans from the actual week rather than from a forwarded PDF and a phone call.
1. Read the preference sheet properly, then confirm it
Allergies and intolerances first, and with their severity — an anaphylactic nut allergy changes the whole galley, a mild intolerance changes one dish. Then religious and ethical diets, dislikes, favourite cuisines, breakfast habits, children's food, and the bar: champagne and wine preferences with the price band the principal is comfortable in, spirits, non-drinkers, coffee, and still versus sparkling water. Confirm the critical items with the guests in person at the welcome briefing; sheets are often filled in by an assistant weeks earlier.
2. Work to the right lead times
Plan on a minimum of two weeks with a local chandler and three to four weeks for specialty or seasonal items, particularly anything that has to be flown in. Standard delivery lead times in the main Mediterranean ports run roughly 24 hours in Palma, 24 to 48 in Antibes and Malta, and next-day in Genoa, with emergency provisioning available in four to twelve hours at a premium. Build the order around the slowest item, not the fastest.
Palma de Mallorca. 24 hours pre-ordered. The strongest hub in the Western Med; peak May to September. Antibes / French Riviera. 24 to 48 hours. Premium supply and premium pricing; excellent for French produce and wine. Genoa. Next day. Good value for Italian specialities direct from regional producers. Naples / Southern Italy. Next day. Mozzarella, San Marzano tomatoes, Sorrento lemons in season. Barcelona. Same day pre-ordered. Catalan seafood and direct access to Penedès wine. Malta. 24 to 48 hours. Often 10 to 20 percent cheaper; freeport bonded facilities; 24/7 coordination
3. Split the order by temperature and timing
Dry goods and beverage go in first, because they are bulky, non-perishable and the worst thing to be chasing on turnaround day. Frozen next. Fresh produce, fish and dairy land as late as the schedule allows, ideally the morning of embarkation or the day before. Splitting the order this way protects both the quality and the fridge space, which on most yachts is the real constraint — plan the stowage before the order, not after the delivery arrives on the passerelle.
4. Use the vessel-stores and bonded rules where you qualify
Provisions supplied to a vessel in international service can qualify for VAT exemption and duty-free treatment under the EU customs framework. The mechanics matter: suppliers must mark invoices as vessel stores, and the manifests showing quantities, dates and vendor need to stay aboard. Bonded alcohol must remain sealed while in EU waters and may only be broached after departing on an international voyage; getting this wrong exposes the yacht to excise duty and Port State Control attention. If the yacht's status is at all unclear, the manager, not the chef, should confirm it before the order.
5. Order for the guests, not for the pantry
Over-ordering is the most common and most expensive mistake in charter provisioning. Plan the menus first so quantities are estimated against actual dishes, allow around two litres of drinking water per person per day and more in heat, and account for crew meals separately so they are not absorbed invisibly into the guest budget. Where an item is unique to one guest's preference, buy for the week rather than for the season.
As a rough calibration, a 50-metre yacht with six guests over two weeks typically runs €2,500 to €4,000 on fresh, €1,500 to €2,500 on frozen and €3,000 to €5,000 on dry goods and beverage — around €7,000 to €11,500 in total, before any exceptional wine or spirits. Treat these as a sanity check on a quote, not a budget.
6. Check the delivery in, and record what was used
Verify the delivery against the order immediately and chase what is missing while the supplier is still open — an item discovered missing on day two of the charter is an item you do not have. At the end of the charter, note what ran out, what was never touched and what the guests asked for that was not aboard. That record is worth more than any generic provisioning list for the next charter with the same party.
service requests raised by guests during the charter are recorded against the trip, so what the party actually asked for is visible when the next booking comes in.
At least two weeks with a local chandler, and three to four weeks for specialty or seasonal items that may have to be sourced or flown in. Standard deliveries in major Mediterranean ports run 24 to 48 hours once ordered.
As a broad calibration, a 50-metre yacht with six guests over two weeks typically runs €7,000 to €11,500 across fresh, frozen, dry goods and beverage, before exceptional wine or spirits. Port, menu and guest preferences move this substantially.
Provisions supplied to a vessel in international service, which can qualify for VAT exemption and duty-free treatment. Suppliers must mark invoices as vessel stores and the yacht must retain manifests showing quantities, dates and vendor.
Palma de Mallorca is the strongest hub in the Western Mediterranean, with Antibes offering premium supply at premium prices and Malta typically 10 to 20 percent cheaper with bonded freeport facilities and 24/7 coordination.