Bringing own provisions to USVI

[Captain Max1]

Actually, believe it’s a TSA restriction. I think what you are referring to is for carry ons. You can bring almost anything food wise if you check it and a lot more than few ounces. The only reason I would consider bringing my own steaks is that for what they are charging for one 8 oz steak in USVI’s, I could bring 4 down!

[ggordon1250]

Originally Posted by Captain Max1

We are doing a charter cruise to the USVI’s. We are thinking of bringing some provisions like steaks Etc with us on plane as the costs seem very expensive there, plus quality may be lacking. Any experience doing this?

We now live in St Thomas but previously have chartered here and in the BV's for 25 years. You are wise to bring your own steaks and free range chicken breasts. If you are chartering out of St Thomas I premume you may be using VI Yacht Charters out of Compass Point Marina. The best supermarket close to there is Moe's in Red Hook. It is high quality food but beef tenderloin is $29.99 lb. I do recommend Moe's for all of your presiling food and beveredge shopping. I would always make a huge pasta salad and bring that too. It makes for great lunches without a lot of onboard effort. My boat is a power boat named ANTHEM and is located very close to the VIYC fleet. Have a great trip!

[Hoosierdoc]

I second Moe’s. Their meat counter was fantastic. Also a liquor store upstairs. It is a short walk using their shopping cart to the dinghy dock at American yacht Harbor.

[KenKo]

Hi, Obviously everyone has a favorite strategy along with varying levels of smugness about it. We've occasionally brought meat (a small cooler bag with a batch of steaks frozen into a solid mass to keep) and a piece of dry ice. We did it because we're carnivores and found it hard to find good affordable local steak or lamb chops, even in nice stores, although this was a few years ago. It worked well. An old professor of mine used to bring a similarly frozen batch of chili or other cooked food to have a "heat and ready to eat" meal or two during a charter. On the other hand, we've found alcohol to be very reasonable, which can cover for a lot of other problems! Have fun, however you do it.

[captstu]

Provisioning in the USVI, especially in the Compass Point area, is equivalent to mainland USA plus just under 5%.

I’ve done both many times.

There is a very large food store with both fresh and frozen selection.

Everything we wanted For our trip of 17 family was available.

Small selection of kosher but good organic.

[wathey]

Hi,
My family and I cruise twice a year and at least one trip each year is out of the USVI. If you are flying Delta a YETI 65 is exactly at the limit of length+width+height to not be labeled oversized and cost more. We bring two Yeti 65s as our checked bags. Makes it easy as they are balanced while two people carry them to the taxi. One of them invariably is full of food. This also greatly increases the cold storage on a 53' monohull when they are full of ice once onboard.
Like many have posted almost everything is available in the USVI. What we put in the cooler are the items we are sometimes unable to source and some that are hard to find or out of season down there. A couple of notes from our experiences with TSA and travel in general:

- Herbs, we pack at least a dozen we like to cook with. We pack that in the carry on because if the TSA opens the yeti they will likely test for bomb residue every powder like item in there and if it is checked it could miss the flight. (alot an extra 15 minutes and some stares at security). Sometimes something simple like parsley is MIA at the markets down there, easy enough to bring some along. We have yet to find Kosher salt for cooking on our dozen trips down there, easy enough to bring a zip lock of it with us.

- High quality ginger beer like fever tree and stuff like agave is something you should pack if you want it. Specialty items like this and other organic stuff is hard to source in the islands, plenty of ginger beer is available for sure but all of it is made like cocacola.

- On that note there is literally no gluten free options so if any of your crew is used to that take it with you. We take 2 boxes of the bisquick gluten free pancake mix which is surprisingly good. For that matter any of the boxed stuff you like at home like Panko mix for frying etc is stuff we take with us.

- Fruits. Here is a crucial point. In our understanding one is not allowed to transport fruit TO the mainland US from the USVI but a ban does not exist going the other way. There are no checkpoints going into the USVI. However, the airport personnel in the USVI or the US for that matter are not always completely straight on what is the law and make it up as they go along... with little room for a mere citizen to argue. We have never had an issue bringing hard to find fruit into the USVI. We only bring what we may not find which is usually Kiwi and Avocados. Everything else is source-able, those are also findable sometimes.

Meat, we have not taken meat with us before. This is because we acatch 2 or three fish a day that are editable (Tuna/Dorado/the very center of the Bonita filet). You have to go out of the passage onto the back side of of Jost or Norman in the early morning to catch them but they are out there.
We eat Steak at Leverick Bay or Anegada and generally stick to fish on board. As others have stated Bacon and NY Strip steak may be 30% more expensive than the mainland but it is available and of ok quality, no reason to bring them. Also if you have a try at cooking 4, 2lb porter houses on a 4 year old salt encrusted Magma with rotted out gas burners let me know how that goes for you
I know you didn't ask but we also put our own filet knife, pairing knife and kitchen knife in the one of the coolers. The knives on board the charter boat can be very unrewarding tools to use for 10 days. Once you have committed to a Yeti and fill it to the Delta lbs limit there is actually room for a lot of stuff.
Hope you find this helpful.

[Lihuedooley77]

We also have been sailing the BVI for several decades....bare boating.

The earlier trips we had other people on board, maybe one other couple, and we ordered the partial provisioning. Two week trips, sailing monohulls. Not a huge group.

The vessel was well provisioned, we bbq'd on board some nights, and ate ashore other nights.

Later, with just Erica and I , we followed the same program....

Now we just the two of us, we provision on our own, for breakfasts and snacks, lunches, and go out to dinner.

Main thing for all of us bare boaters, just do what feels good to you. That will be the correct decision.

We also travel light and keep life simple. One legal airline roller duffel each.

The reason that we no longer cook dinners on board, is that Erica says she cooks dinners at home every night all yearlong, and she is on a sailing vacation, and the cook is off and the kitchen is closed so we go ashore for happy hours and dinners.

We also will re-provision as we sail from island to island, and find no problem in replenishing any items in the BVI.

To the OP, just have a super happy and great BVI bareboat sailing vacation and
do what feels good for you and your crew, and your treasure chest.

[ras1544]

Originally Posted by SilentOption

It can get pretty rude here...But there is a lot of good information to be had. I was pretty raw when I first started posting, some innocent questions can't get you a blast of ****. Think of those guys as lake sailors in the middle of some continent with very little to do except tell you to search the archives or don't be stupid!



Who really gives a crap what you ask.. If you need valid technical help it's here. Travel help it's here. Advice on anything or a good laugh, it's here. Unfortunately no matter what you ask there will be those who don't have a constructive thought to offer so..you get insults.


I must have said it 50 times..If you just want a laugh ask about weapons onboard you are sure to get 20 ugly responses before the thread disappears because some people just can't read and ignore...Don't be that guy.. Cheers and enjoy your trip! Don't fly with steaks..That really is silly.

Well said. Thank You.

[hamburking]

Slightly off topic, but when I visited the Canaries and Antigua (as part of an Atlantic crossing), I found the local beef to be EXCELLENT. Far better than the Canadian cow factory crap we have in Canada. The steaks were amazing, and even the burgers had great flavour.

Even more off topic, I found the local bananas in Antigua to be incredibly rich and creamy with a much better flavour than the bananas we get at the grocery stores in Canada.

Of course I might have just been really hungry, having lost 30 pounds on the crossing.

I suggest you take a chance and immerse yourself in the local food. After all, isn't that part of travel? Exploring new places, including their food, culture, people, and language.

[dangerfield55]

Sorry if I offended you. My reply was meant to be informative. Over the past 20 years I have chartered about 18 times including that charter area. I have never been anywhere where the quality has not been superior. I assume that since these area are at the end of the transport system it makes sense to
spend money on only sending quality. I have had too many flight problems to consider trying to bring perishable things with me. I am also not a fussy eater. Again I apologize for any offense given.

[Painless]

I’ve chartered in the BVIs maybe 10 times. Last time was 4 months after Irma hit. I had 9 people including 3 kids under age 10. I brought a rolling cooler filled completely withCostco steaks, chicken, hot dogs, hamburger etc.
It weighed just under 50 pounds and I put my duffle on top with my clothes. My concern was erratic refrigeration-electricity after the hurricanes.
Coming from the west coast all the food was still frozen solid and would remain that way if delayed.
Once aboard, we emptied the food to the refrigerator and freezer and used the cooler for beer and soft drinks, ice storage.
You can’t have too much ice or cold storage with a large group.

[Painless]

Several times I have been in the frozen section in the store in Spanish Town and the bags of frozen foods were “ thawed”. Withchicken that’s a concern

[stnick]

Done 3 bare boat charters in The BVI . Found no shortage of food ! Plenty of resturants too.
You can use there charter company food bank nor take a extra day to shop yourself. Done it both ways. Both ways i was pleased. They get the food from the same stores you will ! Its more time than money !

[Cheechako]

My daughter brought dried food items into the Caribe when she visited on our boat. Mostly because she is a vegan-ish/organic nut. But no, I wouldn't try to bring frozen or fresh, just too much to go wrong. Not to mention the hassle. Every time I've chartered I've paid for the provisioning and been quite satisfied with the provisions.