As boats head to the Mediterranean, crew are gearing up to provision for their first trips of the season. Rather than bopping from shop to shop along old cobblestone streets, one-stop shop purveyors can provide everything you need, and some even offer dockside delivery.
VSF or Vins Sans Frontieres has offices in Nice, Viareggio and Palma. New this season, they are working with Pippo’s Yacht Supplies in Porto Montenegro. Whether it’s a last minute order for edible flowers and tuna loins or gourmet chocolates and coffee, VSF is reliable and efficient. They also offer organic products and specialty dietary products (halal, kosher and gluten free), a wide range interior cleaning products and guest toiletries, from Molton Brown to new organic toiletries specifically for yachts by Alexandra Soveral. VSF has its own wine cellars and can fill last minute wine orders and airfreight them pretty much anywhere. VSF also offers wine notes and wine courses for crew. All information for provisioning can be found here: http://www.vsfgroup.com/pdfs/VSF_Nice2010_optim2.pdf.
In Antibes, you can call The Froggy Gourmet at +33494340538. Froggy provides food and wine to yachts throughout the Riviera. For galley equipment, you can go to the The NautiChef, who can be reached at +33 49 36 38 244.
If you are looking for Heinz beans, Cadbury chocolate or Mrs. Ball’s chutney, you can find it at Geoffrey’s of London. Offering a wide range of international products, including English magazines, they deliver along the coast. You can shop in the local store near the Blue Lady or you can order online at wwww.geoffreysoflondon.com or call +33 49 33 45 570.
In Italy, Rosario di Palma at Ryacht Services in Naples can get you just about anything you need. She says, “You don’t have to take the old street anymore,” when it comes to choosing yacht agents. Whether it’s hard to find international provisions, custom clearances, APA funds, berthing or flowers and fuel delivery, she can get it or organize it and you can count on great quality.
Provisioning in San Remo? You can go to Med Yacht Services. Riccardo has an office on the dock in Portosole, San Remo and in Imperia in Porto Maurizo. You can reach Riccardo or Irene at +39 01 84 19 28 062 or Info@medyachtservices.com. They will source out galley or other interior supplies with partners in France as well.
Also on the dock in Portosole is AllServices. Not only can they source out top-quality provisions – vacuum packed, if requested – they will deliver them to your passarelle. AllServices also can help source a variety of other services such as helicopters and private jets, if the owner’s or guest’s whim calls for it. You can contact Vivien at Vivien@allserices.net;+39 33 52 68 626.
For galley supplies in San Remo, you can contact Anna@thegalleyshop.com . The Galley Shop in San Remo most comprehensive galley supply shop in the area. Otherwise, you have to drive to Genoa or France.
Shore Solutions has offices in London, Nice and Palma. They will provision for both guest and crew needs. Charlotte Roch says, “Along with food, drink and interior items and really anything chefs or stewards might require, we have a few new products, including an antibacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal product that kills everything from Swine Flu to Listeria called Zoono. Their catalogue is available online at www.shoresolutionsuk.com. Shore Solutions also offers free wine tasting and cocktail training onboard yachts and is partnering with La Maison du Chocolate to offer chocolate tasting. You can email Provisioning Director Hannah Crouch at hanna@shoresolutionsuk.com or call the office in Nice at +33 49 37 13 649.