By the time a boat is alongside in Sint Maarten or anchored off Malé, the interior team is running charters back to back. That is the worst moment to discover that flowers into this country need a permit, that the permit takes a week, and that the first guests arrive in four days.
None of this is difficult. It just has to happen in the right order, and the right moment is while the boat is still in the Mediterranean. Here is what we need from you, and why each answer matters.
1. Where the boat will be, and roughly when
The port decides almost everything else: which permit applies, how long the flight is, and which agent receives the boxes. Approximate dates are fine. "Antigua from mid December, St Barths for New Year, then back to Antigua" is exactly the level of detail we need.
St Barths is worth a special note. It has no cargo airport, so flowers for Gustavia clear at Sint Maarten and cross over. Plan it as a Sint Maarten delivery with an extra day.
2. The import permit, planned once for the season
Most winter destinations want an import permit for fresh flowers before anything is bought. It is applied for by an agent registered in that country, and it takes:
- 5 to 7 working days in the Caribbean: Sint Maarten, Antigua, the BVI, the Grenadines and St Thomas.
- One to two weeks in the Maldives, the Seychelles and Phuket.
The good news is that you plan it once. The permit stays valid for the rest of the season, so every order after the first one goes through at the normal pace: about three days from your message to the passerelle.
The detail that catches people out is that the permit lists the flowers. Whatever is on it can come in; whatever is not on it cannot be swapped in later. So the next question matters more than it looks.
3. The palette for the winter
Tell us what the owner and the regular guests expect to see. White phalaenopsis in the main saloon, garden roses in the master, something tropical on deck. We turn that into the list that goes on the permit, with a few sensible extras so there is room to change your mind in February.
Also tell us what grows well where you are going. In the Caribbean, heliconia, ginger and local greenery are better bought on the island than flown from Holland, and we will say so. What to fly in and what to buy locally is covered here.
4. How often, and how much
A flower shipment has a minimum size of about 100 kg, and it is measured by the space the boxes take rather than their actual weight. In practice a weekly or fortnightly order for a large yacht clears that easily, especially once the dry goods are in the same shipment.
Which brings us to the thing interior teams forget most often: the sundries. Floral foam, tape, wire, water tubes, trays, containers. There is no florist supply shop in Falmouth Harbour. Put them on the first order and top them up as you go.
5. Which days work
Shipments leave Monday to Friday only, because the export paperwork has to be signed off on a working day. We need 48 hours' notice before the flowers are bought at the auction, then the flight takes one to two days depending on where you are. If you know the boat always wants flowers for a Friday turnaround, tell us once and we plan around it.
6. Who receives the boxes
If you already work with an agent in the destination, we use them. If you do not, we bring ours. Either way the agent clears customs and delivers to the boat still cold, and nobody on board has to speak to anyone at the airport.
The short version
- Send us the ports and rough dates in October.
- Tell us the palette, so the permit covers what you actually want.
- Add the dry goods to the first order.
- After that, a WhatsApp message two days ahead is all it takes.
If you want to see how the flowers actually travel from the auction to the boat, the full paperwork picture is here.