This short article on provisioning for the Islands is the first in a series of posts I am going to do to help those who are getting ready to head out on their first cruise to the Bahamas and/or the Caribbean.  Future posts on provisioning, gear to consider, communications, route selection, distances and time involved in getting there will be coming in the next few weeks.

It is that time of year when cruisers start looking at the horizon and dreaming of the crystal clear waters of The Bahamas and the Islands of the Caribbean.  Old Bahama and Caribbean hands know it is also the time of year to start looking for deals on items they will stock up on before leaving the US mainland.

The one common thread running through the Caribbean from the Bahamas to Grenada is the price of provisions. With the exception of the French side of St. Martin you will pay on average a good 30% more for food and dry goods than you will at home.  In some cases even more than 30%.  You will also find in many places a lack of items for sale, as most island stores only get stock once a week on the mail boat and fresh provisions go fast.  While there are some well stocked groceries and markets they are few and far between and though they are well stocked with a large turnover the prices are still considerably more than you will pay in the US.

Old Hands know that to keep the budget for provisions under control they need to stock up on as much non-perishables as they can carry.  Dry cell batteries, paper towels, toilet paper, canned veggies and meats, coffee, tea, rice, pasta, beer, wine, you name it, if it can be stowed without spoiling stock up!

Last year I did a little comparing to give you an idea of pricing; In the Bahamas 1 box of Ritz crackers was equal to 3 boxes in Walmart.  A one pound jar of Peanut Butter was over $8.00 vs less than $3.00 in the US. One roll of toilet paper was equal to a 4 roll pack, Beer was about double the cost in the US. The high prices are across the board with the exception of the French side of St. Martin where prices are maintained at Paris levels thus making St. Martin a good provisioning port.  Here a bottle of wine that sells for $7+ in the US can be had for $3 +/- a few cents, Long Life Milk at $3.00/qt in the US was $1.75 when purchased in a multi-pack.
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Your selection of goods will be small, brands you are not familiar with as well as quantities.  That said you will also find items not usually seen on US shelves and here you need to be careful as you may develop a fondness for some English or French treat that once you return home can’t be had or had only at exorbitant prices.

Stock up on fishing gear and troll for your fish.  In May of 2016 Mahi Mahi in the US (Florida) was $11.00/lb. In Nassau $33.00/lb.  Catch a Mahi with 5 lbs of edible meat and save $165.00 on your food budget!

Shopping in the islands is fun, you will meet a lot of locals who are full of information in the little local markets, but as I said they are expensive.  We try to limit our purchases to perishable items such as fresh veggies and meats.  We do find even these items can be hard to come by so we carry plenty of canned goods to tide us over between successful shopping excursions.

Ok, couponers have at it!