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Sea Yawl Later · 13-12-2009, 05:18

Rusty and I are leaving in January from Kemah to the Exumas. I understand just about everything is available but pricey. I was wondering about things such as flour, butter, rice, cheese and milk. Are these items readily available or should I bring enough along to last? Cheese could be a problem because of the heat.

Oh, I thought I would share. I have been trying different boxed milk (mostly soy) and I found one that is outstanding so I quit looking and it is "Soy Dream" soymilk. The one I have used is the original and is enriched with Vitamins A,D,E & Calcium. It really is great just to drink a cold glass. Most I had to throw away.

Any way anyone who has been to the Exumas or are there and can let me know about the above it sure would help me plan. Thanks!

Sea Yawl Later !!

Linda

s/v Moondancer · 13-12-2009, 05:47

Most of the islands have very low inventories of most foods. Almost every one has rice and flour however the rice and flour can carry bugs so you are better off purchasing your non perishable provisions in the states in as large a quantity as you can carry. Pack your rice and flour bags in an additional water proof bag such as a large baggie and add whole bay leaves to your baggie so you don't get any weevils. If you purchase your rice in the islands it is better to repack the rice in a baggie containing bay leaves as any bags you may bring aboard can carry roach eggs or other pests common on the islands.

All paper or boxes from island stores can carry these pests so it is best to discard any excess packaging before bringing your purchases aboard. I use baggies quite a bit so stock up on the large and medium sizes before departing.

I have only seen margarine in these islands. It is not very nice so I would suggest you bring as much butter as you can stash in your freezer. Most of the milk supply on the islands is powdered. Some large islands carry boxed milk but it is much cheaper in the states. Whole milk can sometimes be found but there is no guarantee that it is pasteurised so again, bring your soy dream and stay safe.

The Islands pay a great deal for energy so they have limited refrigeration/freezer space in the grocery stores. There is a white cheddar cheese that I found almost everywhere but not much more. I put hard cheeses in my freezer and they defrosted nicely. Soft cheeses don't defrost nicely.

This provisioning advise applies to all the small to medium size islands, including the Exumas.

In Nassau Campbell's chunky soup costs almost six dollars per can!! The bottom line is that the more you can carry the better.

Capt. Nell

Vasco · 13-12-2009, 06:00

There are two major stops in the Exumas where staples are available in the Exumas. Staniel Cay and Georgetown. Everything is available in GT, (including Haagen-Daz ice cream) at a price of course. In Staniel most things are available on the day the boat comes in. Cheese is plentiful as a cheddar is subsidized by the government. It varies in quality from year to year depending on the current source. Around $4 a pound. Butter is available. Rice is plentiful too. Flour is available but costly. Fresh milk is available but we take powdered milk in those individual packages (Walmart). Long life milk is also available.

If you bake bread (we do) I would get all the flour in the States. It is always wiser to stock as much as you can at home but if you do run out most things are available.

Sailor954 · 13-12-2009, 06:00

On Great Exuma, there is Georgetown which is the big stop when it comes to supplies, flights in and out, even a do-it-yourself repair yard.

They have a couple grocery stores that are the best in the Exumas.

Up and down the Exumas, there are small stores that carry a limited amount of supplies.

What most yachts do is to supply in Nassau and at the other end of the Exumas is Georgetown. Between the two, just about everything you need is available.

opsailor · 13-12-2009, 08:33

Expanding on your request....

Thirty-five nautical miles southeast of Georgetown is Long Island, a wonderful destination. A popular anchorage is Thompson Bay, near Salt Pond. Salt Pond has two of the best groceries south of Nassau. Also a very good seafood retailer. Don't miss Long Island.

nautical62 · 13-12-2009, 10:48

Last time I was there I found Georgetown to have most offerings one would find in average U.S. supermarkets. Staniel Cay was more typical of your small corner grocer with probably less produce, bread, etc. The stock of the smaller grocery stores, especially fresh and refrigerated foods often depends on when you hit them in relationship to the ferry resupply arrivals.

I second all Moondancer's advice on repackaging and pests.

Sea Yawl Later · 13-12-2009, 11:40

Thank you to everyone. I have plenty of room so I think I will just take more of the basic's that don't require refrigeration. I think the freezer I will reserve for meat,cheese and lot's of butter.

Your input has really helped me know what I needed to do!

I have been playing trying some bread recipes and I haven't found a wow yet! This may sound dumb but they all have about the same ingredients but none have that great home baked yeast flavor I have had on occasion. Maybe my memory is wrong.

Again, Thank you!

Sea Yawl Later !!

Linda

iiii · 13-12-2009, 12:08

There is also a good grocery store in Rock Sound, Eluthera.

Vasco · 13-12-2009, 13:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sea Yawl Later

I have been playing trying some bread recipes and I haven't found a wow yet! This may sound dumb but they all have about the same ingredients but none have that great home baked yeast flavor I have had on occasion. Maybe my memory is wrong.

Again, Thank you!

Sea Yawl Later !!

Linda

Linda,

Just a reminder. Yeast is very expensive over there and it doesn't take a lot of storage space so make sure you've got lots of yeast.

Captain Bill · 13-12-2009, 13:57

Bring yeast if you must but when in some of the larger towns like Georgetown some of the locals supply fresh baked bread daily and quite cheaply. Bahamian bread has a distinct flavor that is quite good. It also doesn't hurt to pass a little business to the locals to make sure we stay welcome. I have found US butter to be expensive but New Zealand butter is quite cheap and sometimes available in the Bahamas.

JeanneP · 13-12-2009, 17:09

I am obsessive about repacking food into watertight containers. If you have a local delicatessen or restaurant, you might ask them if they could give you some of their empty condiment containers. They can be quite large (1 gallon or much more) and are of a very sturdy plastic. I would use them for flour, sugar, rice, any other dry provisions. I keep in the galley area small plastic containers (Dole fruit comes in great quality plastic bottles, which I use for the galley cabinet for all dry ingredients, poured from the big containers that hold the bulk of the ingredients).

Beverage/juice bottles or pasta sauce plastic bottles are great for storing rice and pasta.

Air tight gasketed plastic bottles will keep weevils away - they can, and will, eat through plastic freezer bags (such as Ziploc(tm)).

If you haven't discovered powdered whole milk, I swear by it. I don't drink milk, but I cook with it - a mornay or bechamel sauce can make dull canned chicken or beef into an acceptable meal. You can usually find it in a supermarket in the hispanic section, where Goya products are stocked. The most common brand I've found in the US is "NIDO", a Nestle product. It does not require refrigeration even after it's opened. Here in the NE US I can find it in smallish 12.6 ounce cans. If you do an internet search you'll find lots of places on line that sell it. "Nido powdered milk" will get you plenty of options.

We never made it down to Georgetown our last trip to the Bahamas, and found little meat elsewhere other than Nassau. I will probably do my own canning of beef and chicken breasts for our next trip to the Bahamas. Then commercially canned chicken chunks and dried beef will fill in the gaps of protein.

Vasco · 13-12-2009, 17:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by JeanneP

We never made it down to Georgetown our last trip to the Bahamas, and found little meat elsewhere other than Nassau. I will probably do my own canning of beef and chicken breasts for our next trip to the Bahamas. Then commercially canned chicken chunks and dried beef will fill in the gaps of protein.

Chicken, Lamb chops ( lamb chopped up any old way, sort of like a chop) and pork ribs are available in most provisioning centers in the Bahamas. Beef is not that available. The meat is not your choice cuts but once you learn how to cook it, it's fine. It's available in Marsh Harbour, Nassau, Georgetown, Long Island. We augment our frozen stuff with this. Works out fine. The chops we brown and then simmer in a tomato paste, thyme, onions, green peppers sauce a la Bahamian style.

Sea Yawl Later · 13-12-2009, 19:12

Wow!! Thanks for all the great info! This is our first extended cruise so we don't have any real first hand experience. We have always bare boat chartered. Our longest trip was 3 1/2 weeks. We had 10 people ( 6 children) on a boat just like the one we bought (Seawind 1000) and we brought all our provisions. Our friends kids OD on Pringles chips, its been 5 years and they still can't eat them. That was way too many people on a 33' boat LOL. Anyway, thank you all so much. I am hoping we can catch a lot of fish. We will bring some special ground hamburger and some filets. And don't worry, we will be happy to support the local economy. I want to try everything!!!

Linda

Sea Yawl Later · 13-12-2009, 19:19

I use a food saver a lot at home and I am taking one with me to use on the boat. I have the plastic bags and the canisters. The canisters are great for nuts, cereal, flour etc. The bags vacuum pack anything. ( I did try it on some washrags and that did not work out so well. They will seal but not vacuum.)

Linda