Groceries: How do you get them to the boat?

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

. Finding suitable eggs may also not be easy. In Florida, even those advertised as farm fresh are often washed.

I'm not talking about just in the US I'm talking about everywhere . I have gotten fresh eggs all across the Pacific rim . There are chickens just about everywhere.

As to Florida well ask around I'm sure you can find a local that sells eggs from their own hens . Not from a store.
They will cost a bit more but you will get a much better quality egg and no government interference.

[parkstone bay]

Once we were in Treguier (Northern france), there was an advert that the local big supermarket (SuperU) did boat deliveries to the marina. We walked up to the supermarket, I went to the customer service to arrange; "Oui Monsieur, pas de probleme"; woman turned up at the checkout with a people carrier, (for 3 of us), she drove us to the marina, and helped in unloading the stuff - and- she wouldn't accept a tip!

[DeValency]

How about “Boatdash”? 😅
We use a four wheeler foldable kind of ‘beach cart’ works great - took some time to find a quality heavy duty, as there is a lot of garbage in the market. Over that, the reusable (strong) shopping bags are great, back packs, dinghy when on the hook… We always shop way too much groceries anyway…

[Knapweed]

Being a Vegan helps, however, I use an electric scooter and a backpack for grocery shopping when I'm cruising. With a twenty-mile range and a top speed of twenty miles per hour, it takes care of all my shore needs. I can even carry a 20lb Propane tank on the running board.

I find it a great means of transport as it extends my range for sightseeing and provisioning. As it folds up and comes in at just under forty pounds, it is also very convenient to carry on the boat and transport in the dinghy. The scooter is also easy to charge from the inverter, so charging on the hook is no problem.

[RickG]

We did a 9-month provisioning exercise before leaving the US from Marathon, Florida for the Caribbean. We provisioned at the local grocery stores - walked there and cheap taxi back. Walmart mail order for generic canned food. The Bahamas were the only place where cost and availability were a real challenge. In the Domican Republic the groceries provide shuttles and Puerto Rico we could walk or take a taxi; food in both places were cheaper than Florida.

The USVIs have little agriculture and food is expensive. We have a small farm near our anchorage and get things like mixed greens, bok choy, eggplant, etc. for less than the grocery store, where her products are sold for twice the price. South of the Virgin Islands we found most food is cheaper and better quality than the Virgin Islands. You need to be flexible and eat like a local.

Two years later, some of our 9-month supply is getting old. But, it is the stuff we eat less of. We use the PantryCheck app to track inventories and stale dates. We have only found a few products that are truly stale by there stale dates - mostly cooking oil, shortening, and flours.

Cheers, RickG

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by newhaul

As to Florida well ask around I'm sure you can find a local that sells eggs from their own hens . Not from a store.
They will cost a bit more but you will get a much better quality egg and no government interference.

Yes they do but as I wrote, they wash them. People in the Us don’t want to see feathers and poop on their eggs

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

Yes they do but as I wrote, they wash them. People in the Us don’t want to see feathers and poop on their eggs

So ask for a couple dozen unwashed for your passage provisioning

[cascade]

Originally Posted by longjonsilver

i am curious as to how others get groceries to the boat. When cruising, there are times when markets are not close to the dock or the beach. How do you get them to the boat in absence of a friendly stranger with a car?

i have tried a modified golf cart, but find that when the load is too heavy or too close to the bottom, the cart is difficult to handle and i worry that rough roads or too much weight will damage the cart.

Then i started using a jogging stroller with pneumatic tires. This seems to work well.

What do y'all use?

If you buy enough, many supermarkets will drop it off on your boat. Arrange it with them beforehand. At the worst, they should be able to get a taxi for you. In France once, chatting to a neighbouring French boat, I asked where the nearest supermarket was. He said "It's about 2 km away. My car's over there. The key is on the front tyre. Help yourself". Wonderful brand new self leveling top of the range Citroen!

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

I used to really dislike powdered whole eggs, until I learned how to use them correctly. Key for me was adding a lot more water, and then cooking them slowly. Add whatever spices you like. They can be almost as good as fresh.

But I'm really not much of an egg guy anyway. I don't use them often on land, so certainly not at sea.

The powdered eggs that I linked to earlier are high quality and have a price tag to match, but I was serious when I wrote you can’t tell them from fresh eggs for scrambled eggs or omelette.

We like the powdered eggs because we add it to our baking mixes like for pancakes etc.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

The powdered eggs that I linked to earlier are high quality and have a price tag to match, but I was serious when I wrote you can’t tell them from fresh eggs for scrambled eggs or omelette.

I agree. But some people don't know how to cook them properly. I think that's why powdered eggs get such a bad rap.

[Auspicious]

Originally Posted by longjonsilver

i am curious as to how others get groceries to the boat.

Some of most of the above absent the posturing and virtue signaling. At home, we shop about every two weeks. Two to four weeks cruising isn't hard.

Meal planning helps. Not cast in stone, just being sure nothing is missing. Long-life items and short-life items balance. Only buy the avocados you'll eat in a few days and the tomatoes you'll in a week+. Root veg lasts weeks. Cabbage last weeks. Eggs last months if you flip them; have to watch condensation the first two days if you're stuck with refrigerated eggs. Squeeze bottles are a boon for condiments. Freezer space is more important than fridge space for cruising off the grid cruising so outfit accordingly.

Dehydration and home canning really expand options. Not unusual for us to do do a big shop for prep and then a big shop for for fridge/freezer/pantry before dropping lines.

Getting groceries to the boat sometimes requires creativity and people skills. Plan around big places with big supermarkets and warehouse stores. Shop big. Look for other cruisers to share a rental car with. Schmooze a cab driver. Talk/call/email the supermarket and get help with packing and boxing. Coordinate with other cruisers so you (and they) can make multiple trips ashore to move product. Shore people can get cardboard down and make dumpster runs. Curbside and delivery are the silver lining of COVID.

sail fast and eat well, dave

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by Auspicious

Schmooze a cab driver.

This reminded me of a time many years ago when I was crewing in Sri Lanka. We had a really nice cab driver who helped us get all over town and get stuff down to the boat (Colombo). Then the harbormaster there decided though (probably after seeing us and a nice big yacht) that every time we stepped on and off the boat we should have been checking in/out and going through customs. We all ended up in his office and after the skipper worked out the remunerations we were finally permitted to go. I don't know what happened to that poor cab driver, I think he was banned from entering the port after that.

[Simi 60]

Originally Posted by Knapweed

Being a Vegan helps, however, I use an electric scooter and a backpack for grocery shopping when I'm cruising. .

I don't see how
5kg of meat weighs the same as 5 kg of vegetables
One of the most difficult things to keep when out is fresh veg, but I can pull a frozen steak out of the freezer several months down the track and its all good.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by Simi 60

I don't see how
5kg of meat weighs the same as 5 kg of vegetables
One of the most difficult things to keep when out is fresh veg, but I can pull a frozen steak out of the freezer several months down the track and its all good.

I think what he means is the protein stores easier.

Most protein in a vegan diet consists of beans, lentils, chickpeas, quinoa. These are simple dry goods. No refrigeration, no power draw. Just easily stored protein.

So you don’t need to go out and get it often AND it stores for years without requiring electricity or any other special treatment.

Of all the long term storage options, it’s the best one. Assuming you can enjoy eating it.

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by Knapweed

Being a Vegan helps, however, I use an electric scooter and a backpack for grocery shopping when I'm cruising. With a twenty-mile range and a top speed of twenty miles per hour, it takes care of all my shore needs. I can even carry a 20lb Propane tank on the running board.

I find it a great means of transport as it extends my range for sightseeing and provisioning. As it folds up and comes in at just under forty pounds, it is also very convenient to carry on the boat and transport in the dinghy. The scooter is also easy to charge from the inverter, so charging on the hook is no problem.

I have to say that I am a bit skeptical about how well this actually works. Aside from the charging/recharging of the electrical then there is how well it works on rough paths or up the beach, etc. How does it handle salt air. The scooter itself is a maintenance item and a problem child as far as I am concerned. I'd rather keep the whole thing a bit simpler.

But, how much provisioning can you do with a backpack? Sure, you're a vegan, but do you drink? Beer and wine make a backpack pretty heavy real quick. Plus a couple bags of rice, etc. Veggies are both bulky and heavy. We find that shopping weekly or bi-weekly means about four large shopping bags plus our luggage carrier stuffed to the gills. We couln't get much of that into a back pack.

AND How much weight can you carry on your scooter and is it safe with 60lbs in a back pack on your back?

AND are you single handing? Are there two scooters? Or does one person get all the shopping duties.

What is simpler?
Pack all you empty bags into the foldable luggage carrier.
Go to the shore.
Walk, bus, or taxi to the store (maybe a detour to the bank machine)
Shop and pack your stuff into the bags.
Taxi back to the dingy or boat.
Stow everything.
Done, Miller time.