Provisioning tips for Exumas needed!

[BThomas1]

We will be chartering out of Nassau - DYC - on a 42' FP, end of Nov. We have quite the crew going this year: me (Captain), The Wife (Admiral), and a motley crew of 8 twenty-somethings. Sooo, with that outlined, we are going to need a boat load of provisions. I am soliciting tips and tricks to keeping the pantry stocked for 1 week. There are places to make small (expensive) purchases in Highbourne and Staniel Cay (our turn-around point). Are those our only choices? Ideas please!!

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by BThomas1

We will be chartering out of Nassau - DYC - on a 42' FP, end of Nov. We have quite the crew going this year: me (Captain), The Wife (Admiral), and a motley crew of 8 twenty-somethings. Sooo, with that outlined, we are going to need a boat load of provisions. I am soliciting tips and tricks to keeping the pantry stocked for 1 week. There are places to make small (expensive) purchases in Highbourne and Staniel Cay (our turn-around point). Are those our only choices? Ideas please!!

Only for one week?! We provision for 6-12 months!

But chartering… it means you need to buy everything there, right?

The way to do this is to make the full menu for that week, then create the shopping list based on that.

Problem areas are rum, beer and wine. Quadruple estimates for those

[flyingfin]

Jedi got it right, make your menu for every day, then shop in Nassau to provision. You can buy beer, rum and frozen chicken at most stops, but butter, eggs and milk may not always be available. And dont assume your schedule will enable you to hit the stops you have mentioned,,,,,,,there might be a little issue called weather that may alter your plans.

[huramentzefix]

just stick with what is locally available as much as you can.
the local fishermen are going to sell you fish, lobster and conch every day fresh.
Buy in cans, buy a bbq and some local (not imported charcoal).
Don't waste refrigerator-space for other things than beer with your 20 year olds...


Catch your own food while enjoying cold beer:

https://www.amazon.com/Ugly-Stik-Com...%2C1692&sr=8-4


spear gun:
https://www.amazon.com/SEAC-New-Stin...s%2C200&sr=8-3


you have to keep them entertained, they probably don't know what to do at that age without tinder and facebook... ?

[MicHughV]

With all those kids aboard, nothing beats a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Hamburgers are a quick and easy meal.
Watermelon is a tasty snack.
Same goes for icecream.
Cereal and milk another easy meal that can be eaten any time of the day.
Baloney and cheese another easy to fix meal.

Catching your own food is a learned art and not something you are likely to pick up in one week, so forget about catching...and cleaning your own seafood.
You can try you luck trolling a lure, but are most likely to snag a barracuda doing this.
I don't know anyone that eats barracuda, besides you'll need to clean it first and unless you know what you're doing, this can be a messy procedure.
As above, spearfishing is a learned art and I'd skip this altogether, especially so while trying to herd a group of youngsters.

Unless you want to spend a lot of time cooking, canned food will be your friend. No end to the variety you can get.

Fresh fruit is another item I'd stock up on.

All sorts of snack bars are a handy way to feed the munchies.

Water tanks on a boat are a question mark, so plenty of bottled water, soft drinks, etc, not to mention rum and beer. Save the icebox space for ice in your drinks.

I gotta take my hat off to you with so many youngsters on the boat. I could not do that.

Bring a lot of games with you...and don't forget the sunscreen.

Nassau itself is an interesting place to see. Head to the cruise ship terminal, where all manner of things can be seen, bought and drunk.
Same goes for the casino's.

Your route should take you past some interesting islands. Staniel Cay is a way's off. Trying to get there and back in one week is pushing your luck.

You will have no control over the weather, which will determine your route.
Just making it to Highbourne can take you a day, a day there, and a day back, is half your trip.
My point is that trying to see too many places means you'll be on the go all the time. and in short order you'll have a mutiny onboard.

Plenty of places to stop and anchor just east of Nassua. Check with you charter company as they will suggest places for you. To see the Exuma's properly requires months. A week is simply not long enough to go very far.

Again, the weather will dictate your plans. Just making it to Highbourne and back could eat up your whole week.
Emphasis on "and back".Bad weather can sock you in for days.

Trust this gives you some "food" for thought....

42' is not that big a boat for so many people, even a cat. You'll have zero privacy, this is a given.

[SailingHarmonie]

Originally Posted by huramentzefix

just stick with what is locally available as much as you can.
the local fishermen are going to sell you fish, lobster and conch every day fresh.
Buy in cans, buy a bbq and some local (not imported charcoal).
Don't waste refrigerator-space for other things than beer with your 20 year olds...


Catch your own food while enjoying cold beer:

https://www.amazon.com/Ugly-Stik-Com...%2C1692&sr=8-4


spear gun:
https://www.amazon.com/SEAC-New-Stin...s%2C200&sr=8-3


you have to keep them entertained, they probably don't know what to do at that age without tinder and facebook... ?

Have you ever been to the Bahamas? There are not local fisherman selling lobster and conch in every harbor. It happens, but not anywhere nearly enough to count on as a provisioning plan.

Oh, and spear guns are 100% illegal in the Bahamas. Not just to use, but to possess! Terrible recommendation.

[MicHughV]

Spear guns are not permitted, but pole spears are. Again, I'd forget about these on a one week trip.

Right under the bridge that goes over to the casino's in Nassau is Potter Cay. This is where the local Bahamian fishing fleet tie up.
You should try there for freshly caught seafood. Check with the charter company to see what time of day is best to go there

Most island grocery stores usually keep some seafood on ice, but no telling what will be the catch of the day, nor how old the fish will be.

If you seriously want to catch some fish, I'd recommend chartering a local fishing boat with a captain. He will know where to go and have all necessary poles, bait, etc. Not sure that they can take 8 kids at a time though.

[catalystcat]

You can get fresh baked coconut bread in Blackpoint (just a bit past Staniel)

In Staniel Cay there are two grocery places. In the pink one, you can "order" coconut bread as well by telling them you want some on the day they have it (Wed? and Fri?). (I have actually scored it a couple of times without ordering. But, that was pure luck.) If you look around at the right time, you can score fish from people in Staniel. Not something to count on; but, it does happen.

In Nassau, check out Super Value as well as Solomons. Not really cheap, in rest of world pricing; but cheap in Bahamas pricing.

In places like Normans, Staniel, and Blackpoint, you can find good food like conch chowder, grouper sandwiches, hamburgers. Expensive though. Good to build a couple of breaks from boat food into the meal plan.


Make sure you know how much cold storage (fridge, freezer) your boat has and shop accordingly. Also, find out about how much water it carries (though as said above, that may not be the best water).