What can you expect to find when you get to that perfect paradise or dream destination. So many island options to consider. When you do get there the question is whether its affordable without it blowing out the cruising budget. Remember that every dollar saved is a little more cruising time before you have to return to civilization and earn more cruising dollars. Many of the yacht provisioning business located in the Caribbean islands are focused on the lucrative charter yacht and luxury superyacht markets, so be careful you are not paying a premium for that service. Many of those services offer a range of other services from customs clearance and import of freight and so on, so they do have services that you might need. In general, you will pay on average about 25-50% more for goods as so much has to be imported from the USA and Europe. I am a public market tragic, and recommend you head straight to any municipal, public or farmers market for much cheaper seasonal produce and with a much greater range of produce to look at.
The Caribbean does not have a large agriculture industry, the islands are relatively small, and mostly very mountainous and hilly, and there is not a lot of water to grow things with. Add in the relatively large population of over 45 million and nearly as many tourists and you can understand why over 90% of food is imported. Much is imported from the USA through Florida and weekly container ship schedule from Asia and Europe. If you are looking for provisions on small islands, check on the ship schedule arrival dates and go shopping the day after that while it’s fresh and still on the shelves. The smaller the island the higher the price as they factor in freight costs. In this cruising provisioning guide I also add information about the local speciality and national dishes and also where that island grows or produces something special worth sampling or buying.
Like many cruisers we have our standard food staples and source them from various supermarkets and then we hit the various farmers and public markets for all our fresh fruit, vegetables and seafood. In many cases we also hit fish markets where they are separate. The cheaper supermarkets usually are located away from the tourist centers and you might need a taxi or a rise share but it is worth the cost differentials in some cases although watch carefully for old and date expired products. I did have details of Caribbean provisioning in The Great Cruising Cookbook but it was somewhat short and now very out of date. This new list is now significantly updated and after much research and input from so many people it is the biggest in existence. The explosion in provisioning sources is courtesy of the yacht charter companies and super yachts. I have not added in alcohol and liquor sources as its available most everywhere and what is more the range is from the finest wines to great local rum, the latter which can be bought straight from a distillery if touring. This is list is all about Caribbean food so enjoy!
So where to start our Caribbean sailing adventure? This island-by-island provisioning resource list mirrors the listing the 4th Edition of the Marine Electrical and Electronics Bible where an similar island by island listing of VHF and weather broadcast channels and times is given in detail. Check that listing out as it should help you out a lot.
The ultimate southbound Caribbean cruise starts off from Florida in United States and to Bermuda way out in the Atlantic. Next stop is the Bahamas, followed by Cuba. After that we head for the Cayman Islands, followed by Jamaica and then Turks and Caicos. We don’t really stop in Haiti given it’s a failed state but in an emergency you can but very limited and expensive resources. The national dish of Haiti is Soupe Joumou, and also Griyo. Port-au-Prince is not a popular stop these days due to serious security issues and the aftermath of earthquakes and hurricanes. They do have supermarkets there. The Dominican Republic is a popular stopover as is Puerto Rico. The US Virgin Islands (USVI) and the British Virgin Islands (BVI) are a major sailing and provisioning stop, although Anguilla is expensive. When visiting St Kitts and Nevis, Montserrat and St Croix there are some good provisioning sources. St Maarten/Sint Martin have good resources but St Barth’s is somewhat expensive but very nice. Antigua and Barbuda have provisioning possibilities as does lovely Guadeloupe and Marie Galante and that's not the end of it, when you think too many islands is never enough. Dominica and Martinique offer provisioning as does very popular St Lucia. St Vincent and the Grenadines and Bequia have some resources as does the island of Barbados. The island of Carriacou has limited supplies as does Grenada. Trinidad and Tobago has many options as does Margarita in Venezuela which is a popular hurricane free place. The Netherlands Antilles (Bonaire, Curacao, Aruba) has a range of provisioning options as does Panama if canal bound. There are so many great places to visit when sailing in the Caribbean islands and you need to know what you can buy and where to stay well fed.