See what a normal grocery run looks like for us-
7:30 am Turn on Channel 66 on the VHF, listen to the Cruisers Net to see what’s happening today. We hear that there’s a van coming to our bay for a grocery run at 9:30. Perfect. We need groceries. We’re in.
8:02 Dinghy Down. Paul heads to shore to pick up Jean-Michel. It is his third visit to fix our radio. We are hoping it is his last. They return together in our dinghy 10 minutes later.
8:35 things not looking promising for Jean-Michel’s visit. I drink coffee and pretend not to listen
9:07 miraculous success! He has reprogrammed our radio and AIS with our new boat name and MMSI number. We make Jean-Michel wait for us while we pack our grocery bags and water bottles.
9:17 Load into the dinghy and head back to the marina. Drop Jean-Michel with a hopeful Adieu, not au revoir.
9:18 Paul’s shoe breaks.
9:20 walk to Budget Marine to buy sandals. There’s a fairly robust selection, but all have been severely marked up. We find some good quality Reef flip flops that fit and purchase them. Step back outside.
9:30 talk to the other waiting shoppers. We are worried we will be left behind but the sun is already baking us so we return to Budget Marine to enjoy the air con.
9:37. Still waiting
9:45 still waiting
9:50 bus arrives. We load up with four other shoppers and start our journey. I prefer not to pay too close attention to the driving styles that the Caribbean cultures enjoy. There is a fair amount of honking.
10:16. Arrive at Spice Island Mall for the IGA grocery. There is some grumbling from fellow shoppers about arriving after other buses and maybe missing out on the fresh veg. Needn’t have worried, there wasn’t even any onions anyway. I rescue a beetle from a head of lettuce that causes another shopper to return her lettuce to the display. Paul and I buy two bags.
10:17-10:45 Paul and I expertly follow the shopping list I have organized by aisle. Unfortunately, still no sriracha. No canned or frozen edamame. Chickpeas are on sale. Sliced ham and turkey are out. No cream of tartar. No steaks. Soba noodles out. Even the mention of tomatoes causes a fellow shopper to faint. We feel lucky with our eggs, cheese, unsalted butter, cream cheese, and mini pineapple finds. We get a loaf of locally baked bread. A bottle of local rum. Restock the handsoap. We struggle to compare prices for products that have either ounces or grams. Onward.
11:30 the Van arrives to pick us up. We load up our now overcrowded seats. 6 shoppers each have a week’s worth of groceries. We jam in. This van doesn’t have air conditioning. We begin to sweat immediately. Luckily it’s not raining so we have the windows open.
11:40 we stop at another store to check for veg. They only have soft potatoes and salt fish. I return to the van empty handed. Some other fellow shoppers buy ground turkey and bulk bottles of booze. We wait in the unairconditioned van for the last errant shopper to return. Paul hits his head. We work on the NYT Crossword in the backseat.
12:15 we return to the marina, our drop off. Truly a miracle, the vegetable woman has just recently set up. There are onions and lettuce and eggs and even fresh pressed COLD juice. Paul and I get onions, potatoes, one cucumber, a papaya juice, and, the final miracle of the day, 4 tomatoes that had been kept aside for a special shopper. Paul uses his charm to secure them. $34 XCD.
12:25 we carry our bags down the dinghy dock. Some of our fellow-shoppers request help, so we do three runs up and down the dock helping with grocery bags.
12:37 return to BlueBelle! We did it! We are both dripping sweat. Paul hands me our four bags of groceries and we both strip off our wet clothes.
12:40-1pm Groceries to be stored. With our small and inefficient fridge we are careful about how often we open it up. I clean and cut up the lettuce for special storage in its own Tupperware. Ditto for celery, and our darling tomatoes. Non refrigerated veg and fruit goes into the banana hammock. Snacks away. Canned food gets labeled and dated and stored under the couch. Paul immediately jumps into the ocean after we’re done. I rinse off in fresh water and eat an apple.
1:15 We celebrate the success of shopping by eating a carambola and reading in the shade. The boat is restocked for another 10 days! Tonight, we will feast on our fresh supplies (salad!), and in the coming days will supplement our diet more and more with canned items. On the menu this week: Fancy salads, mango salsa, noodles, veggie pasta, stirfry, and bbq chicken and tofu. Special treat: 7-Up cake. Because we deserve it.
Buen provecho-
Lindsay and Paul
TIBURON MARINO 