Provisioning

The only reason we stopped in Martinique was to go food shopping. Now that isn't an insult to the island. We've been there four times, rented cars and toured around the place. It's a lovely island and well worth spending time in. No, this time we wanted to get further north. But it's one of the best places to provision the boat. Visions of pates, cheeses and french bread danced in our heads as we crossed the twenty mile stretch of open sea between it and St. Lucia. Happily it was a beautiful day with comfortable seas.

We anchored in Anse Mitan, one of the oldest resort communities on the island and presently looking a bit worse for wear. They evidently sustained damage during the last hurricane as a good portion of the waterfront we remembered from past visits was gone, the Pontoon Restaurant and Marina for example. The big high rise hotel was dark at night but showed signs that it will be rebuilt.

After lunch we walked over to the charming "Creole Village" where small shops and cafes surround a small square to have a cup of coffee. That's Scott there in the photo at the top. Then we took the ferry from the Point over to Fort de France (the second photo shows us entering the harbor at Fort de France)and attempted to find the bus/publico which would take us to one of the huge Carrefour supermarkets (hypermarche), either in Dillon or at the Galleria. It wasn't easy as one taxi driver followed us trying to get us to go with him (for thirty euros). Finally we located the big bus that went to Dillon at the far west end of the huge parking lot in front of the ferry docks. Fifteen minutes later it dropped us off there (just after you pass under the highway). This is a cruising provisioners dream with a department store and pharmacy included.

We had a big list of groceries but were constrained by how much the two of us could carry back to the ferry - so no wine. First on the list were cheeses and pates, several kinds of each. Then long life bread in a variety of styles. In Bonaire and Curacao you can buy a huge variety particulary french and italian types, but here think ethnic. Clearly the boulangeries have legislated that people must buy fresh - so no french bread or rolls, or croissants. Instead we bought pita bread, Naan, panini with olives, Durum and M'Semmen (last two were flat breads for wraps), and guava filled rolls (photo above left). These had dates to be used by from 4/3 to 4/10.

We use UHT milk regularly but also love UHT heavy cream and cooking cream which isn't available everywhere. Here it's in every size - see the photo above right opposite the huge christophenes (so good raw in salads, steamed or gratineed). The fruits and vegetables looked very great although I had a trip to the open market planned for the following day so we only bought a few "foreign veggies/fruit" like brocolli and apples. I splurged on two rib eye steaks and some lovely pork chops as well as the two packages of lardons we find so useful. Why don't they have them in the States I've always wondered?

In the end we each had two heavy bags to carry but it shouldn't have been far. Unfortunately we took the wrong bus into Fort de France and ended up 10 blocks from the water. Then of course we missed our ferry for Anse Mitan (our dinghy was right on the other side of that dock so we didn't want to go to the Point). Still sitting on the bench waiting for forty minutes wasn't that miserable. Luckily we knew from a past trip that the ferry stops first at another harbor or we would have been more concerned at the route it was taking.

The next day I took the dinghy in and left on the ferry two seconds later, managing the lock up in record time. This time I wandered around downtown before doing my shopping. The third and fourth pictures above show the view right at the waterfront in front of the ferry - McDonald's front and center. The poster shown here displays what the french get on their burgers - real Parmesano Reggiano! Also above is the cathedral on the park not far away.
The market itself is mostly tourist souvenirs during the week, but there are at least four or five vegetable fruit stands with good supplies. There were also fresh flowers and enfusions of every kind of fruit with rum. I was able to buy fresh local eggs, potatoes, carrots, yams, pineapple, mangos, celery (in the Caribbean it's mostly leaves
but they are great for seasoning), christophenes, onions, lettace, tomatoes and spinach. Yum! The seasoning packet shown in here in the bucket of water looks like a bouquet, doesn't it? This time I had the ferry schedule figured out and had only a brief wait before my return.
And finally there was the enjoyment of our labors and the products of France. Scott shown with a lunch of two kinds of pate, lovely runny brie and french bread while I'm enjoying fresh croissants and grapes for breakfast.

Open Air Market in Trinidad

You need to get up early in the morning to visit the Open Air Market in Trinidad. Jesse James picks you up at your marina at 6:30 AM! On this day I had little shopping to do but instead wanted to take some photos - and of course have some fresh doubles for breakfast. The line is so long for the latter at the most popular spot that we haven't always had enough time to get them.




There are hundreds of stalls selling produce of all types. Many specialize, only displaying a few items. For example, green herbs are often grouped together; thyme, celery tops, shadow bene (like cilentro) etc. One person was selling baby chicks.

Another table might have various size piles of seasoning peppers - very pretty arrangements of small green and red peppers, some mild and a few hot. Potatoes, yams, and onions might be grouped together on a number of tables competing for the same trade. Pumpkins are very popular throughout the islands, usually sold cut up. The woman to the right below is selling calaloo leaves only. When she saw me taking pictures she asked to be included. On the other hand the young woman on the left was carefully constructing little piles of limes and although she agreed to be photographed, she certainly doesn't look happy!

My first purchase was some lettace and watercress from the man above right. Later I bought a cauliflower from one woman and some zucchini from another. Twelve seasoning peppers (see them just below) were enough for me with three little cucumbers thrown in.
Of course I needed a little sustenance to carry me through. The two doubles stands are in the middle of the market, between the produce and the fish/meat areas.

Both have their admirers; I prefer the woman (seen here making one up for me below on the right). A double is two fried dough pieces about 6 inches in diameter filled with chickpea curry. Various condiments are added, varying slightly per vendor. These had a tamarind sauce, green mango chutney and "green" sauce (mostly shadow bene).

I have my breakfast ones without hot sauce! It's a long wait as each one is made up individually and most people order two or three! These are yummy - take my word for it, or come to Trinidad and try one.


After my breakfast I can handle the meat and fish market. Everything looks pretty clean and fresh but there are a lot of cuts of meat that aren't very attractive. Lots of varieties of fish are on display, or parts of the fish, plus shrimp, squid, octopus and crabs.

These last are caught in the mangroves and look very different from our salt water crabs, more like hermit crabs. Big slabs of meat and offal hang from hooks and are custom cut. I generally only buy stew meat at these markets but it is possible to buy a whole beef tenderloin for example. The prices are fixed not bargained and cheaper than in the supermarkets.

In addition to the meat, fish and produce, vendors sell clothing, toys and household goods. Pirated DVDs and CDs are a hot item for sure. Popular singers and athletes urge Trinis not to buy them, but there are a lot of them on display. The cost is $10 Trinidad dollars, or about $1.75. Some copies are quite good. With others you might get a person standing up and leaving the row in front of you on the screen!

On the way back to Chagaramus we also stop for just a quick visit to the HiLo Supermarket. Jesse has a number of supermarket trips organized during the week and I like the Tuesday run to the Circular Mall and Malabar Meats. We leave at 9:30 AM for this trip, a much more civilized time of day. It also gives me time for my laps in the pool. I try and do a half hour each morning at about 7 AM. The water is the coolest in the morning for exercise and the pool is still in the shade.

We're back at the pool at sometime after 4 PM for another swim, and a beer or cold drink. This is a good time to meet some other cruisers or guests at the hotel. After sundown we can return to a cooler boat. The heat here is the hardest from 11 AM to around 4. The evenings have been very pleasant and we sleep quite comfortably.

We've been interviewing contractors for two projects; varnishing the interior of the boat and new curtains and pillows for our stateroom and the salon. All of them were recommended by YSATT. We really liked Pat & Fred from General Upholstery and Draperies and decided right away to have them sew the curtains. Both the varnishing companies seem very professional and reliable so we're waiting for their quotes before deciding. This latter project will be a very expensive one. We expect it to be completed during our time home so they will have the keys to our boat during our absence.

We've decided on hauling the boat at Coral Cove. We looked at Power Boats as well but they use the measured length of the boat to calculate costs and Coral Cove uses the documented boat length. With a big bow sprit and dinghy davits the difference for us could be as much as 7 feet! Our appointment is Thursday at 10 AM. We'll stay on the boat that night and then clean and close up the boat on Friday, staying at a motel unit on premises Friday night. Jesse is picking us up at 5 AM Saturday morning for our flight home.

A visit to the Market in Cartagena

One morning we changed the normal direction of our walk and crossed over the bridge to the "new" section of the city. This is where most people live in Cartagena and the location of the huge public market. It is possible to buy ANYTHING here. Saturday is the busiest day of the week and although it was early, the place was packed. Some sections were very like a small mall, with tiled walkways and glass cases. Other sections were mud floored, narrow and dificult to negotiate. This is a warren of alleys and easy to get disoriented. In between the stores and produce/meat
sellers are food vendors of all kinds. "Fish Heads, fish heads, jolly, jolly fish heads..." was the opening line of a favorite kid's song of ours" and very appropriate here. This gentleman shown in the picture is enjoying an early morning one for breakfast. I had a paella one lunch with a fish head (and some fish attached) as one of the many seafoods represented.
Most people enjoy a deep fried pastry of some kind for breakfast (and who wouldn't?) but at the market meats of all kinds were also being cooked and enjoyed. These are all VERY well done and exercise your jaw considerably. A nice accompaniment to our usual arepa huevo (fine corn meal pastry with an whole egg and a mixture of meat and potatoes inside - all deep fried) is a fresh fruit salad.
The vendor cuts up a variety of fresh fruits in front of you and piles them up on a paper plate. You can indicate which ones you like best, tasting some if you need to make a tough decision. This is good chance to try some new fruit! Scott favorite vendor stand is the fresh orange juice option. The oranges are squeezed right into your glass and it is wonderful. It's hard to believe that people pay twice as much for coke! We bought some buttoned shirts and shorts for our two youngest sons at a very trendy shop on the edge of the market. This market extends for five NYC city blocks square, solid with shops and vendors.

Provisioning

Among cruiser couples there are generally conceded to be "pink" jobs and "blue" jobs. The former usually include provisioning, cooking, inventory management and cleaning. The latter almost always includes engine and machine maintenance/installation, plumbing, electrical work and most winching/hauling. In our case we both do communications (SSB, VHF and email), navigation and steering, taking equal watches, but Heather drives the boat into marinas and anchorages while Scott runs around the deck handling ropes/anchor and giving helpful advice.
"How do you plan on shopping and menus for weeks or months on a boat?", is a common question. Many cruising women I know write out menus for their voyages and some even cook up a lot of the dishes in advance. These are then put in portions and frozen. We don't have a freezer so this isn't an option for us.
"What - you don't have a freezer on that big boat!"
Well, I really never used a freezer on land ,other than for ice and ice cream. We do miss the ice cream but we have a ice maker on board, so it hasn't been a problem yet. Putting one in is a big job because the beautiful wood work and counters in the galley would have to be all redone. So I thought I'd add my two cents worth on the subject of provisioning in this entry. Skip it if you're not interested!

Like at home the first job is to buy all the basics. We carry stocks of these following for six months. Common to most would be; flour (white and whole wheat, regular and bread types), corn meal, sugar, baking powder & soda, yeast, vegetable and extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, mustard, mayonnaise, peanut butter, spices, coffee (I bring 2.5 lb bags of my favorite French roast beans down with me from the States), teas, dried fruit, dried beans, rice (brown, white and risotto), and many kinds of pasta. Dry goods include cereal, crackers, long life bread, couscous, bread crumbs, nuts, and dried soup mixes. Most of these things can be replaced but at the major islands or cities but the price will be generally higher and the selection poorer.
Canned goods keep for a long time and are necessary for emergency purposes. Often used types are tuna, salmon, shrimp, crab, sardines, anchovies, clams, smoked oysters, canned tomatoes and sauces/paste, mushrooms, and beef/chicken broth. Jars of pesto, marinated artichokes, bruschetta and chutney make special meals easy. Polenta in a tube makes a quick elegant touch. Tuna steaks and chicken breasts now come all cooked in individual vacuum packed foil servings (pretty expensive so kept for emergencies). We happen to treat ourselves traditionally after long passages with corn beef or roast beef hash (with eggs) so I always have them on hand. Occasionally we'll open a can of soup, corn, chick peas, black beans, artichokes etc. We have another supply of canned vegetables, corned beef, ham and fruits in case I run out of the fresh ones. This has happened very rarely but recently during our month in totally undeveloped islands off Venezuela, they were a god send. These are all non perishable goods.
Milk is included in this category: UHT dairy products are wonderful things. We have quarts of milk, pints and half pints of heavy cream and cooking cream from France in abundance. We have dried milk as well in case of emergency and for making bread. Yes we can make bread, both the old fashioned way and in our bread machine. I sometimes make easy breads like corn bread and banana bread but until that month in the out islands we found the local breads have been quite good and inexpensive. In the San Blas islands where there are no stores we will have it going again frequently.
There are a number of products that make cooking and eating well easier. A favorite example for me is Zatarin's mixes; gumbo, jambalaya, dirty rice, salmon & crab cake mixes etc. With fresh onions, celery, peppers, tomatoes and any meat/fish available, these are wonderful and quick. Tasty Bite makes a large selection of already cooked Indian foods in foil packets that only have to be heated. I add them to leftovers and serve over rice. We bought a selection of ready made sauces like beurre blanc, trois poivre, sweet and sour, lemon pepper in Trinidad and Martinique that quickly turn whatever we're having into gourmet. Wolfs Kashi & farfalle, Near East mixes etc. are all handy. I also like to have some hors d'oeuve type mixes like salmon & crab cake, falafel, baccala fritters, hummus, black bean dip etc.

The second category is perishable but long lasting fruits and vegetables. We always have onions, garlic, carrots, and potatoes on board. When I can find them we add winter squash, rutabagas, sweet potatoes, plantains, apples and starting out, green bananas. These can all manage out of the frig if necessary and some always stay there. We hang most in net hammocks in the V berth. Some are in those green long life bags in the frig. Parmesano Regiano is sort of in this category. I bring a huge chunk with me from the States and it keeps for months in the back of the frig.

Next are the fresh products that make up my usual shopping list. Always included and usually available everywhere are lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, green onions and cabbage (mostly for cole slaw after the lettuce is gone)Fresh seasoning packets (shown in lower right hand corner of the picture here in a local outdoor market) which include small peppers, green onions, thyme, and whatever other fresh herb they have are sold everywhere. Many places I can get zucchini, broccoli, green beans, cauliflower, purple top turnips, beets and local vegetables like dasheen, breadfruit, callaloo and other greens - sometimes spinach. When in season (and on certain islands) we get pineapple, papaya, mangoes and other local fruits.

And then there is meat and/or fish. On the small islands there is little and when there is, it's frozen, unless, in the case of fish, you can buy from a fisherman or a fish market (photo here is of the selection at a small fish market). Sometimes we can get fresh chicken legs (heaven knows where the breasts go but they are hardly ever seen in a store) or chunks of pork. Every kind of cheap meat and poultry parts are available though, chicken backs and feet, beef or pork innards. Local beef is often only available in frozen chunks, identified as "Clod",but after much experience, only edible in stew. Larger islands have supermarkets with varying stock. Some, like Grenada, Marguarita, Trinidad or St. Lucia, have a wide variety of goods similar to a normal market in the US. The french islands are different. They are part of France and we traveled up to Martinique partially to replenish our stocks of delicacies; cheeses of every kind, pates, cold cuts and lovely meats, jars of cornichons, olives, pesto, etc.
Most markets carry a few cheddar type cheeses; Anchor cheddar from New Zealand and Cracker Barrel from the US, Philadelphia Cream cheese, and of course, American Cheese Food Product (we skip that). Sometimes I can get some feta cheese or Camembert in a small wheel. Eggs are almost always there. We try and get local eggs, unrefrigerated. They last a long time and don't need to be kept in the frig. Hummus is now often available, but cottage cheese or sour cream is hard to find outside of the big islands.
It is now possible to get whole wheat bread often on even the smallest islands. These little stores will have only a few loaves and we need to get there early to get one. Up in the Bahamas the breads were often sweet. The next size small market will have local bread and a selection of packaged sliced breads, mostly white. In busy harbor areas or near marinas even the small stores will have frozen bagels and some multi grain breads. Again the big island supermarkets have excellent selections, although, unlike the States, they do not have dates on them. The french islands are of course bread heaven - boulangeries sell baguettes, croissants, and pan de chocolat, among much else.

Liquid refreshments are usually easy to find everywhere. Soft drinks are loved by all islanders. We don't drink them often so we keep a few for guest on board only. We do stock up on tonic water whenever we can get it. Everyone does. Scott loves fruit juices and rum punch so we always have a good stock of pineapple juice and when we can get them; orange, mango, guava etc as well. Goya makes great products available in the north and later Orchard does in liter foil boxes (they don't add sugar to theirs). We never have enough of these. In addition we've discovered fruit concentrates available in bottles - locally produced. They come in flavors such as grenadine (necessary for rum punches), tamarind, guava, mixed essence, sorrel and mauby (very popular in Trinidad and tastes a little like root beer or Dr. Pepper). Angostura bitters are also necessary for rum punch. I might as well give you approximately my recipe.
RUM PUNCH - combine 1 quart or liter of pineapple juice with 2 or 3 cups of other juices above, 2- 4 oz of Grenadine syrup, a good shake of Bitters and if you have any of the concentrates (not Mauby) you can add a little of those also or instead of the extra juices. Stir well. Fill a glass with ice, add as much rum as you like and then fill up with punch mixture. Stir. Grate a fresh nutmeg over the top. Float some dark rum on top if you really need a punch! Voila! If you only have pineapple juice that works fine. You can add Coconut Rum along with regular rum - marvelous! If you can get a hold of Punch Coco at one of the local markets, add that in. I personally love it plain over ice with the same amount of dark rum.

Besides rum, we usually have gin, wine, and beer. Most alcholic beverages are available everywhere. In a tiny store with maybe two heads of lettuce and one loaf of bread, they'll have soft drinks and liquor - and OF COURSE beer. If you go through the Dominican Republic you can't buy enough Presidente. That was our favorite - plus it comes in big bottles. If you get to Margaurita you won't buy enough beer - you'll want to sink your boat, it's that cheap. Cans are of course better in general, except those tiny 6 once cans of Heineken (they've got to be kidding). But really all the local beers are pretty good.

Wine is also available everywhere but a limited selection and expensive. The first french island for most people is St. Martin and everyone goes a little crazy, if of course, they love wine. It is possible to buy nice table wine for 2 or 3 euros each. It's also great to have a bottle to bring over to another boat when invited for drinks or dinner. We never bought enough and always ran out before the next french island! Our last trip to Martinique before heading to the western Caribbean we bought several cases. Fairly good wines are also available in 3 or 5 liter boxes. If you aren't familiar with the winery, ask around before committing yourself - they vary in quality.

Cleaning and paper products are another category of provisioning. We have a whole closet of cleaning products. It is remarkable how many things there are on a boat that need special cleaning and there are many products for each. I was so naive that when I saw a fellow cruiser cleaning her stainless steel, it was the first time I realized it needed cleaning. Once you see that rust, you always see it and another task is born. It's hard to resist trying another cleaning product but there is only so much room! This is too big a subject for coverage here. Stocking up on toilet paper, napkins and paper towels when they are cheap is great. Still it is possible to buy them almost everywhere and they take up a lot of room. Everyone develops a few favorite products - if you do, buy a lot. I love swifter dust cloths, Pledge orange oil wipes, Joy detergent, Murphy's Oil Soap, Windex, huge containers of vinegar, and lots of sponges (not always easy to find down here surprisingly). Zip lock bags, freezer quality better, are absolutely necessary and in every size.
Well if anyone in Blog land is out there looking for information on provisioning, I hope this is interesting.