Provisioning. It’s a subject that liveaboard cruisers discuss often, along with subjects like anchors and the head. Last month I went to a seminar at the Miami Boat Show called “Cruising for Women”. We discussed everything from docking to doing laundry by hand to provisioning. The provisioning advice that was given was take what you like to eat. Simple as that.
But I must say that it is intimidating when trying to figure out what to buy mass amounts of. And I’m not feeding just 2 of us like most cruising boats. There are 5 very hungry people on board our vessel. You can’t buy 40 loaves of bread because in 2 weeks they will all be moldy. And you can’t take 20 gallons of Organic Valley Whole Milk (Maria’s favorite) when your fridge is tiny. Well, off to Costco we went last week. It was our last day with our minivan before we sold it. We bought lots and lots of diapers, paper towels, batteries, pasta, marinara sauce, vinegar (I clean the heads with vinegar) and canned goods. I am NOT a canned good person so this almost killed me. Okay, I’m being a little dramatic but I would much prefer organic fresh veggies over canned ones. But canned goods are part of the package when I signed up to live aboard a boat. Here we are at Costco with our train of carts.
And here we are getting ready to put the groceries on board and figuring out where they all go.
Yesterday we made our last grocery run. People in the grocery store were whispering and pointing at us because of how many carts we had and how they were piled over the top. We are big fans of oatmeal. Here is the evidence to prove it.
We are stuffing the kids’ berths with food and supplies. They joke that if they get hungry in the middle of the night, all they have to do is roll over to eat.
The islands we are going to in The Bahamas are more remote and only a few times will we find a store to buy food. Plus, food is much more expensive there so we are stocking up now. It’s fun that even our last grocery runs have been exciting and an adventure.
Update: The weather tomorrow (Wednesday) is not looking great so we postponed leaving the US. We were planning on leaving today. Our next weather window is this upcoming weekend. So we will hang out here in Miami until probably Sunday. As someone once told us, when you sail there are only destinations, not schedules. We are fair weather sailors who know Mother Nature is to be respected greatly. Safety First!
Love at First Sail 
Have a great st. patricks day
You too Ainsley. Love, Joellen
F…O…..O…..D…..
T.R. that is my favorite comment thus far on the blog. I can still vividly remember growing up with our cars going to Florida and the CB’s between our two cars. I can hear it getting louder and louder. All you all you can eat restaurants beware, the Greene’s and Konesco’s are coming to eat all your food and the left overs go into Aunt Joni’s or my Mom’s purse. Too fun. You have to plan a trip to come visit us.
Lots of shopping for that hard working crew! Good luck when you sail to the Bahamas!
Oh my gosh, Jen, your posts are cracking me up! I’m laughing at Costco picture and imagining the person you asked to take it. They were probably wondering about you guys, but I love it! You should write a book. Kind of like the one my parents gave us- Spark your Dream, I think it’s called- about your crazy adventure and the complexity, yet amazing fact, of having 3 kids along. Thanks to both you and Marc for your continued inspiration and for encouraging me to think outside the box. I think about you all the time. Love you guys!
Oh Jenny. You are the best. Love you so much! You inspire me just as much. Less is more sister!
Well….. you know the old saying; “If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans….”
True True, Good to hear from you Jack.
Not sure how u fit it all in- we r impressed! We are keeping you in our prayers for safe and blessed journey. Love, the Gruber Family
Great to hear from you guys. Hope all is well with you guys as well. I still think that even after all our provisioning, it couldn’t compete with a Gruber kitchen.
Bon Voyage!! You are really about ready to do this!! May God be with you blessing and protecting all along the way. We are loving your blogs……………
How exciting! Your last big trip to Costco! I am with the kiddos, I may start packing food along my bed side! Wouldn’t that be great to roll over and munch? Just kidding! Maybe kidding! Ha!ha!
Mary
WOW !! What shoppers ! Love all of your hiding places to stash the goods ! Remind Camden that he’s responsible for fishing for dinner! Safe travels ! 1 4 3 😃😃😃
Marc,
That looks like your mom’s cart when she shops for a party… Love ya Aunt Melon. :)What fun for the kids, they get to sail on top of boats and shopping carts. Keeping you in our prayers.
Kelly, Thanks for the comment and yes it does remind me of my Mom’s parties. Did you see T.R.’s comment, that cracked me up as well. All our best and talk soon.