----- Original Message ---- From: Scott Bulger <scottebulger@gmail.com> To: Passagemaking Under Power List <passagemaking-under-power@lists.samurai.com> Sent: Tuesday, October 23, 2007 9:04:06 PM Subject: [PUP] PUP - Cost of cruising, was top 5 boats > I have NO idea what it's going to cost to buy >food in Central American and the Bahamas. My sense is it will be more in >some places and less in others. We shop at Costco and so far on this trip >we have used marinas a lot. Maybe I can help a little. There is good news, bad news. We spend less for food in Mexico than we did in California, probably about 10% less. And that includes eating out 2 or 3 times a week, which is more than we did in California. When we eat out we spend anywhere from $100 to $8 for the two of us. It depends on our mood. We enjoy the $8 meals as much as the $100 meals. Costco in San Lucas is a real pleasure to shop (NEVER shop there on a weekend - you will regret it!). Both San Lucas and La Pa' will have WalMart Super Centers with groceries by the end of the year. However, the Mexican chains provide real bargains too - Sorianas, CCC, Mega, Commercial Mexicana, Ley's. Selection is every bit as good as in the States. Food in El Salvadore, Guatamala, Honduras is even less but terrible selection. Food in Costa Rica and Panama is more on par with Mexico. If you fish you will spend even less. However, my idea of fishing is hailing a local in a panga and bargaining for something in his ice box. I don't want blood, guts, and scales on my boat. How about a kilo of fresh jumbo prawns for $7 or $8! Maybe a big fillet of cabrilla (sea bass) good for 2 or 3 meals for $5 is more to your liking. Marinas in Latin Amercia? One word, YIKES! They are all pretty much sold out. My rate just went up from $8.50/ft/mo to $12.80. All the marinas in La Pa', Mazatlan, and PV are full with comparable rates. Those that do have spots left (for example in Costa Rica or Zihua in MX) are because they are $20 to $30/ft/mo. Overnight guest docks are almost non existent. When you find one expect to pay $1-$2/ft/night or higher. So that forces you to anchor out.....which is not a bad idea. Think of all the money you will save. By the way, most marinas will charge $3 to $5 per day for the dingy dock, but that is better than any public dock where there is no security and nobody cares about your blemish free dinghy. So to answer your question, your food and docking budget will be whatever you want to make it. You can cruise at either end of the scale. You will decide what suits your lifestyle best. Suerte, Patrick Willard 40PH ALOHA La Paz, MX Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com