A Tuamotus shopping experience where the ship is a store. Buying directly from the supply ship in Takaroa was a lovely cruising lesson
Summary
Cruising offers opportunities to have many new experiences and to learn new skills. We recently learned how to "shop the ship" in the Tuamotus. Let me tell you about it.
Friends near our anchorage introduced us to this new-to-us form of provisioning. The ship arrives once a month from Tahiti, offering the possibility of better prices than the store. We were most interested in buying beer.
The ship offers vegetables, but even when they're cheaper than the store, they may not be in good condition after being handled at every previous port. The beer, however, was sold at the bargain price we had been hoping for.
Offloading the ship offers both a work zone and a center of social activity. Just imagine a party with cranes and forklifts.
A few things you must know include:
- You must bring empty bottles to exchange for the beer you buy. Contain them in a plastic crate.
- Some items are sold by the ship and some by the captain. They will tell you which is which and where to pay for your items.
- Check vegetables before you buy; they may not be very high quality.
To get more details, listen to the full podcast or, if you prefer to read, check out "It's a Ship; It's a Store (https://www.fit2sail.com/countdown-to-cruising/2025/9/5/its-a-ship-its-a-store ).
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