Sailing trip around Tonga- daily provisions costs?

Hello
I am just wondering if anyone can give me a general idea of budgeting costs for a sailing trip to Tonga.
I know all the flights, yacht hire etc (all the major expenses) but I am trying to find out how much I can expect to pay for food and drink.
There will be 3 adults and 2 children (that eat as much as us!) I know buying for more sometimes works out cheaper per person.
We are going for 10 days
We are hoping to arrive early and buy supplies from the local markets and supermarkets.
We will proberbly be stopping at a few places with cafes but eating out is not mayor for us just the sailing etc.
So would anyone have any idea on this?
Thanks

It obviously depends on what you buy and eat.

For supermarket stuff, I'd say basically expect "western" prices but more likely Chinese quality (and less variety).
Fruits and veggies from markets can be pretty cheap, though this obviously depends on the season and the location. Incidentally, you may find the variety of fresh market produce more limited than you imagined - many of the types of root-corps that are the traditional staple food of islanders are unfamiliar to most westerners.

Right thanks, I was thinking rice, fish, meat, veg etc nothing really fancy and I'm quiet used to eating diffrent food and have read alot about the culture so understand the diffrences in food.

We have looked at several times to go,
Christmas- good for us in so far as school hols and time off work but expensive and its not whale season as far as I have read.
November- Whale season and cheap but means annoying the schools by taking the kids out.
and Summer hols Whale season and good for time off but a bit more expensive.

Are you chartering your boat or taking your own? I only ask cos I chartered a yacht in Tonga and they provided an extensive list of food we could choose from. All of it was pretty reasonable but at least it would give you price comparison to work from.

We will be chartering a boat but I was just wondering if the provisions offered by the boat companies were much more expensive than buying your own.

It will always be cheaper to buy your own if you have the time and knowledge to source the products you want. You pay a premium for the convenience of having everything there for you.

Word of advice we were given which was spot on. If you decide to order through the chartering company and there are 4 of you then ask for provisions for 3. Or alternaitvely if 2 of you are sailing for a week ask for provisions for 5 days. You never ever ever eat everything they give you if you opt for full provisions for full numbers. Take plenty of bottled water and don't worry about running low on things that can be sourced locally such as vegetables or fruit. Both can be sourced as you go.

There are also weather differences in your choice of time. I thought I would mention it in case it is important to you. The trade winds die down during the summer (your Xmas visit). I think it's a lovely time to go since the seas are calm, but perhaps this isn't so good for sailing. Plus, you have the chance of some bad storms (and every few years a cyclone).

Food - the provisions found in the market are fairly standard in availability throughout the year (not much variety but little seasonal changes in availability). You could substitute root crops for rice (cook like a potato). I can't give you up-to-date prices though. There is an amazing variety of corned beef if you are OK eating it, but it is best to pick the expensive brands (less fat and gristle and other weird parts of the animal).

Great Thanks, yes I have heard that fat and gristle can feature highly in meat products, but you can't beat corn beef hash : ) Thanks again

If anyone has sailed in Tonga and has suggestions on times of the year etc or anything else it would be much appreciated

July is your answer...

'' The air temperature in July will be about 26°C; the water temperature about the same and the warm South-Easterly trade wind will waft gently at about 10 – 15 knots across the flat water of these 220 square miles of sailing nirvana. Humidity during July is at the lowest for the year. You’ll be lucky to see a wave because the barrier reef along the Eastern edge of the archipelago breaks the Pacific Ocean swells. Many of the locals will tell you that July is the very best time to visit Tonga. ''

Where is your quote from PNG? I spent a year in Tonga and the only time the seas were flat was during the cyclone season (summer) (and locals explained that this is because the trade winds stopped blowing then). We tried a few times to get out to the southern most island when the trade winds were blowing and were always prevented by the significant swell. I haven't sailed there but was out on the islands for most of the year and the swell rarely reduced - except during the summer. But then we were caught by a forming cyclone, which was far worse than the trade wind swell!

You should get out to the islands in the east though (Kenutu especially). The huge waves rolling in do get broken by this chain of 3 islands and you can stand on a shelf between them at low tide and watched them roll in. The sea immediately west of these islands is almost always flat, but they don't protect the rest of the island group. Also, around Vaka'eitu it tends to be flat.

There is a delicious local dish involving corned beef, taro leaves (I think) and coconut. But, don't try cooking taro leaves yourself since they are toxic if not cooked properly.

Sorry, I was meant to add that regardless of when the ocean is calm, the cyclone season isn't such a great time to consider hiring a yacht. While you are unlikely to encounter a cyclone, bad storms are more frequent (and would probably require you returning to a safe anchorage). Even a hint of a storm in the area will probably require you returning (we had this happen to us when on the southern most island in the group). My experiences with the swell causing problems were because we usually used small local boats and it wasn't that easy for them to get to the more exposed parts of the archipelago (and occasionally dangerous).

Api - I got my quote from here

http://www.sail-world.com/australia/Tonga-Kalia-Yacht-Rally-2008-with-Mariner-Boating/42453

I chartered a boat (Jenneau 42' ) the third week of October for just two of us. It blew a constant 15+ knots every day for 7 days. 24/7. Top gust we got was 32 knots. It might have changed since we were there but there were precious few fixed moorings so you want to make sure you pick the right time to go there. We sailed the Vava'u group of islands. I'd definitely go back just for the scenery but I would also definitely research it a little better in terms of timing.