First, when I said the boat was light on systems, what I meant was, right now it has a small (stock) water tank, and not much of a charging/energy storage system. I'm trying to help the owner spend his money wisely. So, for example, right now here are two possible directions I could see him taking:

1) Spend more money on slip; spend less in making the boat completely, long-term shorepower independent. Say if the boat were going to live in a slip and make short forays to anchor or mooring, then perhaps he could get by with a small solar panel, relatively small battery bank, some engine charging.

2) If location, availability and/or cost make a slip seem like less of a good choice, then we know the boat will need a good, anchor-worthy charging system (solar/wind/generator/some combination).

A) Boat is in a slip with easy water supply and only making short forays = not as much worry about massive tankage.

B) Boat is on the hook or at a mooring and water is difficult to get = more emphasis on good tankage.

As far as stores, we'll plan to have the boat as "stored up" as possible, with items that are practical non-perishable. I figure it's never easier than when you are at home with a car and a big grocery store nearby; might as well take advantage of that before departing.

Shopping/civilization are not a goal of his as he has access to all that when at home in the states and is looking for more of a getaway "island" experience. In fact, he purposely lives rurally at home in the states so I would say those things would be a negative. Reading, writing, swimming, dinghying to shore to take a walk, etc. would be the plan. And some sailing too.

I'm not 100% sure what his budget is, and it's not "who cares what it costs!?" -- but he's not on a backpacker shoestring. As I mentioned above, it's more about access via air and choosing how to spend the money after finding out what some good Bahamas base options are. If a "permanent" slip is extremely expensive, then he'll probably look more to making the boat less shore dependent.

I don't think the cost of flights will be a huge issue, within reason, as when you think about it even if you go once a month for a year, that's only 12 flights. Of course all else being equal, better to save money; I just mean that if paradise means another $250 in tickets, that's probably not a deal-breaker.

So.... do you have any suggestions based on those thoughts? I agree, planning is half the fun And I know that if someone asks about someplace I've been, I enjoy sharing what I know about it, making suggestions, etc. Good stuff