Every week hundreds of containers full of fresh produce are loaded onto the Bermuda Islander and the Oleander in New Jersey to be carried across the Atlantic to the Island’s supermarkets.

Often the crews of the two vessels endure treacherous weather and perilous seas to ensure that the food makes it into Bermuda.

But, behind the scenes of this vital chain is another extraordinary Bermuda link.

For the last seven years, Bermudian Alan Lewis Ray has been trucking vegetables from his new home in Prince Edward Island to the New Jersey ports where the Oleander and the Islander load their cargo.

The 27-year-old, who is known to colleagues and friends as the “Bermuda Kid”, left the Island with his parents when he was 18.

But he says he has never forgotten his roots and is always happiest when he’s out on the road transporting supplies that are destined for his home country.

“It makes me feel really good knowing that the potatoes or carrots that I am carrying will end up in Bermuda,” he said.

“I have a big Bermuda flag in my truck cabin and “Bermuda Kid” written across my door.

“When I wake up while I am on the road the first thing I see is that flag and it makes me remember where I have come from and who I am.

“It’s a constant reminder and it’s the thing that keeps me going.”

Mr Ray has been working for the hauling firm, Seafood Express, since he was 19 and has travelled the length and breadth of Canada and the US in the course of his work.

His triangular journey from Prince Edward Island to New Jersey, up to Toronto and then back to PEI usually takes around eight days to complete.

He said: “I pick up the vegetables at Link Letter Farm in Summerside, PEI in the morning and then drive for around nine hours.

“I stop in Maine for a sleep and then get back on the road in the morning and make for either Port Elizabeth or Salem, depending on which Bermuda ship I am providing cargo for.

“After I have dropped off the Bermuda supplies, I head back up to Toronto to complete another delivery before returning to PEI.

“The journey down to New Jersey is around 15,000km and takes around 16 hours in total.

“Once I have done the triangle, I normally get three days off.

“It’s a long journey, but I always have a spring in my step when I am carrying food for Bermuda.”

The father-of-two has not been back to Bermuda in over six years, but still calls the Island home.

He says he hopes to bring his two daughters to visit his “homeland” later this year for the first time.

“I love my job, and the freedom it gives me,” he said.

“I have always loved trucks, and the machines I drive are 74ft long, have 18 wheels and weigh around 80,000lb with a full load.

“However, it is hard leaving my girls at home because I can be away for some time.

“Last year alone, I travelled more than 111,000 miles and I got to see all sorts of places.”

Just last week, Mr Ray left PEI with 42,000lbs of potatoes that he drove down to Salem to be loaded onto the Bermuda Islander.

The vegetables arrived in Bermuda last Thursday.