Mamma Mia! A little story about fueling up...
/43° 47.086' N 7° 33.625' E Portoferraio, Isle of Elba, Italy
Despite the sails we aim to have a mainly full tank the majority of the time. It's a safety net.
Fueling up in Italy is a game we have yet to figure out how to win.
It's never open. They are simply closed, most of the time. They take a three hour lunch break from 12 - 3p.m, Sundays off, occasionally put the fuel berth where its too shallow for sailing boats, and occasionally are simply not there for no explanation or obvious reason whatsoever.
Today they were open, so there was a queue. It was only three boats deep so we slid into line and waited our turn. Our hopes of a swift manoeuvre were faltered when a silly man in a large motor boat plonked himself smackbam in the middle of the fueling pontoon, leaving space for exactly half a vessel either side.
Protocol dictates your boat flies the flag of your home port. An American flag was flapping in the breeze. Represent dude, represent... try not to be a total twit.
After an hour (an HOUR!) wait we moored onto the fuel pontoon, waited an additional 15 minutes for the only diesel hose to be free, only to be informed that there was no diesel left. Finito. Mamma Mia!
Charlie x
