Avoid the stress at the nautical gas station

Although it may seem rather simple, filling up the tank of your yacht is often more stressful and annoying than one could imagine. Those who have never tried it, don’t even imagine how long and painful this process might be, especially in high season and at the smaller stations. Filling up a tank of a yacht with a fuel has nothing to do with the same process you go with your car. It is all about the waiting. Nautical gas stations are usually equipped to take one yacht at the time, so, in the summer times, when there are many yachts who need fuel in the near, waiting in the line is inevitable. Then, the bigger the yacht, the more fuel it needs; and the more fuel it needs, the longer it takes to fill her up. So, you wait. It’s not uncommon that the large yachts use up all fuel supplies and you must wait for the new ones to come.

It is impossible to completely avoid waiting at the station in the high season, but here are some tips on how to minimize the inconveniences.

• It is a good idea to fill your yacht wit fuel when returning from the sea, before you anchor, so the next day you’ll be free to set off any time, without having to postpone your sailing because of waiting at the station.
• try to avoid filling the tanks on weekends. Friday night and Saturday morning are times when you should definitely avoid nautical gas station. Chartered yachts usually must be returned on Saturday and with full tanks, so the crowds at the stations are bigger. Also, many yachtsmen set off on weekends so the crowds are significantly larger than on week days.
• always know exactly how much fuel you have left in the tank, so in the case the station is closed or there is too much crowd, you have enough fuel to get to the next one.
• it is always a good idea to get to the station before it opens in the morning, because this is the most peaceful time and most yachtsmen are still asleep.
• it is recommended to add fuel every once in a while, even though you don’t thing it’s needed, if there is no one at the station, just in case.
• you can use the time waiting, for other, more pleasant or useful things. Anchor a bit further so you can see what is happening at the station, and relax waiting, take a swim, have a drink. You can also go shopping or take care of other things in the marina.
• last, but not least, don’t forget the safety – any kind of flame or stronger abrasion near the fuel tank can cause great damage; it takes only so little for the fuel smokes to set on fire in such high temperatures. Also, be very careful not to spill any fuel or oil, it can be dangerous and it is a terrible menace to environment. You want to sail in the clean sea, not oil stains, right?