Stella Maris Marina
Ambler Isle
V and S
Thu 24 Mar 2011 14:36
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If it's two things we really get a kick out of, it is
Bahamian and quaint. Both those words fit Stella Maris Marina,
perfectly. The telephone was answered by a woman with that delightful
Bahamian lilt that always brings a grin to my face. I inquired about
diesel availability and price, $5.30 per gallon. We pulled off the main
rhumb line to follow the dredged, marked 2 mile passage leading to the
marina. At full high tide we saw 3.4' under the boat; plenty of water by
Bahamas standards. We called on the VHF radio to let them know we were
coming and to reconfirm diesel availability and price. In the hour since
we'd called, diesel had gone up an astounding $.26 per gallon to
$5.56!!!!!!! Valt told her he would turn around and leave, so she
agreed to the price she originally quoted. Did it really go up? Was
this another Bahamas fuel scam? Had she made a mistake? Who
knows? We tied up at the fuel dock and several Bahamian men
helped with the lines. All were very pleasant. Amber
Isle is equipped with a "Tank Tender" system and we know exactly how
much fuel is in the tank within a couple gallons. We planned to take 300
gallons, a nice comfort margin. When Valt went to look at the diesel
meter, it had stopped pumping fuel after 60 gallons. Was it clogged?
Was their big tank empty? The attendant went to check and came back to
announce his tank was empty: they were out of fuel. And they had just
pumped the last of the sludge and dredge from the bottom of their tank into
Amber Isle's pristine fuel tanks. We were
furious. We'd asked, not once, but twice if they had 300 gallons of
diesel. All were very sorry. But in the end, we would be the ones to
buy and change numerous filters to clean our fuel. And if the
contamination was bad enough, we'd have engine problems, too. They offered
to call a tanker truck to bring out 300 gallons for us, but we had to clear the
entry channel before the tide went much lower. In the hour that
passed the tide had dropped down several more inches. The beautiful
day had been spoiled. Many other beautiful days might be spoiled before
the problem was resolved.
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