Fuel runs are often a bit stressful. It’s a lot of close-in maneuvering with a bit of wind and some current and you have a mixture where one little lapse or goof and you become “entertainment” for everyone.

So…we went about six miles down the lagoon inside the barrier reef to the fuel dock at Marina Taina (there’s no fuel dock up in Papeete). It’s a concrete sided wharf that is made to scrape off the side of your boat and has a shed roof that comes right to the edge of the dock so one false move and you either tear your mast off or the shed. Fortunately we managed to avoid either and topped off the tank and our two jerry jugs on deck.

OK, so now that we’re done, the wind has us pinned to the dock and there’s very little room to get out and turn in the tight space of the (small) marina. No problem, just get a bunch of Tahitians who were fueling their motorboat to push our bow out against the wind. This gave me enough room to gun the engine, and get on some speed so I can maneuver and avoid the catamaran docked about 20 yards in front of us. OK, so now we’re deeper in the little marina and have to do a 180 to get out. Fortunately, I can do a starboard turn into the wind, crank it in full reverse and do a pivot with Charisma’s “prop-walk” in about 1/2 a boat length. Phew! Try and do that turn the other direction and the tightest possible radius would be about 30 yards which would have us smashing into, oh, about the fourth row of boats in. That’s one of the stressful bits. You always have to keep the good options open in a very tight place you have never been in before.

All in a day’s work/adventure.

Just for the heck of it, another view of the waterfront at sunset.