Our friends Michel and Canan were arriving to meet us in Kekova with Michel’s son Louis. We were excited to see them! We’d been in the western bay by Üçağız for a few days hiding from the big wind and now it was time to move to a different anchorage.
We’d all chosen Smugglers Bay (a colloquial name), as our place to meet. It is officially called Gökkaya Limanı and is the largest bay in Kekova, situated to the very east of the island.
A slimy mess on our anchor chain
As we lifted the anchor we remembered why this bay has such good holding. As the anchor came up, so did gloopy, slimy mud which was so gunky it was impossible to tap the chain and have it fall off, as regular mud would do. Baz came to see what I was complaining about, calling it the ‘Slime Monster from Hell’, which I thought was a pretty accurate description when you looked at it. After realising that no amount of scraping or banging would get the majority of the gunk off, Baz decided to just lift the anchor and let the slime collect in the anchor locker. We’d clean it when we got to Gökkaya.
Cleaning at Smugglers took longer than getting there
With literally zero wind, we motored and it took us one hour and five minutes.
Once anchored (which Baz did expertly considering the depth indicator blinked out as he saw 0.5m under the keel), we got on with cleaning the anchor chain and locker.
Once the anchor was dug in, we basically dumped all of the chain and rode (rope) out of the locker, securing the last part to the port bow cleat. Then we got to work. Baz lifted bucketsful of sea water from over the side and chucked them liberally over the bow, chain and anchor locker. I used that water and a brush to scrub the mud off.
All done and dusted, anchor chain back in the locker as we swung happily on the hook, we checked the time. The clean-up had taken us one hour and ten minutes. Five minutes longer than it took to get to Smugglers!
One cup of tea later and I was down below editing the next videos.
The pirates arrive
Not long after, Michel, with his wife Canan and his son Louis at the bow, arrived at the anchorage.
“Hey!”
“Hey!”
They anchored like pros in their charter boat which we were amazed to see was fitted with an Ultra anchor. Once that was in, their yacht wasn’t going anywhere.
Yummy Goat’s Ice Cream
Before we left Üçağız, we checked out Café Mola, which is up on the hill close to the fort at Kaleköy which is just west of Üçağız and opposite Kekova island. Our friend Jim had taken us here and we wanted to try out the delicious varieties of goat’s milk ice cream that he raved about. The lady there was so friendly and greeted us, telling us that she makes the ice cream daily.
What can I say about the place? The ice cream was delicious and the view of the sea below was beautiful, accompanied by the soft tok-tok of bamboo wind chimes, hanging from the ceiling. If you’re ever in the area, you must check it out.
If you’d like to see what I’ve just written about, then check out this week’s video here.
Next week, we enjoy dinner at Hassan’s Restaurant with Michel, Canan and Louis. And then return to Gökkaya and check out the sea cave and also the eclectic Smuggler’s Bar.
Until then, I wish you health, wealth, courage and a healthy dose of wisdom, as you take the actions to bring your dreams to life.
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