29th June to 4th July – Ucagiz Limani
Posted at 12:59 PM, Sunday, July 2, 2006
Ucagiz Limani is a landlocked bay which you get into through a 30 metre wide rocky channel just 100 metres west of the coastal village of Kale Koy. Kale itself is a pretty little place tumbling down the hillside and on the shores of Kekova Roads and its dominated by a small by well preserved ancient castle.
Ucagiz Limani is surrounded by sp****ly wooded hills and on the eastern shore snuggles the ramshackled
The village is incredibly small and poor, but fronts about 20 restaurants to service the tourist trade that either comes in, or goes out though the village, by bus and gullet. The piers / jetties each restarant has built to service that trade are really wobbly affairs. Would not be suprised it they get rebuilt most springs.
The bay itself is fed by four mountain streams, which I guess is why over the centuries it has developed a thick muddy bottom. Its so muddy its made me add a deck wash pump to my 'to do' list. Fed up seeing the better equipped boats hose the chain off whilst I have to make do with bucket after bucket of water and my mop.
The good holding plus the 360 degree protection makes it realtively popular for anchoring safely. We did get little bullets of breeze coming over the surrounding hills and moving us about more than most others. Swagmans high freeboard makes her guilty of ‘sailing’ around when we are anchored in any breeze – but she’s even worse with the big new awning strung up. It keep the cabins cool and makes a great spot to laze under in the hammock – but it does add to our windage.
Outside in Kekova Roads and further out in the open sea we know others will be experiencing north westerly breezes and a resultant sloppy sea - but we feel little of it tucked up in here. The water is not the best for swimming - due in part to the shoreside village outfall plus I guess some boats not using holding tanks - but it is not unpleasant enough to drive us out.
In fact it’s a great place to wake each morning. Tough stuff.
Parked further east in the bay where the water is cleaner, diving off the back of the boat - especially when the surface is like glass at dawn – can take you by surprise. The streams feeding this side of the bay are icy cold, so you experience significant extremes in water temperature as you dive under and swim about. Really warm in one spot – icy cold in another. It is all very refreshing – especially in the heat of the midday sun.
We’ve done nothing except relax since we arrived. Chilled is the right word. We’ve swum, read books, had the occasional drink ashore or on other ex rally boats, and lots of drink on our own.
Tonight I’ll be firing up the BBQ for the first time this year off the transom. Again - will add a big connected gas bottle to my to-do list so we don't have to restock the tiny camping gas containers we currently use.
Catch you soon
JOHN