📷 La Cantera - a place with a story

La Gomera is not the first location that comes to mind at the mention of the Canary Islands.
But if by chance you are in the area on the boat, this island is worth a visit, especially if you like places not as touristic as Tenerife. It's covered from the majority of winds by larger neighboring islands, so you can always find a protected mooring in the marina, or, for a more beautiful setting, at anchor in the bay.

One of these spots is a place with the melodious name of La Cantera.
This place is not too visible on the map. You can get there either by a steep rocky path, snaking by the south slope of the valley, or by the water. This method is the most natural, as with a dinghy you can land directly on the beach or try to take advantage of the shabby stone pier.

Although the surface of the rocks surrounding the bay looks sternly, weathered and cracked by the ocean, it is very comfortable to stay there. It's even more comfortable to splash naked in the blue of the Atlantic, because only pardella can see you.

Pardella, or Cory's Shearwater, is another attraction of the Canary archipelago. These large seabirds with massive beaks spend most of their lives on the water, but when they are returning to the land at dusk, their cries be heard all around. It sounds as if in the darkness over your head there's a crowd of crazy clowns running back and forth and laughing. Remembered forever.

On the shore you can see, sandwiched in the valley, a handful of buildings that had once been a fish factory, where gomero rolled brown tuna flesh into banks using a manual press. By the way, catching fish in the bay, though not tuna, is possible to this day. Predatory and tasty.
Activities of factory stopped in the 60s, and for a long time there was no one here except wild goats and the occasional boats seeking shelter.

A new era had begun for La Cantera in the 90s - the squatters settled there.
However, they were not those that were inclined to take care of their newfound home, but those that wanted to have fun without the following cleaning.

So the years passed. Mountains of trash have grown in height of the wall, and the place was abandoned again.
Then it was found by an enlightened Belgian esoteric writer named Claude, who immediately fell in love with the place and enthusiastically took up its ennoblement.

At first he decided to officially rent it, so he sought out the factory owner's family. Good-natured family invited him to their house for the negotiations, which consisted of a three-day wine drinking with all members.
Claude tried to protest against such an amount of alcohol in the body, but every time he heard the same phrase: "Do you want to live there? Drink! "
The celebration was crowned with the signing of the contract, and soon the new-dweller with a few friends were examining their so-called home.

They spent six months just removing the debris with the help of fishermen boats, and taking the stones away from the future garden, kitchen and living room.

Finally everything was set in order, guys were relaxing, meeting the heat of summer days naked on a private beach, and then some unexpected guests appeared on the horizon.

It was hard to believe, but the helicopter, which at first seemed a distant black bird, was actually approaching, full of policemen.
The scene of the meeting was extremely awkward. Cops immediately began to angrily scream "What are you doing here?" Claude shouted the answer "I live here!" and showed them a fluttering piece of paper that testified to the rental agreement.
That measure was acted, and expressive Spanish cops retreated back and no longer appeared.

We met Claude and his girlfriend Loraine when we came to La Cantera on our boat in a fit of pioneering study of La Gomera.
By that time they built a natural pool near the source of fresh water, planted some bananas, mangoes and figs, fed by delicious water from the well dug out of the thick volcanic rocks, and even accidentally got a cat.

Only sometimes are they bothered by the south wind - the only one that brings an islanders inconvenience, and even threw an iron bath into the garden during the storm. There’s also the sheep that wander into the valley from the top and whose bleating sometimes interrupts their sleep at dawn, and also some random characters such as we are.

Slowly this corner indeed reveals its paradise traits, becoming prettier and more abundant. The smell of fish and hot stones will never completely evaporate from it, but if it is okay for your sea soul, and you don't mind seeing the most dazzling clear water and spectacular starry sky, then you might want to go here 28°02'09.0"N 17°16'22.7"W

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Big thanks to @anarcho-andrei who helped me to polish this text:)

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