Finland's Archipelago National Park and Estonia

We are sailing in Estonian waters now, under pearly gray skies, expecting rain later today and winds of 35 mph overnight, gusting to 50. Luckily it will be from the north and we will be sheltering in a bay on the south side of the island of Saaremaa. Peter was up at 6 this morning, casting off at 6:40 from the industrial dock in Heltermaa on the island of Hiiumaa where we arrived yesterday evening. (There seems to be an excessive amount of vowels in the Estonian language.) We had a great day of sailing yesterday from Finland, with favorable winds most of the way. Peter, always improving his sailing skills, determined that he needed to move the block for the genoa sheet further astern for close reaches to get the best curvature to canvas. It did make a difference, and we average between 7 and 8 knots throughout the day.

When we arrived at the marina at Heltermaa at 6 p.m., having sailed almost 12 hours, we found that our vessel was too big for the docks there. As we were pondering the options of rafting up to a smaller boat on one of the 2 T docks or going into a slip and sticking out by about 10 meters, the harbor master arrived on his bicycle and suggested the big ship dock and then helped us tie up. The only activity around was the loading of a Portuguese freighter with raw logs. There was a steady stream of trucks bringing them to the pier, each with its own loader crane. We assume that the logs were not going to be processed for lumber as they were dumped rather carelessly onto the ship continuously until sunset.

Cargo ship on same pier as Mantra

Mantra and cargo loading of wood

Before dinner, we walked around the area, finding nothing of interest other than a couple bronze seaside sculptures. There was no town, just a nondescript terminal for the ferry. One of the sculptures, entitled Vanamees ja kits, is based on a famous local story. A ferry captain had insulted a villager on the island and the villager sought revenge. One day, he took his goat to the pier. He waited until the ship was already underway and then rushed to end of the pier, acting as if he hd missed the departure. The captain, noticing this man, turned back. Docking, the captain shouted and cursed at the man, urging him to get aboard. The man continued talking to his goat about the iron boat and refused. The captain sued the man in local court for the disruption to the ferry schedule and the verbal abuse he received, but the court found the story quite funny and acquitted the old man. This legend was kept alive by Tönu Otsason, a local who welcomed every new ferry from the mainland. 

Vanamees ja kits

"Tuules", a statue of a female figure commoly called Ranna Ella

Before arriving in Estonia, we enjoyed a couple days in Finland's wonderful Archipelago National Park. Located off the southwest coast of the mainland, it includes over 2,000 islands and skerries. On the morning of Wednesday, August 19, a warm and sunny day, Peter finished repairing the rudder bearing that had eroded and fallen off (which he discovered the day before when he heard unusual sounds emanating from the stern) and cleaned some tools while I repaired a porthole screen and made ratatouille. Then, around 11 a.m., we went to shore on the island of Björkö to hike and swim in the freshwater lake, Insjön.

Björkö Nature Trail

We followed the 2-mile Björkö Nature Trail, which is well-marked, offering spectacular views of the archipelago. The easy loop goes across lichen-covered granite expanses, through birch and pine forest as well as open meadows. Heather and other wild flowers were in bloom, and butterflies, including common brimstones and small coppers. 

Common heather

View of the Baltic Sea from the trail

Stonecrop flowers

Common brimstone butterfly

Small copper

Peter hiking on the island

Our first stop was the lake. We were the only ones there and enjoyed swimming in the water; the temperature was just right. Not wanting to hike in a wet swimsuit (They take forever to dry!), I shed my clothes for the swim, emulating sensible Scandinavians. Afterwards, we sat on the smooth granite to dry and enjoyed the view and the birdsong, spotting a willow warbler. 

Lake Insjön and islands of the archipelago

Peter diving in the lake

Some of the land on the island is private. One of the rustic farms welcomes visitors with a lovely cafe with indoor and outdoor seating. The food was delicious and the owners, with their four-month-old baby, were gregarious but not intrusive. Peter enjoyed the two small ponies that lazily wandered around the garden. Near this farm are the remains of stone walls, probably used for separating private land or penning sheep or cattle, which are still grazed on the island in the warmer months.

Peter petting a pony

Remains of a stone wall by a meadow

A typical Midsummer's Eve structure, with the remains of foliage from the festival

We stayed on the island until around 4 p.m. Returning to Mantra, we pulled up anchor at 5:30 and motor-sailed for an hour to another group of islands, anchoring off the eastern shore of the island of Yxskaren (no clue how to pronounce that!). On the way, we passed another group of mute swans in the open water around a small rock rising above the surface.

The flock of mute swans

The mute swans by the rock

Before sunset, Peter went out again on his paddle board to explore, discovering a large group of volunteers on the island who were doing conservation work, piling up previously downed trees and bush and creating large piles of the vegetation for bonfires. He volunteered the two of us to help the next day. When he returned, we had dinner and then enjoyed the delectable desserts we had bought at the cafe on Björkö.

The next morning (Thursday, August 20) after a lie-in and late breakfast, we went to shore about 11 a.m. to join the work party. Past the encampment of volunteers who are using a week of their vacation time (minimum 4 weeks in Finland) to do manual labor on the island, we walked past areas burned out or smoldering or blazing bonfires. Some of the volunteers created the piles for burning and some were fire tenders, and one wss the cook, a position of high value. We joined in building piles about twice as high as I am. The Finnish forest service had already been on the island to select the areas that needed clearing or thinning and then used power tools to cut the trees and vegetation. 

Peter building a bonfire pile

One of many controlled bonfires

Sheep grazing on the downed foliage

Some of the volunteers at the camp (Ollie third from left)

Everyone worked until lunchtime and then returned to camp for a meal that they shared with us. It was a simple but delicious pot of rice, eggs, tufe and other ingredients with raw vegetables to add. Dessert was a fruit salad with vanilla sauce. After the meal, we were asked to talk about our voyages, so I gave a quick overview and Peter and I answered questions. Then it was back to work at 1 p.m.

Tea time came at 3 p.m.. After beverages and snacks, we departed to our boat, with Ollie (sp,?) driving his motor vessel to Mantra to come on board to see her and to get some salt because the camp had run out and fortunately we have a good supply which came with the boat when we purchased her in 2018 and originated in Thailand. Ollie was the leader of the conservation effort, contracted by the Finnish government. He has an interesting background, including being a contractor for drone development for Intel in Silicon Valley over 10 years ago, being an flight instructor for gliders and ultralights, and being an accident inspector, mostly for aviation. We enjoyed talking with him about many subjects as we worked with him and were amazed at the breath of his skills. 

At 4:30 p.m., we hauled up the anchor and set sail from another island, Gässkaaren, where we positioned ourselves to get an early start the next morning for Estonia. 

The barometer has fallen and we are now experiencing steady rain and wind and higher waves than we have seen for a few months. I am sheltering down below while Peter is staying as dry as possible in the pilot house. The wind is from the northwest at 20 knots and we are sailing close-hauled at 10 knots. I will stop writing now as we will be anchoring somewhere soon. I need to look at the charts.

Stockholm Archipelago, the Åland Islands and Finland's Archipelago National Park

As of Thursday, August 13, we only had 26 days left on our Schengen visas. So many places still to visit and so little time! We plan to move quickly and see as much as possible before we must exit the EU on September 7.

Although one could spend days or even weeks in Stockholm, we did not linger but cast off the dock at Wasahamnen on the lovely island of Djurgården in central Stockholm at 11:30 on the morning of August 13 with Peter's first cousin Desmond and his girlfriend Cindy on board and motored past shoreside mansions and castles near the city and out among the thousands of islands of the Stockholm Archipelago.

Vaxholms Kastell

Prins Eugens Waldemarsudde on the left

The town of Långstranden

The brilliant sunlight highlighted the colors and contrasts of the cerulean sky, the teal tones of the Baltic Sea, the deep pine green of the trees on the islands, the lime green reeds along the shores, and the buff and gray granite and gneiss of the rocks and skerries. Unassuming cabins of unpainted wood or garnet-colored siding blended in to the scenery of the larger, inhabitable islands. 

The smooth if engine-noise-filled ride allowed us lots of time to chat and to play a game of Farkle, a dice game that usually reveals if a player is cautious--satisfied with possibly a lower score, willing to stop rolling rather than risk losing all the points for that turn--or prone to gambling for a higher score and risking losing accumulated points. 

Navigation through the passages went well until we were almost to the place we planned to anchor to the north of Svartsö. The way between two islands was narrow and Peter, suspecting without evidence that there were rocks off the starboard bow, deviated off course to port. Thump, thump, thump! Mantra bumped over rocks that were shown on the chart. Fortunately, only the front of the keel hit ground and we were able to back off before the rudder and prop collided with the unforgiving seabed. With me providing instructions on the course ordered, we made is safely to a nice spot surrounded by islands, totally protected from waves and wind (though this was not necessary since it was only blowing 4 to 5 knots) and dropped anchor at 4 p.m.

The water looked inviting, but a chill had creeped up mid-afternoon, so we waited for the next day. Instead, we enjoyed dinner, conversation and a game of Take 5 before going to bed for the night in the quiet and stillness of the anchorage.

The next morning (Friday, August 14), we found dozens of blue and black dragonflies hovering and landing on the edge of the swim platform on the stern and were delighted when they landed on us. 

Dragonflies at the stern of Mantra

Just after 11 a.m., after morning drinks and breakfast in the pilot house, we pulled up anchor and continued norths. Within an hour, we were sailing wing-and-wing on a port tack, making 5 knots. By 3 p.m., we were doing 7 knots downwind. Peter was constantly looking at the water and the charts for rocks. In a small cove, we dropped anchor at 4:20 p.m. but decided there was not enough swing room. With the anchor back on board, we motored a short distance among the same group of islands to a larger place, where we stopped for the night just before 5 p.m. at Störskärs.

Another charming place we passed in the archipelago

Peter, Desmond and Cindy by the wheel

Birds on a skerry

Rocky island

Narrow passage

Desmond on the bow

The air temperature was warmer than the day before. It was time for a swim and a shower on the back of the boat. Peter and I dove in from the stern and Des jumped from the top of the pilot house. Despite relentless prodding from Desmond, Cindy preferred not to sample the brackish water of the Baltic. The three of us found it refreshing, and it is always enjoyable (as long as the air temperature is above 60 degrees Fahrenheit) to shower outside, which Cindy did choose to do.

Desmond taking a plunge

Having put the dinghy in the water, we considered hiking on shore, but a cold wind had picked up and we decided to postpone the exploration until the morning. Once again, the evening was passed with a good dinner, conversation and a card game of Hearts, another new one for Des and Cindy. The long-lasting sunset painted the western sky yellow and pink beyond the low-lying bluish-gray cumulonimbus clouds.

Sunset from Mantra, Störskärs

The next morning (Saturday, August 15), we had breakfast and took the dinghy to a rocky shore, where three kayakers who had camped on the island for the night told us about the trails. Following their directions, we walked over bare rock and on paths through low-lying vegetation and some trees on fracture lines to the top. The heather and grasses grew along the fissures in the rock where moisture and thin soil collected. The foliage on some of the trees had already begun to turn to autumn colors. The scenery was stunning. This island had a house or two on the far side, but we did not disturb the owners' privacy. We then explored one of the other nearby islands where the terrain required some scrambling up short slopes to reach the top. 

Kayakers departing and our boat at anchor

A range of colors among the rocks

Desmond and Cindy

Lichen and quartz outcrops

Heather growing along a fissure

View from the top of the second island we explored

After a couple hours on land, we returned to Mantra, hauled the dingy on the foredeck and secured Peter's paddle board to the port beam stanchions and pulled up anchor at 12:30 p.m. as clouds accumulated overhead and to the circular horizon. We sailed on a beam reach for 3 hours, cruising along at 7 knots before anchoring by Gyltan at 3:30 p.m.

Striped lighthouse on an island

White lighthouse on a different island

Throughout the archipelago, we had seen bevies of mute swans in the water, sometimes dozens in a group. Along the shore where we were anchored, there was a family close to the reeds, including the parents and four gray cygnets. 

Family of swans

It was more food conversation after settling in to a place we had all to ourselves. Around 8:00, the prolonged sunset began. Without a doubt, it was one of the most stunning eventide display I have ever seen anywhere. Subtly and constantly changing, the brilliant warm hues highlighted various forms of clouds. The most dramatic colors and changes revealed themselves within a period of a half hour, but the twilight in more muted tones continued for a couple hours.

Just before sunset

The view eastward

Just after sunset

Low sunlight on rain

We played Hearts again after the amazing display of light and moisture in nature as Desmond, an early-to-bed type of guy, struggled to stay awake .

Sunday morning (August 16), we motored up a fjord to Gräddö on the mainland so that Cindy and Des could take an Uber to Arlanda airport and return home to Switzerland. It was such a pleasure having us on board with us for a few days.

Peter, Sherri, Desmond and Cindy on a warm August day (NOT!)

Just after noon, back in the archipelago, Peter and I anchored at Harkranken and spent the rest of the day there, doing laundry and other tasks as the chilliness of the air and wind kept us mostly down below. 

Beautiful anchorage at Harkranken

After breakfast and another load of laundry, we pulled up anchor on Monday, August 17, at 9 a.m. and headed for the Åland Islands. This archipelago of nearly 300 habitable islands (of which about 70 are inhabited) is at the entrance to the Gulf of Bothnia to the north and between Sweden and Finland. Since 1920, it has been an autonomous and demilitarized region of Finland. Despite being part of Finland, 85% of the population speak Swedish and only 5% speak Finnish. 

In terms of geology, biota and climate, Åland is the same as the Stockholm and Finnish archipelagos. Except for the chilliness of the summer weather, it is a wonderful place to cruise and explore.

We docked at the small town of Degerby on the island of Föglö. People come and fo from the mainland and other islands via ferry several times a day. The marina ,which includes the town grocery and other facilities, appears to be the economic center of the community. There is one restaurant, and an apartment complex is being constructed complete with swimming pool and sauna. The advertisement indicated that residency was not required for purchase.

Approaching Degerby

We stopped there to take on water, pump out, get rid of trash and recycling, buy a few provisions and get tax-free diesel. But the best part of the marina experience was the sauna facility, which we were told is quite common in Åland and in Finland. There are separate times for women and men. I got to use it first and had it all to myself. What luxury! I went in wearing a fleece jacket but did not leave it when I left.

This morning, as a cold wind blew, Peter maneuvered our boat from our dock to the fueling and pump out dock with such finesse and skill that the Germans on other boats came by to compliment us. Then we departed around 10 a.m. and headed east, motoring for hours. It was sunny and a bit warmer when we left Degerby, but the clouds gathered and hung in connected gray blobs over us, although we could see blue sky on the horizon in most directions. I stayed below for a few hours, using the small space heater to warm myself and finally dry the last of the damp laundry. 

A small inhabited island

Final effort to dry laundry when the breeze, sunshine and damp air does not suffice

With our visa limitations, we had only one day allocated for the beautiful Åland Islands. We are now in Finland, by the island of Krokan in Archipelago National Park. It does not seem possible, but the scenery is even more stunning here. Although the skies cleared just as we anchored around 6 p.m., it is still chilly. It is probably more warm on the land. Tomorrow morning (because the mornings are usually clear with the lightest winds), we will take the dinghy to shore and explore. There is a small lake in the middle of the island where we plan to swim.

Peter has just paddled over to the island on his paddle board and climbed to a ridge as the sun sets. Sometimes I wish we still had our kayak on board as I am not stable on a paddle board.

Peter atop a ridge on the island