Syksyinen meri - asennekysymys

Joka syksy suomalaiset purjehtijat valtaa synkkyys, talvi tekee tuloa, nykyisin vain ilman, että talvi tulee. Miksi näin on? Vaikka kelit käyvät märemmiksi ja illat pimeiksi on vastapainoksi varusteet nykyisin aivan huippuluokkaa. Jokainen voi pukea päälleen oman mikroilmastonsa, jolloin on aina sopiva olla - kelissä kuin kelissä.

 Tätä synkkyyttä ja purjehduskauden lyhyyttä päätimme kapinoida vastaan. Tänä syksynä päätimme aloittaa uuden kauden silloin kun muut alkavat riisua purjeita takilasta. Ensin järjestimme syyslomapurjehduksen, mikä osoittautui todella hauskaksi retkeksi syksyiseen saaristoon, joka kaikkien yllätykseksi ei ollutkaan tyhjä.

Pirttisaaren vanhassa puolustusvoimien laiturissa oli illan päätteeksi vajaa kymmenen venettä ja reipas iloinen meininki. Ulkoilu syksyisessä saaressa, vanhat linnoitteet ja lasten iloinen mieli - ihan parasta.

Viime viikonloppuna vietettiin ensimmäisiä pikkujouluja laivalla, tietysti purjehtien. Porukka, joka on viiden vuoden ajan nauttinut kesällä useamman päivän reissusta saaristoon, päätti nauttia purjehduksesta nyt myös syksyisellä merellä. Muutaman tunnin purjehduksella asianmukaisesti pukeutunut kansa vietti koko reissun kannella osallistuen kaikkeen toimintaan laivassa. Elämys joka varmasti jäi kaikkien mieleen.

 Saaristo itsessään on huikea ihan sama mikä aika vuodesta on kyseessä, ja tähän aikaan vuodesta sitä asuttaa lähinnä hylkeet ja linnut. Sinne saaristoon parhain väline matkata on perinteinen kuunari - Svanhild. Laivalla purjehtiminen on nautinnollista ja reippaissa tuulissa matka taittuu. Isot tilat ja tehokas keskuslämmitys takaavat, että vaikka ulkona olisi pakkasta, on laivassa sisällä lämmintä ja mukavaa. Mikäs sen nautinnollisempaa kuin kirpeän purjehduspäivän päätteeksi rentoutua puulämmitteisen saunan lempeissä löylyissä ja nauttia laivakeittiön antimista ystävien kanssa keskustellen tai vaikka laulaen, jos siltä tuntuu.

Ensi viikonloppuna (11.11.) alkaa Arktinen purjehdus, toinen mahdollisuus kapinoida purjehduskauden lyhyyttä vastaan. Tälle reissulle ei tarvitse pakata shortseja vaan kaikkein lämpimimmät vaatteet, mutta kaikkein tärkeintä on oikea asenne: ”Mitä sitten, jos sataa ja tulee. Mitä sitten, jos aurinko ei paista joka päivä, koska silloin kun se paistaa on keli sitäkin hienompi.” Vielä on pari paikkaa jäljellä, ehkä vuoden hienoimmalle purjehdukselle. Hienoa purjehdusta, takuulla. Lisäksi huikeita tarinoita maailman arktisilta alueilta ja pohjoisen tutkimusmatkailijoista, entisistä ja nykyisistä.

Ragans blog, day 9

Day 9

Morning 9....

Much to all our surprise we get one last floating voyage - out of this harbor and to Purjelaivakonttori's main dock with is just past where the ice breakers are moored. This is another beautiful urban harbor, great buildings line the waterways and at the pier, Jouni's other ships! We get to fawn over them, he has a nice little empire! Also, Mirkku on the pier! Apparently their place has a view of the water and they saw us pull in while sipping her morning coffee. So sad to part ways, what an amazing time. We are all so grateful for the most excellent Crew and Captain.

It will never be the same again and it was a once in a life time adventure, a fairy tale. Thank you Purjelaivakonttori! I hope to be so lucky again. 

Epilogue.... perhaps forth coming about the amazing ship yard and dry dock!

Ragans Blog, Day 8

Day 8

The wind the wind.

The dingy, (aka the bow thruster) pushes and pushes and pushes: finally peels us away from the Coastguard pier against the wind. Then very very narrow channel in the wind. It is a great distraction from the impending end of our voyage. The channel markers exiting HogHolmen seems the same width as the ship, a serious obstacle course with the wind pushing the ship sideways. We exit safely and hoist one sail and inner jib. The wind is strong, and then the first jibe. Fun times. 

The seas have a little chop to them, a great distraction, from the end. Suddenly everything shifts: The mast was pulled with enough force, it rotated! However magically it seated back into position – just rotated perhaps 15 degrees. A handful of us watched in a flash, standing under it – 6 feet from it as moved. It was almost unclear if we had seen it or not. Wish I had that video but the cracked screen phone stopped working. My phone with all the photos is dead, and this is almost over.  It’s overcast and depressing, no more phone and no more ship. What is the point of life...  Lauri shims the mast in with blocks and off to Helsinki we sail. 

We come upon some beautiful smaller old boats, it must be great to be out in one of those tall ship races where all the boats are historic. To look around and only see these old giants. There’s something inherently heroic about these vessels. I will miss this ship, and we are not done yet. 

Welcome to Helsinki! Such a busy harbor with all the enormous passenger ferry/cruise ships. The downtown/tourism hub of Helsinki is of course surrounding a little harbor with a couple islands at it’s mouth. The NJK yacht club has this old palace on one of the islands. It looks like a castle. Beautiful old white wood building with onion top turrets in copper green. Nothing like a fairy tale ending to a magic journey. 

We tie to the NJK dock and I don’t want to go ashore. 

Inside, the old building is full or paintings, trophy’s and memorabilia. All I can think of is how much maintenance this building must require and how cold it would be in the winter with these single pane windows. Turns out this structure is closed in the winter. It's also fun to imagine in winter the little protected harbor often freezes over and you can walk across it. Inside the building there is a beautiful library - it would be great to sip some of their nice Cognac and pour of the books. The wrap around veranda - enclosed of course - is covered in burgees from all ages and places, even a burgee from Saltaire, Fire Island! The mention of Fire Island only slightly warms my heart which is heavy to be on solid ground. The food is fine with lovely company. We sleep on the Svanhild one more night.

Ragans blog Day 7

Day 7 Ådö-Högholm

We are headed for Högholmen. This is a very nice spot, closer to Helsinki, we moore off a Coast Guard station. 

There is a happy hour in a house on the island, we dingy over through some mildly choppy seas to their dock. 

The house has a very nice view, and very cool deck cut into the rocks. And a puppy! These houses, this island is perhaps the 1% of Finland? 

They have a wood stand for the boxed wine, I think my friends on Fire Island need this. But to note, even the 1% here have an outhouse. So far I enjoy all the Finnish beers, America should learn their ways, instead of all this IPA swag, or as they say here, ”eeeepaw”.

 Back on board the crew has the Sauna ready, one must rush to get a beer and get in the Sauna. I got extra time, since the rest of the ladies were still in transit from the island. I came to the deck for some air and David had a net, catching these little fishes, anchovy like creatures. We joke with everyone on deck about eating them raw. David looks across the deck at everyone and bites the tail off one, and hands it to me, I take a bite. Oily, fishy. They would be delicious fried whole. 

For dinner there are Crayfish! Songs + vodka shots! It’s John’s birthday – Juha made an ice cream cake! Boat made chocolate ice cream! Dressed in whipped cream, frozen and torched like a baked alaska – kinda – it was delicious. To be remembered, Swedish songs make the best drinking songs, which should be short and quick. Gravity becomes to heavy and I slept better than ever.