Summer 2021

Summer

Loma loma loma

Elisaari 21.7.

The departure date was tentatively set for the end of the first holiday week, i.e. around the 15th and 16th.

Sofia was coming along and the plane from the British landed around that time. However, the winds seemed briskly against and since a few other variables were also in favor of a postponement, the departure was postponed to the second holiday week. Wisely from afar, I decided not to install the hydraulic work unit of the autopilot that I had purchased, so we finally got going on July 21, i.e. Wednesday. An unofficial full moon meeting in Jurmo on July 24th was arranged with Tiira and Ballerina in early summer. The date in question began to approach alarmingly quickly, or the preparations and other holiday slacking were taking too much time. However, based on the experiences of previous summers, I knew that if we wanted to, the trip would turn out surprisingly quickly, and I outlined the schedule like this: the first day’s departure always stretches into the evening, so in practice we end up in Elisaare on 21.7. on the second day, Rosala would be possible, but the promised Rivakka northwesterly wind did not help the matter, so Källviken or another natural harbor near Tammisaari would be a suitable harbor on 22.7. on the third day, a long run to Rosala if the weather permits 23.7. on the fourth day in Jurmo if the weather permits 24.7. So Jurmo 24.7. seemed possible. Nothing but to implement. The target of the first day was Elisaari, which has already slowly become a tradition, where we docked in the early evening.

Källviken 22.7.

first anchoring with a bow anchor The destination of the second day was also a tradition from twenty years ago, namely Källviken. However, we did not land there until the inner bay of Skedö and its northern shore had been raked through during the day. The gusty west-northwest wind was still blowing, so we didn’t stay in those corners and motored towards Pohjanlahti with the intention of landing on the south shore of Källviken. It had a proven and suitable rocky shore and the bottom was usually firm. There was no one at our regular spot in Källviken, and we landed. The gusty west wind already turned to the northwest in the early evening and got stronger. When I went to help a shark that came ashore near us, and when its skipper was thinking about the holding of the anchor, I uttered the fateful words: “I’ve never had to anchor in the bay because of difficulties holding the anchor”….. This took about 45 minutes and our anchor no longer held like that in the gusty wind from the stern good that we could have stayed ashore. So the machine started, and slowly turned into the bay for a few moments, so that I could dig out the bow anchor and connect it to the bow anchor chain. Great excitement took over my mind as I lowered the anchor and counted the length of the chain that was let out. The tension was caused by the fact that I had never lifted an anchor with an anchor winch and, in general, the success of the lifting was completely shrouded in darkness. When the first 10m had gone I asked the helmsman to pack a little and after a while I lowered more chain but not so much that the 20m mark would have been visible. I asked for more kits. The bow settled quite well in the planned place and a short additional packing showed that the anchor also holds at least somewhat. All that’s left is the hatches closed, a tick to the salon side so I can see the situation when I raise my head from the pillow and limp towards the night. I slept as an anchor watch in the saloon and a few times I woke up when a gust of wind turned us. However, the place remained the same the whole time and the night passed peacefully.

Rosala 23.7.

Early wake-up call, 4:30 am. The weather report still promised a brisk northwesterly wind, i.e. the opposite. The purpose was to reach Jurmo, despite the wind, to go all the way to Rosala, which would be very cool when thinking about Jurmo. The bow anchor went up easily with the push of a button and was up amazingly fast. The most laborious step in raising the bow anchor was washing the anchor. The initial journey was uneventful and the 1st genoa in the bow changed to the 3rd just to be sure, as the headwind was promised to be a good 10. After the wind picked up in the eastern part of Hanko, the 3rd genoa ended up being furled as the wind was between the west and northwest, i.e. practically directly against it. Mese served as the foresail. Also, the big one at the top finally came down shortly before Tulliniemi, because cruising didn’t suit the skipper, so he was at work practically all day. The western side of Hanko was crossed completely by engine power, as the wind was completely against the seal channel. We arrived at Rosala, pushed by the meses, and we docked as the first boat downwind in a brisk 10m/s northwesterly wind in the afternoon at 2 p.m. There would have been one place on the other side, but it was so far inside from the end of the pier that it was eliminated from the selections. The people who came after us all docked on the same side as us, except for one, and most of them seemed to be bothered more by the strong wind coming from the side a little more than us, which I was a little surprised by. However, I had to put the tarpaulin on the winch so that it could be tightened, because the strong wind pushed - even the docked boats - awkwardly sideways. Without the winch, tightening would have been impossible, that’s how far Ariadne pulled forward. The evening activities were carried out quite early, because in the morning the plan was to wake up at 4:30 and be in Jurmo already at noon, when there should be plenty of places to choose from. In the evening, slight surprise was caused by the Estonian 46 Hanse, which tried to dock at the end of Rosala’s pier with the stern ahead in a brisk crosswind, with the intention of dropping anchor from the bow. It was apparently some type of cruise, of the ten people on that deck, only the helmsman and one other person were doing something other than standing with their hands in their pockets. After less than an hour of wandering, the boat’s crew came to the same conclusion as I did earlier and the boat left for another port. Jurmo 24.7.-27.7. In Rosala, the morning wake-up call was as planned at 4:30 a.m. and we set off right away with the intention of having breakfast on the way. The sails went up after breakfast at five in the morning and you could rest. A gentle, albeit cool, northerly wind carried us at a comfortable speed of about five knots towards Jurmo. The wind remained relaxed for a long time in the morning, approx. 5-6 m/s, but an hour before Jurmo decided to die down completely, so we lowered the sails and started the engine.

We arrived in Jurmo at 12 o’clock and as planned there were several places suitable for Ariadne. There was a free buoy almost at the end of the pier and we docked like a model. Thinking about the evening’s program, we booked a sauna (both of them) for two hours. When I made my reservation, I assumed that one hour was the norm and the rest had to be negotiated, but when I asked if I could also book on behalf of a friend who is on the way, Klas replied “just mark the whole day, no problem”. Ballerina had left Kasnäs in the morning and arrived an hour later, and Tiira, on the other hand, had left Korpoström’s store and docked next to us around 1:30 p.m. I had “reserved” or rather hidden the empty space next to us for the tern. Fortunately, the boat that came just before Tiira didn’t see the difference and by tightening Ariadne’s stern rope, I got a spot in sight of Tiira. The program for the rest of the day included a party at Ballerina in honor of Aimo and Pim’s wedding anniversary, a sufficient sauna and a comprehensive tour of Tiira. As you can see from Juha’s article in the spring newsletter, the rest of the restoration work and the condition of the boat are incredibly fine. Nice game. The next two days were general slacking, culminating in an evening tea party in Ariadne, at the end of which the crews retreated to their ships, as everyone was leaving the next morning. Ariadne would head more towards the west, i.e. in the direction of Mariehamn, and Ballerina a little further north with Mariehamn also in the sights and Tiira towards Rymättylä. Bänö-ö 27.7. We left Jurmo, again early, heading northwest and west, i.e. Mariehamn. Bänö-ö was chosen as the destination for the day and the idea was just to anchor so that the departure would be easier. We got underway at 6:30 and raised the sails in the shelter of Huvudskär. A gentle southeast wind took us past Husö and we lowered the sails just before the 1.8m fairway starting from Sälsö. We arrived at the familiar natural harbor of Bänö-ö at 14:30 in the afternoon and, after a small round of sounding, dropped anchor near the Länsiranta of Håsholmen, just in time for shelter from the brisk southeast wind. The day was really warm, almost grinding, and to my surprise I decided to go swimming. For the first time in several years. In the afternoon, the wind turned awkwardly to the south and we were no longer sheltered from the wind. However, we stayed where we were, and I went to the night stand to sleep a dog’s sleep from the morning, again on the side of the saloon, where it was easier to monitor the anchoring situation. Mariehamn, 28.7.-31.7. Västra hamn, Pommern, rain and a lot but no mooring wind. Early morning 4:50 came surprisingly quickly, we raised the anchor and headed west on the 1.8m channel. Originally, the intention was to raise the sails around Degerby, but the loose 2-3 m/s northeast wind and laziness prevailed and we drove the plane the whole way. The rain also started near Degerby and near Rödhamn it already started to affect the visibility, so there was more than enough water. We arrived at Mariehamn’s West Port just after noon. Even before Länsisatama, I guessed when the typical 10m/s gusty landfall wind would start. While I was thinking, an unimaginable heavy rain started and I was left waiting for the brisk wind it brought with it for docking. To my great surprise, the heavy rain continued but the wind stayed away and we moored at the end of the ÅSS pier with the bow to the south, in heavy rain but in perfect calm. Confusing.

On the day of arrival, the skipper was already sipping early in the evening, so I missed the dinner that Niina and Sofia enjoyed at ÅSS. There were three days of excitement in Mariehamn and the program included getting around in a modern way by bicycle, even though a motor boater from the same pier bragged to his friends how easy it was to rent a car and drive around. In the store of old goods, I found a merchant from Inko, who was browsing in the store of his acquaintances. With his sympathetic help, we bought six pewter goblets and a matching liquor bottle, also pewter. It was stamped with an encouraging text: “Svenskt brännvin Prima”.

Prima

After successful shopping, we went to Sjökvarteret for lunch. Dinner was meant to be enjoyed at Nautical, for a long time. A great surprise took over my mind in the evening at the door of Nautical’s restaurant hall. “Do you have a reservation?”, Nope, “Unfortunately, it’s full and it won’t be possible later in the evening either”, !!!!!!. Now this has also been experienced. Fortunately for ÅSS, we were able to wait in line for the rest of the day, because it was also full there. However, after half an hour of refreshments, we got to the table and when we moved under the roof to warm up, the evening was a success. During the evening, Sofia booked a table at Nauticala for the following evening, so the place for the future dinner was confirmed. The next day we visited the maritime museum and because of the holiday mood we missed Pomeranian, because it closed already at four o’clock. Originally, we were supposed to continue our journey, albeit in the opposite direction, the very next morning. We enjoyed a fairly successful dinner at Nautical. However, in the morning, on the last day of July, we still decided to visit Pomerania before leaving. This delay paid off, definitely. After a few hours we returned to Ariadne, untied the ropes, started the mizzen and headed towards Rödhamn.

Rödhamn, 31.7.

Rödhamn

Swedish harbor captain, renovated sauna After a couple of hours of motoring, we docked in open Rödhamn. The wind was of course from the side and quite Rivakka, so it was great that the skipper of the Swedish boat came to accept the ropes from Niina. in the course of the afternoon, there were so many boats that there weren’t too many free spaces at the pier. Neighbor boat’s helper acting the harbor captain started moving the bow ropes of his own boat and urged us to do the same because the harbor was getting quite full. However, I decided to wait for a boat that might come next to us and then adjust the ropes as needed. At the beginning of the evening, a Finnish sailboat was parked next to us, but there was no need to adjust the bow lines. We had booked a sauna shift for the evening and were waiting to get to the sauna that we had previously found to be good. Unfortunately, an interior designer like Gloria’s home had visited there at some point and it had been renovated to meet modern requirements. A large part of the old interior had been torn down and replaced with a more Ikea inspired interior. The pier was left as it was and Niina and Sofia took advantage of it by going swimming. I had already completed my summer swimming in Bänö-ö and was content to enjoy a cold beer on the terrace of the sauna, whistling by the cold northerly wind. Degerby, 1.8. Seagram’s and Pizzas, The morning came and we got fresh bread rolls for breakfast. The next stage would be Degerby if there was room, an alternative would be to continue the journey and stop unimaginatively at Bänö-ö bay. We left at 11 o’clock and fresh wind from the north picked up just right to make our departure interesting. Rödhamn’s buoys are far away, and the Rivakka crosswind quickly pushes Ariadne’s bow to the side of the shelter. In a completely different way than in Johanna. With Mese’s commanding, it was mitigated a little, but we still ended up stuck to the buoy. Its chain managed to get wedged between the rudder and the hull and engaging the gear caused quite a clatter, i.e. the chain hit the propeller. After the chain rattling caused by engaging the second gear, I moved to the aft deck and after a light push, I got the chain off. I wondered if the new rotary vane propeller had gotten its wings, but a couple of successful test times with a forward-backward pattern made me decide that the propeller is fine. The day trip was again quite short, as there was space in the harbor on the side of the village of Degerby. A gusty southwesterly wind carried us to Degerbyhy and we moored into the wind, although not quite at the end of the pier because that place was already reserved. However, the second outermost place was free and the brisk southwesterly wind didn’t hinder berthing, and Niina, acting as bow guest, was able to step onto the berth without commands or other loud measures. The program included dining on Seagram’s terrace, where the freezing cold wind tightened the dining. Retreating to Yöpuu was done early, as the plan was to get up early in the morning in order to get over the Gout in time enough before the afternoon traffic jam at Korpoström’s shop. Korpoström 2.8.-3.8. and Verkan’s ribbs behind a taxi ride.

The morning came, completely calm, and we left early enough, i.e. around 0600. After an hour of motoring, the mainsail rose on a 1.8m fairway in a strong 4 m/s southwesterly wind. The sails were up, but mainly the engine generated the forward force and thus we were at Husö already at 9 o’clock. The wind tried to pick up at times and we rested the mese, but the realism of reality had to be accepted and we crossed Kihti mostly with engine power. The confusing layout of Korpoström’s piers and buoys caused slight confusion, as their mutual arrangement did not follow the usual principle. After a short meditation, we docked at the end of the smaller pier, expecting an easy departure the next morning. We arrived on time, it was two in the afternoon. The most difficult problem for the rest of the day was the meal, and after getting used to the menus, the restaurant ended up being Verkan. A chatty local taxi driver dropped us off there and we agreed to call after we’d had dinner. Verkan first tasted Kyrön GT, wings as an appetizer and familiar and safe ribs as a main course. The next morning we decided to stay in Korpoström for one more day and we didn’t leave until Wednesday morning, again in the middle of nowhere, at six in the morning. Ariadne’s bow turned to the east, and according to the markings, the sails were up for only half the time spent on the trip, as the wind remained light before the Kejsarhamnen pier. We were already there by mid-afternoon and the rest of the day was spent as usual without doing anything except visiting Farmor’s Cafe. The wind forecast promised a rising easterly wind for the next day starting in the afternoon. That’s why we left early again the next morning, at six in the morning towards Hanko. The GD enjoyed at Galtarna was recorded in the logbook as taken at eight in the morning and we docked in Hanko at the traditional spot in front of the HSF in a perfect spot already before midday. The crew of Lauri koster 32, which was next to us, was in the mood to talk and during a rather long conversation the topics were Ariadne and e.g. their boat which was the last of its series and where the deck was raised 8 cm. It had also been to the Caribbean, but was then still with its previous Danish owner. We also talked about Johanna, whom they had seen in Hanko a few days earlier. We spent two days in Hanko and the program consisted mainly of eating at various pubs. På Kroken’s fish table was shocking and will not invite us again. The Hangover, on the other hand, was excellent in Classic as usual. From Hanko, the journey continued on Sunday, the last day of the holiday, to Inkoosee, where we docked in the afternoon a little carelessly, i.e. in a curve that was a little too tight but at an angle that was too gentle. The only thing we hit was the stern pole and that remained intact. The thought of a bow thruster came to mind, an idea that has come to mind in a few moments while spinning in tight harbors. Another option is a certain open sea sailing, hmmm…. The most significant autumn sail is probably the end-of-season sail to Elisaari with Ballerina and Lumikki on September 11th and 12th. The Saturday in question was wonderfully sunny and Sunday was its perfect mirror image. From fog, wind and rain. Ariadne got dry at the Sommarö shipyard in September, and since the shipyard took care of washing the bottom, I only had to run the glycols into the machine. The oil change is still in the process, because a crazy idea would be to lift the engine out of the boat, put it in the garage and put it at least partially in pieces and replace almost all the gaskets and renovate the cylinder head at least as far as the nozzles and pre-chambers are concerned. We will return to the topic in the spring with explanations covering up the lack of renovation and the incompetence of the culprit.