Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Onto the dry land
Here are some pics of the significant day when summer turned into winter (as far as Summertime is concerned, at least). Pay careful attention to those two "before and after" photos:
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Pikku Leikosaari
Fact sheet:
* date: 2012-09-02
* duration: 2 hours
* length: 25 km
We embarked on this mission with some doubts regarding the weather, but promptly at noon the sun came out, as predicted by the Finnish Meteorological Institute. After a quick consultation with the map, we decided to head east and away from the main marine routes of the west. Pikku Leikosaari looked like a good destination, so we headed out that way.
Luck was on our side, as there was a perfect anchoring/mooring spot near the swimming pier. Some friendly souls had marked the mooring rings with white paint and indicative arrows :)
Mikko kept guard as our boat was moving around quite a bit. Meanwhile, I toured Pikku Leikosaari.
The island is property of the Uudenmaan virkistysalueyhdistys. There are some picnic tables and barbecue spots, as well as a toilet, wood shed and a small sauna.
With the provided axe you can cut the wood and heat the wood-burning stove in the sauna. One shouldn't throw seawater on the stove, but use the fresh-water provided.
All in all, a nice little island!
* date: 2012-09-02
* duration: 2 hours
* length: 25 km
We embarked on this mission with some doubts regarding the weather, but promptly at noon the sun came out, as predicted by the Finnish Meteorological Institute. After a quick consultation with the map, we decided to head east and away from the main marine routes of the west. Pikku Leikosaari looked like a good destination, so we headed out that way.
Luck was on our side, as there was a perfect anchoring/mooring spot near the swimming pier. Some friendly souls had marked the mooring rings with white paint and indicative arrows :)
Mikko kept guard as our boat was moving around quite a bit. Meanwhile, I toured Pikku Leikosaari.
The island is property of the Uudenmaan virkistysalueyhdistys. There are some picnic tables and barbecue spots, as well as a toilet, wood shed and a small sauna.
With the provided axe you can cut the wood and heat the wood-burning stove in the sauna. One shouldn't throw seawater on the stove, but use the fresh-water provided.
All in all, a nice little island!
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Boating with parents
Fact sheet:
* date: 2012-08-21
* duration: 1 hours 15 minutes
* length: 15 km
Finally I had the chance to take my parents out on the sea with Summertime. The sea was calm and the evening sun was beautiful.
We did the short Helsinki-by-the-sea sightseeing route, taking in Merihaka, Katajanokka, Kauppatori, Kaivopuisto and Suomenlinna. My father even tried some boating himself, adjusting quickly to the constant manouvering needs of the "aft steering".
The sea level was -15cm and we had no problem going under the bridge between Iso and Pieni Mustasaari on the way back to Tervasaari
* date: 2012-08-21
* duration: 1 hours 15 minutes
* length: 15 km
Finally I had the chance to take my parents out on the sea with Summertime. The sea was calm and the evening sun was beautiful.
We did the short Helsinki-by-the-sea sightseeing route, taking in Merihaka, Katajanokka, Kauppatori, Kaivopuisto and Suomenlinna. My father even tried some boating himself, adjusting quickly to the constant manouvering needs of the "aft steering".
The sea level was -15cm and we had no problem going under the bridge between Iso and Pieni Mustasaari on the way back to Tervasaari
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Log Entry #?: Kaivopuisto-Kauppatori
Fact sheet:
* date: 2012-08-15
* duration: 1,5 hours
* length: <20 km
Thanks to Ola and Salla for a great evening on the sea, in perfectly still weather and with a beautiful sunset. We sightsaw Suomenlinna, Kaivopuisto, a big old sailing boat, the Harakka island, a big Viking Line XPRS boat, and the Market Square. And managed to dock safely on the second try :)
* date: 2012-08-15
* duration: 1,5 hours
* length: <20 km
Thanks to Ola and Salla for a great evening on the sea, in perfectly still weather and with a beautiful sunset. We sightsaw Suomenlinna, Kaivopuisto, a big old sailing boat, the Harakka island, a big Viking Line XPRS boat, and the Market Square. And managed to dock safely on the second try :)
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Log entry #?: Verkkosaari-Pihlajasaari-Suomenlinna
Fact sheet:
* date: 2012-08-11
* duration: 2 hours
* length: 23 km
* date: 2012-08-11
* duration: 2 hours
* length: 23 km
Another great evening on the sea, with Jukka a.k.a. "Speedo" this time. Perfect weather, almost no wind and glorious evening sun. We went for some cruisin' around, first to Verkkosaari, then to Pihlajasaari via the Kaivopuisto harbour, and finally thru the Kustaanmiekka strait back to Tervasaari. No problems with the boat, and only a few human errors, as we dropped the buoy hook twice before it really hooked :)
Thanks Speedo! :)
Friday, August 10, 2012
Log entry #?: Villinki-Malkasaari-Pyysaari
Fact sheet:
* date: 2012-08-10
* duration: 3 hours 10 minutes
* length: 24,6 km
Today was strictly a guys night out on the boat. Me, Pertti and Marko headed out to chilly and windy sea, first filling up at St1 -- 25 liters of the expensive 98 octane stuff. We then headed to Villinki, to pick up one of our fenders mysteriously tied and left to the pier on a previous trip :) The Hevossalmi turnbridge was closed for sailboats due to a cable failure but that didn't stop us. After that we headed to Malkasaari to stretch our legs a bit.
Our final destination was Pyysaari, where the HTPS restaurant welcomed us (wait, shouldn't that be https? :)). Their kitchen had just closed but still they managed to put together some shrimp and chicken sandwiches for us -- with a friendly service!
We could've stayed there longer, admiring the well stocked bar, but had to get back to Tervasaari before full dark set in. And that was a wise decision, as our navigation lights didn't work due to a blown fuse...
* date: 2012-08-10
* duration: 3 hours 10 minutes
* length: 24,6 km
Today was strictly a guys night out on the boat. Me, Pertti and Marko headed out to chilly and windy sea, first filling up at St1 -- 25 liters of the expensive 98 octane stuff. We then headed to Villinki, to pick up one of our fenders mysteriously tied and left to the pier on a previous trip :) The Hevossalmi turnbridge was closed for sailboats due to a cable failure but that didn't stop us. After that we headed to Malkasaari to stretch our legs a bit.
Our final destination was Pyysaari, where the HTPS restaurant welcomed us (wait, shouldn't that be https? :)). Their kitchen had just closed but still they managed to put together some shrimp and chicken sandwiches for us -- with a friendly service!
We could've stayed there longer, admiring the well stocked bar, but had to get back to Tervasaari before full dark set in. And that was a wise decision, as our navigation lights didn't work due to a blown fuse...
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Working on the chain gang
Summertime had her first work-related trip. Went to Villinki for sprint end meetings and "some" refreshments afterwards. Here are some pics of the trip:
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Log entry #9: Keilalahti
* date: 2012-07-12
* duration: 2 hours 30 minutes
* length: 30 km
This time it was just me and Pertti, heading for a short trip to do some fishing. First we filled the tanks at the HMVK ST1 station. About 28 liters of liquid gold went in, making the average fuel consumption on our return leg from Porvoo about 0,6 liters per km (or about 1.1 liter per nautical mile).
We first headed to Lauttasaari and after consulting a more experienced fisherman over the phone, moved to the bay between Lehtisaari and Keilaniemi. Fish wasn't biting, but we cooked a nice lunch with Kabanossi sausages, at anchor near the small island of Leppäluoto.
The menu was tasty and healthy: A-class sausages, rye bread, salad with olive oil, and mint tea for dessert :)
It was soon time to head back, to give the boat to Mikko for their afternoon outing. Our route was a new one, going via Hanasaari and Käärmeluodot, and then joining the familiar route from Melkki eastward.
We had good timing, as the rain started only at Tervasaari pier, welcoming Mikko's family aboard :)
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Log entry #8: Porvoo
Fact sheet:
* date: 2012-07-05/06
* duration: 7 hours 30 minutes
* length: 106 km
This time we did a whopper of a journey to Porvoo and back! One way is about 53 km and 3 hours and 45 minutes without any breaks. Of course we did take a long lunch break, to test our Croatian wineholder/co-skipper. On the menu we had new potatoes, salad and finnish salmon. And all this fresh from the Helsinki market square vendors!
Porvoo was very welcoming for us; the guest harbour was full but the friendly people from Jokiranta Cafe guided us to a vacant buoy near them, and it was perfect!
We had a great meal at Timbaali restaurant and then sipped the rest of the Croatian Posip white wine while watching the sun set. The next day we invested heavily in various shops around Porvoo and headed back. The passenger ship J.L.Runeberg greeted us in the Porvoonjoki delta.
Yours truly also tried to make the return trip more interesting with some "heel-and-toe" steering :)
The highlight of the return trip was hopping on the huge waves of a cargo tanker, scary! But Summertime survived without damage.
* date: 2012-07-05/06
* duration: 7 hours 30 minutes
* length: 106 km
This time we did a whopper of a journey to Porvoo and back! One way is about 53 km and 3 hours and 45 minutes without any breaks. Of course we did take a long lunch break, to test our Croatian wineholder/co-skipper. On the menu we had new potatoes, salad and finnish salmon. And all this fresh from the Helsinki market square vendors!
Porvoo was very welcoming for us; the guest harbour was full but the friendly people from Jokiranta Cafe guided us to a vacant buoy near them, and it was perfect!
We had a great meal at Timbaali restaurant and then sipped the rest of the Croatian Posip white wine while watching the sun set. The next day we invested heavily in various shops around Porvoo and headed back. The passenger ship J.L.Runeberg greeted us in the Porvoonjoki delta.
Yours truly also tried to make the return trip more interesting with some "heel-and-toe" steering :)
The highlight of the return trip was hopping on the huge waves of a cargo tanker, scary! But Summertime survived without damage.
Log entry #6: Pihlajasaari
Fact sheet:
* date: 2012-06-12
* duration: 93 minutes
* length: 16 km
Our sixth journey took us to the island of Pihlajasaari for a dip in the cold cold sea. Our Lowrance temp meter indicated a low temperature of +15,5 Celcius...brrr! During this leg we had no "älämölö" (finnish for marine distress yelling), although our aft buoy-hook-rope turned out to be a little short (13 m) for the first buoy we tried. But Veneilijän verkkokauppa will come to the rescue with 22 meters of FSE Robline RIO mooring rope.
We then headed to Suomenlinna guest harbour for some familiar salmon soup, and then back to pier at Tervasaari. Suomenlinna was packed to the max with marine holidayers, but we just squeezed in :)
* date: 2012-06-12
* duration: 93 minutes
* length: 16 km
Our sixth journey took us to the island of Pihlajasaari for a dip in the cold cold sea. Our Lowrance temp meter indicated a low temperature of +15,5 Celcius...brrr! During this leg we had no "älämölö" (finnish for marine distress yelling), although our aft buoy-hook-rope turned out to be a little short (13 m) for the first buoy we tried. But Veneilijän verkkokauppa will come to the rescue with 22 meters of FSE Robline RIO mooring rope.
We then headed to Suomenlinna guest harbour for some familiar salmon soup, and then back to pier at Tervasaari. Suomenlinna was packed to the max with marine holidayers, but we just squeezed in :)
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Gear happy
We had a long day at the pier today, bolting the mast back in place and installing a brand new toy: the Lowrance X-4 fish sonar. We'll use it mainly to scout for underwater rocks instead of fish. And as a bonus it will show us the voltage of our boats batteries!
First we turned the boat around and backed to the pier, to have easier access to the transom. After drilling the hole, Mikko was the courageous one, measuring and screwing below the waterline, in chilly water of +15 Celcius. Routing the sensor cable to the cockpit was a mighty tight fit, but in the end it worked out, with about 5 cm to spare.
The duct tape is for demonstration purposes only, tomorrow we'll screw it down properly, connect the battery and give it a test drive. And it should also give an accurate reading of the water temperature -- what a marine multi-meter!
Docking aft-first was very handy for getting aboard, maybe we'll continue this way in the future too...
First we turned the boat around and backed to the pier, to have easier access to the transom. After drilling the hole, Mikko was the courageous one, measuring and screwing below the waterline, in chilly water of +15 Celcius. Routing the sensor cable to the cockpit was a mighty tight fit, but in the end it worked out, with about 5 cm to spare.
The duct tape is for demonstration purposes only, tomorrow we'll screw it down properly, connect the battery and give it a test drive. And it should also give an accurate reading of the water temperature -- what a marine multi-meter!
Docking aft-first was very handy for getting aboard, maybe we'll continue this way in the future too...
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Log entry #5: Malkasaari
We'll have to tally our numbers to get the log entry facts straight, but we had a great "sleep-over" trip to Malkasaari. We took the shortest route and arrived in a record time of 42 minutes. The weather was perfect: glaring sun and no waves to speak of. Mikko cooked a salmon medallion to perfection and we enjoyed mozzarella salad as well. The archipelago near Malkasaari looks great at sunset!
Saturday turned out to be the hottest day of the summer so far: +23 degrees Celcius! And a great way to cool oneself is to start rowing a 35€ rubber dinghy from Clas Ohlson :)
After Malkasaari we mad a nice tour via Kalliosaari to Mustalahti, near the Uutela outdoor area. We moored at the guest pier of Vuosaaren Urheilukalastajat. There was no charge as we only stayed for lunch at Kahvila Kampela. As always, they had a great salmon soup in both creamy and clear versions.
On the way back we did a detour to SEO Puotila marine gas station, and had some danish at anchor, before heading back to Tervasaari via the Degerö channel.
Saturday turned out to be the hottest day of the summer so far: +23 degrees Celcius! And a great way to cool oneself is to start rowing a 35€ rubber dinghy from Clas Ohlson :)
After Malkasaari we mad a nice tour via Kalliosaari to Mustalahti, near the Uutela outdoor area. We moored at the guest pier of Vuosaaren Urheilukalastajat. There was no charge as we only stayed for lunch at Kahvila Kampela. As always, they had a great salmon soup in both creamy and clear versions.
On the way back we did a detour to SEO Puotila marine gas station, and had some danish at anchor, before heading back to Tervasaari via the Degerö channel.
Log entry #4: Suomenlinna (11 km)
Fact sheet:
* date: 2012-06-12
* duration: 46 minutes
* length: 11 km
* max speed: 21,3 km/h
Took some spanish class mates to Suomenlinna, for a nice evening at Valimo, Panimo and Yläkerho (what a great selection of music they had in the jukebox!).
* date: 2012-06-12
* duration: 46 minutes
* length: 11 km
* max speed: 21,3 km/h
Took some spanish class mates to Suomenlinna, for a nice evening at Valimo, Panimo and Yläkerho (what a great selection of music they had in the jukebox!).
Log entry #3: Malkasaari (26 km)
Let's have the facts first:
* date: 2012-06-10
* duration: 1 hour 45 minutes
* length: 26 km
* max speed: 17,7 km/h
Malkasaari welcomed us with a nice summer sunshine, and both tofu and "real meat" sausages warmed up nicely in the "barbeque hut". Also on the menu: fresh salad, strawberries with whipped cream, sparkling wine...
* date: 2012-06-10
* duration: 1 hour 45 minutes
* length: 26 km
* max speed: 17,7 km/h
Malkasaari welcomed us with a nice summer sunshine, and both tofu and "real meat" sausages warmed up nicely in the "barbeque hut". Also on the menu: fresh salad, strawberries with whipped cream, sparkling wine...
Log entry #1: launch (4,9 km)
Just to keep our log book nice and tidy, here are some facts about the launch day:
* date: 2012-05-30
* duration: 23 minutes
* length: 4,9 km
* max speed: 22,3 km/h
* date: 2012-05-30
* duration: 23 minutes
* length: 4,9 km
* max speed: 22,3 km/h
Monday, June 4, 2012
Log entry #2: Vasikkasaari (17,5 km)
Today was a good day. A great sunny day. But first we had to give way to a way bigger boat. After all, it had the right of way, coming from the right...
Then a nice salmon soup at the Valimo bar pier, followed by some sightseeing in Vasikkasaari. We docked at the Helsinki City pier, as there was no other choice for visiting boats.
The evening ended with the "Sonisphere" concert. It's great to have these free events :) Metallica rulezz!!
Then a nice salmon soup at the Valimo bar pier, followed by some sightseeing in Vasikkasaari. We docked at the Helsinki City pier, as there was no other choice for visiting boats.
The evening ended with the "Sonisphere" concert. It's great to have these free events :) Metallica rulezz!!
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