A ride to Kustavi to welcome Johan and Suzanne onboard, 21 July 2019

Today was quite an important day as it was the day we completed our tour of the gulf of Bothnia. Our aim was to reach Kustavi, in the Turku archipelago, in order welcome onboard Johan and Suzanne, two months (and 1000 miles) after having departed from Stockholm.

After a month of favourable back winds, we experienced no winds for the first time, around 0.3 m/s on average for the day. A full day on engine then, for a 47 nautical miles...

Rauma, a must, 19-20 July 2019

Rauma (61.141226, 21.472628) is the most interesting stopover we had in Finland this season. Rauma is a city with a long tradition of sailing.

Tatoo exhibit in the Rauma maritime museum.

Reposaari, on the way to Rauma, 18 July 2019

Reposaari (61.617557, 21.442394) was not planned as a stopover on our way to Rauma as we are running a bit short ofttimes to be in Kustavi on Sunday morning to welcome Johan and Suzanne for a week onboard. But there was no wind and we decided to stop there while waiting for better trade winds.

And we liked it. Just have a look...

Kaskinen, a ghost town? 16 July 2019

With rain and no wind in Rönnskär on 15 July, we were ready to spend a second night there. However, the updated weather forecasted indicates a gale for 16 July. North-East winds, 10 to 12 m/s are forecasted for the night. Fearing to get trapped in Rönnskär during the gale, we decide to depart at 22:00 for an overnight 48 mile ride to Kaskö (Kaskinen). We arrive by 4:00 (8 knots on average), just in time for the sunrise and before the gale... 

Sunrise at 4:00, just below the clouds

Rönnskär, 14-15 July 2019

Rönnskär (63.061065, 20.804973) is a small set of islands in the outskirt of the Kvarken archipelago. The guest pier is not indicated in the Svenska Kryssar Klubb pilot book, but you can find the list of the guest harbours in the Kvarken outer archipelago on the Kvarken web site.

The pilot station and the beacon on Rönnskär

 However, how to get there is a question...

A technical and cultural stopover in Vaasa, 14 July 2019

A week after our stopover in Oulu, we are in need for a decent marina with services, electricity, and the city life, restaurant, museums and more... So we went to Vaasa. Like in most of the cities we have visited in the Bottenviken, the city skyline can be seen from far at sea. First, the "fumulus" created by the factories, then the chimneys, cranes, poles...

Vaasa skyline from the sea

 But Vaasa has more to offer...

Mässkär, Kummelskär, 11-12 July 2019

After the two days in Tankar, we continue our descente along the cost of Finland in the Bottenviken through two small interesting islands, Mässkär and Kummelskär, in the pouter Kvarken's archipelago.

Departing from Tankar