Island Odyssey

There are two marinas in Hanko, the port at the tip of mainland Finland, and an essential stop before heading out to the Åland Island archipelago. We chose the island marina, set on rolling granite rock, with wild flowers growing in the cracks, and wooden walkways to the sauna. It was very nice indeed. A little marina boat took us ashore for provisions and a walk through town.

Over the following days we sailed through the chain of southern islands. Each had its unique charms.

In perfect winds, we tacked through tricky channels and had a glorious day, where we almost felt like we were racing in close quarters with buoys, hazards and other boats. Our destination was a little harbour called Rosala.

After a brisk day with two reefs and a bit of a chop, we thought we would need some shelter, and the isolated low lying islands did not look sufficient. But once inside Uto, an active military station, we found a very busy harbour, preparing for a festival. We rafted up beside a large racing Grand Soleil, the skipper was the Finnish Champion in his class, and we had a Russian boat and a Norwegian boat outside us by the evening.

The next day, on our Finnish friend’s recommendation we called at Sandvik on Kökar, a magical little harbour, where we bought smoked fish, and booked the sauna on the rocks! We even had birch leaves for a bit of Finnish style.

Well, it would not have done to wimp out on the full experience of a dip in the sea, despite the cool temperature. And now we understand! The hot sauna and the cool water are fantastic together, but the cold water has to be followed by another blast in the hot sauna. So it’s hard to know when to stop.

But we knew we had to be back on board by 9 pm. A bugle blew, and an anthem was played, and everyone brought their ensigns in from the stern.