Happy Midsummer! Hyvää Juhannusta!

This picture is from the last Midsummer, from one of my very first visit to the vessel at home marina in Oulu. See how young I look like ;-) 

Helpin the Captain - Ordering spare parts and upgrades

Browsing the catalog and selecting...

Rather boring task... 

... that needs to be done...

Oh no, there is the first mate. She is always questioning the needs and requires
investment proposals with further explanations. How can I help the poor captain who
just does his duty to maintain the vessel safety?

No problem, I used my regular trick on the first mate: She cannot resist my golden luxurious stomach hair.
I just expose the hair and she will be agreeable with my investment proposals ;-)

Helpin the Captain - Route Planning

One of the regular tasks at sea is the route planning. Both paper charts and electronic navigation is used. It is the captain's responsibility. Fortunately he is not alone with all those decisions as the first mate instructs him where the vessel shall sail and I help with the big picture, on the paper chart, literally. 

As a chief of the vessel I oversee the route planning. Looking good so far...

What happens now?

Oh no, this is not going well...

Captain, you need to pay attention! Look at what I show to you with my paw.

Here, here! We shall go here!

Top 3 moment of the last summer - No 1

The top moment of the last summer I agree with my crew. It is the days anchoring in Huvön lagoon in early August, when the summer is in its fullest and the skies are the bluest. How enjoyable. Sun. Warmth. Lovely scent of the forest and the sea. Bright water, we could see salmon swimming by. The crew was swimming and playing with the dinghy. They made short walks to the mountain. I had to oversee this activity but still I was enjoying and relaxing. (The dinghy travel experiences I left for upcoming summers.)

Top 3 moments of the last summer - My No 2

Today I will announce my first runner-up. The September weekend visits to Tankar! The island of the old wise lighthouse, lovely protective harbor pool, pittoresque old fisherman's outpost cottages serving today's generations as summer houses and first of all, the lovely selection of birds! I could stay hours and hours outside in the cock-pit and just enjoy the fresh air. And the birds, it just  got better and better as summer turned to autumn, the swallows were few and finishing their business before commencing their migration, wagtails were as perky as only they can, my favorite winter bird Parus Major had started to move from the forests closer to the habited grounds. And the geese, Branta leucopsis, they were not in hurry but just browsing and hogging the grass! I was only watching tough...

Top 3 moments of the last summer - Crew's No 2b

Here comes the second part of the Seskarö sands, Sorttisviken. Sorttisviken is a small bay, almost like a secret lagoon behind a narrow, winding fairway. Air view here.The steepness of the sand bank does not stop at the waterline but it continues as a lovely pine forest. The first mate has a thing for pine forests, I think it is the "intoxicating scent lingering in the Nordic pine forest in sunny, late summer afternoons" that enchants her. Also, she often mentions how she loves "the coppery colors that the setting sun paints on the pine trunks". However I need to keep monitoring to get more comprehensive view on this - as a chief of the vessel I need to understand my crew's likings  to be able to motivate them to better and better achievements in my service.

Top 3 moments of the last summer - Crew's No 2a

Its the crew's turn to announce their first runner-up, the Seskarö sands. There are the two famous park-head-in-to-beach locations, Sammakkalahti and Sorttisviken. I can tell you dear reader that I get to hear regularly my crew raving about these locations, so impressed they are about them. And I agree it is a new perspective for myself too.

First some pics on Sammakkalahti. The sand bank over water is actually quite small. When arriving from the opening from the north we had to come close to see the sand, this mini-peninsula,  even with binoculars. The profile of the sand formation is wedge-like. The southern side of the bank is actually the one to moor into and it declines steeply. While moored the vessel depth measurements went gaga and showed fast changing digits between 5 to 7 meters. Maybe this was a technical anomaly rather than actual measurement, assumedly caused by the steepness or some debris. The northern side of the peninsula is very shallow and it gets the depth again slowly. Here is link to air view. In the first two pics you can see by carefully looking little buoys indicating the shallowness. In addition of the geographical uniqueness the thing my crew is so impressed about is the concept of being able to go down the ladder in the bow and set one's feet on sand. Bare feet on warm sand. Possible use the summer warm water (18C) to wash off any of it before climbing to the boat. This thought puts smile on my crew's faces specially in today's weather conditions of -8C without any snow.

I still would like to add that I do not put my feet in to water and that I do not dream about it. I rather post my own first runner-up once the crew has finished with the Seskarö sands; Sorttisviken will be posted next.

Top 3 moments of last Summer - My No 3

My own selection for the second runner up is the swallow frenzy in Iin Röyttä. They were many and they were fast. So much excitement and irritation.  I explain the situation in detail in my earlier post "Fast objects in my mast" in August. 

Top 3 moments of last Summer - Crew's No 3

Here comes the post series on highlights of my Summer - I will let my crew to announce their Number 3 first. In couple of days I will post my personal Number 3.

In the crew's selection the second runner up is the sunset sailing from Vatunginnokka to Kemi. This was really the first serious sailing on our vacation as we had to wait for the weather window in all the marinas we stopped in the beginning of our vacation sailing. There was enough wind left, and we tacked with a good speed. Towards the sunset. That was just exactly what we needed after hanging around in marinas for good number of days. Brisk wind. Bright skies. Last but not least the feeling of freedom and independency that progression with the wind can give.

Returning to the concept of sailing to the sunset. That has great symbolic value to my crew. What that value is I have not yet figured out but if it is important to them I can manage with it.