Dep. 9.08am Arr. 5.40pm 46.1nm. 8 hours 32 minutes
For a higher-resolution map of this route, click HERE:
Friday July 5th: Kevin packed his belongings quickly and stepped off the boat a little before 9am. He had been an excellent crew mate and he seemed eager to repeat the experience in 2020. I would certainly be happy to have him on Arcturus again.
But time and tide wait for no man so I quickly prepped for departure and headed out into the Gulf of Finland shortly after 9am. The wind was very light so I motored under mainsail alone all day. There was a bit more wind in the middle of the Gulf of Finland but not enough to tempt me. I tied up in Helsinki Marina, which is ideally located in the heart of town, around 5.40pm. The boat was quite a mess after ten days with Kevin and myself so job one was cleaning her up so she could receive visitors. I was scheduled to meet with Knut M and Grace F, another two sailors from my home port, the following day.
Sat. 6th. I was up early scout the neighborhood and spent an interesting hour walking through the waterfront, which was hosting an American classic car convention. There were plenty of classic Buicks, Dodges and more on display and the sense of dislocation was heightened by the fact that the attendees were dressed appropriately in denim, black boots and even a few baseball caps sporting Confederate flags. I was also happy to see a busy farmer’s market selling fresh local produce and a few food stands dotted around. I arranged to meet Grace back at the boat at 11.30am and together we walked into town hunting for supplies, groceries, ceramic knives, dish towels, etc. We found everything we needed (and something we didn’t) at the Stockman department store. It was raining off and on and I opted to buy a ‘cheap’ umbrella. Either through fatigue or not paying attention I shelled out $75 for a garish Marimekko umbrella but by the time I got back to the boat and realized my error I couldn’t be bothered to take it back.
Knut had taken up residence in a waterfront bar right by my boat, sheltering from the driving rain outside. Grace and I met up with him for a quick beer and thence to the boat. We enjoyed an Italian meal at a local restaurant and a bottle of wine before turning in. Grace had the forepeak and Knut and I shared the main cabin.
Sun. 7th: Departed for Talinn about 9am after brief knot tying and fender briefing. Motored the whole way in very light air. Dinner on the boat (meatballs and new potatoes). Followed by drinks and conversation. I didn’t know either of these folks very well but it was soon obvious that we would all get on like a house on fire. The passage to Talinn was uneventful so I won’t dwell on it, as much more interesting passages awaited us.
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