MV Dirona travel digest for To Stockholm 2019


Show To Stockholm 2019 travel log map Click the travel log icon on the left to see these locations on a map, with the complete log of our cruise.

On the map page, clicking on a camera or text icon will display a picture and/or log entry for that location, and clicking on the smaller icons along the route will display latitude, longitude and other navigation data for that location. And a live map of our current route and most recent log entries always is available at //mvdirona.com/maps/LocationCurrent.html.


   

6/20/2019: Terminal Hamina
We'd run fairly directly to Santio Island from Helsinki and took a more scenic route on the return trip west that brought us closer to shore-side infrastructure and settlements. This is the extensive tank farm at Terminal Hamina.
6/20/2019: Spitfire
Spitfire curled up to sleep in one of his favourite spots, on a small shelf above the stairs from the pilot house to the staterooms.
6/20/2019: Ruotsinsalmi
Unusually large marks delineating the channel at the narrows of Ruotsinsalmi.
6/20/2019: Fort Slava
Looking south to the round fortification of Fort Slava, completed in 1794 when Finland was under Swedish control.
6/20/2019: Terminal Kotka
Not far from Terminal Hamina is Terminal Kotka. The Port of HaminaKotka is the biggest universal port in Finland, handling cargo ranging from containers to RoRo to liquid bulk to LNG.
6/20/2019: Ruotsinsalmi Battle Monument
Memorial to the Battle of Ruotsinsalmi (English: Svensksund) in which the Swedish navy crushed the Russian fleet, ending the Russo-Swedish war of 1788-1790. It was Sweden's largest naval victory and one of the biggest naval battles in history. 275 Swedish ships with 450 cannons and 14,000 men faced 200-275 Russian ships with 900 cannons and 18,500 men. The Swedish lost 6 ships with 600-700 men killed and wounded, while Russia lost 50-80 ships with 10,000 men wounded, killed and captured.
6/20/2019: Pulpca
Pulpca of Amsterdam en route to Terminal Kotka.
6/20/2019: Construction
Dredger pulling up a load just west of Kotka as part of a terminal expansion project.
6/20/2019: Underway
Blog reader Jarmo Suominen sent us this photo he took from his family's summer house on the island of Langon.
6/20/2019: Pleasure Craft
We saw hardly any pleasure craft underway between Helsinki and Santio Island three weeks ago, but now that the summer season has started we're seeing far more. This one is from France.
6/20/2019: Campers
A great campsite perched above a cliff on Stora Vadholmen.
6/20/2019: Hastholmen Loviisa Nuclear Power Station
The Hastholmen Loviisa Nuclear Power Station is a prominent landmark in the area. The plant initially came online in 1977 and has two reactors each producing 488 Megawatts.
6/20/2019: Emasalo
At anchor for the night off the island of Emasalo just south of Porvoo after a 12-hour run from Pieni-Pisi. We quite enjoyed the spot, tucked in amongst islets with a view to the pleasure craft traffic in the channel to our north.
6/21/2019: Emasalontie Bridge
Approaching the Emasalontie bridge to the island of Emasalo just south of last night's anchorage.
6/21/2019: Border Guard
A large Finnish Border Guard station by the Emasalontie bridge.
6/21/2019: Kilpilahti Industrial Area
The huge Kilpilahti Industrial Area is home to the Neste Porvoo Refinery, among the most advanced in Europe. The refinery is has a capacity of 10.5 million tons per year, or 206,000 barrels per day. They have a tank capacity of 8 million cubic meters and their oil terminal is the largest in Finland with respect to tonnage and receives 1,100-1,400 ships per year. At least five ships were on the docks when we passed.
6/21/2019: Birds
The tiny island of Gadden is full of dead trees packed with nesting cormorants, similar to Lilla Kallskar we'd seen in southeast Sweden. We wondered if the cormorants favour the dead trees or if they were somehow responsible for the trees not making it.
6/21/2019: Bonfire
Another bonfire ready to go for tonight's Midsummer Eve celebration, this one on the outskirts of Helsinki.
6/21/2019: Hevossalmi Bridge
We managed to pass through the Hevossalmi Bridge this time. When we'd tried on departing Helsinki, we found the website was wrong and the bridge opening time had been change from reported 24 hours a day to not beginning until 7:30am.
6/21/2019: Suomenlinna
As part of our scenic route return along the south coast of Finland, we made a pass through Helsinki harbour. This is the view to the sea fortress Soumenlinna that we visited while in Helsinki, with King's Gate Quay prominent.
6/21/2019: Gabriella
The massive Baltic ferry Gabriella entering Helsinki Harbour through the narrow 400-ft (120m) channel between Suomenlinna and Vallisaari. It looks and is crazy tight, and they're doing 12 knots.
6/21/2019: Helsinki
View to Helsinki as we pass through the harbour.
6/21/2019: Baltic Ferries
The Baltic ferries Finlandia and Megastar passing en route in and out of Helsinki West Harbour.
6/21/2019: Megastar
We stopped for a bit off West Harbour to watch Megastar come onto the dock. This is the ship we took to return from Tallin to Helsinki.
6/21/2019: Traffic
Heavy recreational craft traffic in the islands south of Helsinki—boats at speed were constantly passing close by on either side. We prefer cruising in the off-season and it's been a while since we've been somewhere so busy with recreational traffic, perhaps not since Sydney Harbour in late 2015.
6/21/2019: Close Call
This is the fourth or fifth time we have been on a collision course with this same sailboat over the last ten minutes. They are under sail and we're under power, so it's our responsibility to stay out of their way. We have had to nearly stop twice to allow them to pass just barely in front of us, and once we had to speed up to allow them pass behind us. We don't like operating in unnecessarily close quarters, but it seems that whatever speed we operate at, this boat will soon be sailing directly towards us again.
6/21/2019: Happy Midsummer Eve
Two locals noticed our boat anchored off their summer home, found our website, and came over to wish us a Happy Midsummer Eve and even brought us a bottle of wine. The man on the right was from Australia and had married a Finn, his father-in-law is on the left. The Finns are unusually friendly. We've had more people come out to greet us, say hello or offer us travel recommendations than we've had anywhere else in the world.
6/21/2019: SAR
A Search and Rescue (SAR) boat passed by several times during the evening. Midsummer Eve often is accompanied by a fair amount of drinking and has one of the biggest accident rates of any Finnish holiday, so the officials are out in force.
6/22/2019: Sillsundet
Passing through the narrow channel Sillsundet as we proceed west shortly past 5am.
6/22/2019: Cute Creater
We couldn't identify this cute little creature with unusually large ears that swam across our bow this morning. It looks like a muskrat, but its ears seem too large.
6/22/2019: South Coast
The southern Finnish coast is incredibly complex with myriad islands and channels through them. We regret not having more time to explore the area and are considering returning in a couple of seasons to spend more time here and in the Gulf of Bothnia.
6/22/2019: Hanko
The 164ft (50m) salmon-colored Hanko water tower is a prominent landmark visible for miles. An elevator carries visitors to the top for sweeping views.
6/22/2019: Sweet Hope
Nordhavn 64 Sweet Hope at it's homeport of Hanko. Owners Mika Naatula and Katri Rosenberg gave us great advice on cruising in Finland and particularly Lake Saimaa.

If you are interested in cruising through some of the wonderful places we've visited in the past few weeks, or if you just want to spend some time learning about a Nordhavn, Sweet Hope is available for charter. Their boat is beautiful and it's hard to get more knowledgeable hosts than Mika and Katri. Check out some of the itineraries at the bottom of sweethope.fi.
6/22/2019: Gustavsvarn
18th century coastal fortification on Gustavsvarn, built when Finland was still under Swedish control. The light station there was established in 1865 when Russia controlled the area.
6/22/2019: Tulliniemi
Hanko Coast Guard Station on the tip of the peninsula Tulliniemi, the most southern point in mainland Finland.
6/22/2019: Pilot Boat
Hanko Pilot boat station adjacent to the Coast Guard Station.
6/22/2019: Anchorage
We found a lovely sheltered and secluded spot east of the islands Brannskaret and Svedjeholmen. We'd looked on the north side of the islands of Marskaret and Barsskaret, but it felt to exposed to the westerly winds.
6/23/2019: Busy Season
A group of boats tightly packed onto a dock on the island of Hundholmen. It's definitely the busy season now.
6/23/2019: Anchored at Uto
Anchored in the harbour off Uto, with the distinctive red-and-white Uto Light prominent above town in the background.
6/23/2019: Ormskar
Tying off the tender next to the old military dock on the island of Ormskar opposite the harbour from the town of Uto.
6/23/2019: Picnic
A picnic lunch on Ormskar with a view across the harbour.
6/23/2019: Gun
Uto is right at the southwest tip of Finland and a natural place for a military base. The Russians first built one here on their western border with Sweden and enhanced it in the early 1900s to protect from an increased threat from Germany. The island of Ormskar is covered with guns and military fortifications that appear to have been placed in standby mode, with the infrastructure still maintained but public access allowed. This is one of several large guns still on the island.
6/23/2019: Underground
At least a half-dozen underground fortifications are spread out across the island of Ormskar. The outer tunnels were open, but the doors to access the interior were locked.
6/23/2019: Sauna
One of several saunas we found among the fortifications on Ormskar. The Finns love their sauna.
6/23/2019: Pilot Boat
Pilot boat returning to Uto from sea. Uto has been a pilot station for centuries.
6/23/2019: Seascape
Beautiful seascape looking southeast from Ormskar.
6/23/2019: Fortifications
Looking northeast across some of the Ormskar fortifications.
6/23/2019: Boathouses
Tranquil scene at the village of Uto.
6/23/2019: Tiger Lillies
Striking bright-orange tiger lillies growing in the village at Uto.
6/23/2019: Meteorological Station
Uto is known for its meteorological station, that began making weather observations in 1881.
6/23/2019: Uto Light
Finland's first lighthouse was built on Uto in 1753. That light was destroyed by the Russians in the Russo-Swedish Wars of 1808-09 and the current 79ft (24m) square tower was built in 1814.
6/23/2019: Walkway
Walking down an old walkway below the meteorological station. The land on the point in the distance still is controlled by the Finnish Military with access prohibited.
6/23/2019: Uto
View across the village of Uto to the harbour. Dirona is visible anchored just right of center (click image for a larger view).
6/23/2019: Draken Memorial
Draken Memorial on the southern tip of Uto. The ship went aground in 1929 during a storm just south of Uto en route to England with a load of timber. Many shipwrecks have occurred in and around Uto over the years. The most famous is the Estonia, that sank 25 nautical miles to the southeast with a loss of 852 lives in one of the 20th century's worst maritime disasters.
6/23/2019: Shipwreck
We couldn't find any information about this substantial shipwreck off the tiny island of Sundklapparna northeast of Uto. The hull is unusually narrow, with no evidence of propulsion gear and a railing visible on the opposite side.
6/23/2019: 6000 Hours
Our Northern Lights 12kW generator just reached 6,000 hours. We've had to replace a few parts along the way, but it's generally been super-reliable.
6/24/2019: Uto
Uto aglow in the morning sun as we get underway to cross the northern Baltic for Sweden.
6/24/2019: Lagskar Lighthouse
The Lagskar Lighthouse dominates the tiny island of the same name at the southern end of the Aland Islands. The first lighthouse built here in 1840 of wood was replaced by a masonry tower in 1859 that the Russians bombarded and destroyed in World War I. The current tower has stood since 1920.
6/24/2019: Leaving Finland
Lowering our Finnish courtesy flag as we depart Finland.
6/24/2019: Re-entering Sweden
Raising our Swedish courtesy flag as we return to Sweden. We've been asked why we didn't pass back through the Aland Islands. The reason is they are outside the EU fiscal zone, making an entry into Sweden from Aland a little more complex.
6/24/2019: Swedish Customs
Jennifer on the phone with Swedish Customs to report Spitfire arriving into the country. Most EU countries don't track the movements of pets, but Sweden requires any pets entering the country to be explicitly declared.
6/24/2019: Galaxy
The 695ft (212m) Silja Line ferry Galaxy en route to Stockholm from Turku, Finland.
6/24/2019: Rosella
After a 67nm 11-hour run, we found a peaceful and sheltered anchorage in the islets just east of Fejan island with a fabulous view to the Baltic ferry traffic. This is the 446ft (136m) Viking Line ferry Rosella en route to Mariehamn, Aland from Stockholm.
6/24/2019: Gabriella
Right after the Rosella passed heading to Aland, the Viking Line ferry Amorella arrived from Turku, Finland via Aland.
6/24/2019: Swedish Coast Guard
About a half-hour after we'd stopped, the Swedish Coast Guard arrived and boarded us. We were still in their records from before, so we were a little surprised. It appeared they were only interested in confirming that we'd not been in the Schengen immigration area for longer than 90 days consecutively. When we said we'd been checked back into the Schengen area in Finland after passing through Russia, that seemed to end their concerns.
6/24/2019: Finnswan
The 717ft (218 m) Finnlines ferry Finnswan en route to Stockholm from Turku, Finland via Aland.
6/24/2019: Rosella
The Rosella returning from Aland about four hours after it passed here outbound. Aland is outside the EU fiscal zone and ferries stopping there can sell goods on board duty-free. So many northern Baltic ferries stop there briefly en route between other cities, and some, such as the Rosella, run just between Aland and a major center.
6/24/2019: Gabriella
The ferry Gabriella heading back from Stockholm to Turku via Aland, about five hours after it passed our anchorage heading inbound.
6/25/2019: Birka
The 580 ft (177 m) cruise ship Birka en route to Stockholm around 10am.
6/25/2019: Cinderella
The Viking Line ferry Cinderella heading to Stockholm from the Aland islands. We're amazed at the frequency of ferry and cruise ship departures and arrivals into Stockholm and are really loving watching them go past from our anchorage. That bit of shoreline visible in the distance protects us from any wakes, so conditions are calm and peaceful.
6/26/2019: Another Boat
We expected to see at least a few other pleasure craft in our anchorage given that we're into the busy summer season and are only 50 miles from Stockholm. But this boat was the only one, and they opted to anchor one cove over from us.
6/27/2019: Silja Symphony
The 666ft (203m) cruise ferry Silja Symphony en route to Stockholm following an overnight cruise from Helsinki via Aland.
6/27/2019: Ferry Crossing
Two large ferries at the Yxlan-Furusund crossing. It must be a busy crossing to warrant two ferries for such a short distance.
6/27/2019: Stenhammar
The SAR boat Stenhammar just south of the Yxlan-Furusund ferry crossing.
6/27/2019: Mariella
The Viking Line ferry Mariella en route to Stockholm on an overnight run from Helsinki via Aland.
6/27/2019: Victoria I
The Silja Line ship Victoria I on an overnight run to Stockholm from Tallin via, no surprise, Aland (duty-free zone). It seems people take the ferries for a two-night mini-cruise and to take advantage of the duty-free shopping on board. But still, the number of ferries coming and going from Stockholm seems amazingly high.
6/27/2019: Viking Grace
The Viking Grace is the first LNG-powered passenger ship and the first to be fitted with a rotor sail (the large stack-like structure) developed by Norsepower of Finland. The rotor sail provides additional propulsion and is reported to deliver up to 20% fuel savings in favourable weather. The ship's LNG tanks are visible at the stern.
6/27/2019: Vaxholm Fortress
A first view to Vaxholm Fortress—we'll anchor nearby for the night to explore the fortress and adjacent town.
6/27/2019: Traffic
The ferry and pleasure craft traffic is so heavy through the narrow channel west of the fortress that vessels less than 12m long are required to use the eastern channel.
6/27/2019: Passing Vaxholm
Vaxholm Fortress visible off our stern as we pass through the west channel.
6/27/2019: At Anchor
At anchor of Vaxholm.
6/27/2019: Vaxholm Gasthamn
The tender tied of at Vaxholm Gasthamn while we tour ashore. It's such a busy place that moorage is charged even for tenders not staying overnight.
6/27/2019: Bistro Magasinet
Lunch on the terrace at Bistro Magasinet overlooking Vaxholm Fortress and the ferry traffic around it.
6/27/2019: Kastellet Ferry
Boarding the Kastellet cable ferry to tour Vaxholm Fortress.
6/27/2019: Power Cord
The Kastellet cable ferry is entirely electric and winds its power cord in and out on a drum as it crosses the channel. Electric ferries are becoming really common, especially for short distances, but the common configuration is charging batteries at shore and running on battery power. This boat literally has a long extension cord, where it's always plugged into once side and it unreels the extension cord to reach the other side and winds it back on when returning.
6/27/2019: East Wall
Vaxholm Fortress was built in 1544 to protect Stockholm from naval attack, and repelled a Danish attack in 1612. The fortress became particularly important in the 1700s when the Finland became a part of Russia and Stockholm, once in the center of the Swedish kingdom, suddenly was near the eastern border. In 1719, the Russians burned nearly everything in the Stockholm Archipelago, but were unable to take Vaxholm and reach Stockholm.
6/27/2019: North Walls
The fortress walls look substantial, but an 1872 a test shoot showed they weren't sufficiently strong to withstand the artillery advances. It's unusual to actually test a fortress by targetting your own fortification and inspecting the damage. Rather than rebuild the fortress, coastal defense was concentrated farther out in the archipelago.
6/27/2019: Submarine
What appears to be a private submarine underway off Vaxholm Fortress.

Update 07/19/19: Blog reader Matthew Baker suggested this is a rare sighting of a Swedish Attackdykarna (special forces) Seal Carrier SDV. We've had some great submarine sightings while in Sweden.
6/27/2019: Warning
We could not figure out what this sign inside Vaxholm Fortress was warning of or against. It looks like purse-swinging is allowed within the castle grounds and, consequently, caution should be shown.

Update 07/13/2019: Blog reader Leif Johansson explained that the sign is the iconic "Woman with the Handbag", representing the woman who famously struck a neo-Nazi demonstrator with her purse in 1985 at Vaxjo in southern Sweden.
6/27/2019: Tower
The Tower at Vaxholm Fortress, flanked by the East and West Lines.
6/27/2019: C Bar
Having a drink at C Bar, a unique bar on the end of the pier protecting Vaxholm Gasthamn.
6/27/2019: Ferries
View to the ferry dock at Vaxholm from C Bar. Ferries constantly are arriving and leaving Vaxholm en route to Stockholm and the archipelago.
6/27/2019: Waxholms Hotell
We ended the day with a great dinner, again overlooking the fortress and ferry traffic, at Waxholms Hotell.