It's time for Åland! The route is entered in the plotter: Just under 37 nautical miles lie ahead of us. From Öregrund in Sweden, where we slip the moorings at 11 a.m. on the dot, the "Rolling Swiss 2" first heads back the way we came yesterday, sheltered by the island of Gräsö. We head south-east and then westwards between the beacons on the Vässarögrund, Kofoten and Skogsskär towards the open sea. Ahead of us lie the Ålandshavet and - still below the horizon - the islands that gave this area of the Baltic Sea its name. They will be the area for the second part of our summer cruise with the Cruising Club of Switzerland.
The last skerries are left behind. But the weather moves with us, dark layered clouds, only with occasional gaps. About halfway along the route, we are hit by a heavy shower. At least the wind is limited as forecast, no more than three Beaufort. Nevertheless, the swell from the south ensures that our Trader 42 rolls properly. As I'm not needed, I lie down in my bunk and only realise that I've fallen asleep when I wake up a good hour later. There is still movement in the ship, even though the first reddish rocks are already passing by outside. The wide Husfjärden and the low, dark silhouette of the island of Eckerö in western Åland stretch out before us. But the ferry landing stage just ahead is not our destination.
We turn slightly to port and head for the entrance to the natural harbour of Käringsund. According to our booking app Dockspot, this is considered "the pearl of the Baltic". The price is set accordingly: 88 euros. Our place is reserved for this, not at the stern buoys on the wooden jetty that runs along the shore rocks, but alongside a solid concrete floating jetty. Pine trees, red huts and boathouses form the backdrop on land. Scandinavia as in a picture book. Directly opposite, a large Grand Banks from Espoo has moored on the Finnish south coast. And after the sign at the entrance to the bay ("Välkommen till Käringsundet"), we are now greeted personally by the flybridge of the trawler, surprisingly with a "Grüezi". This is not the first time that the Swiss cross on our stern has attracted attention.
Åland celebrates 100 years of autonomy
There is a lot going on ashore, partly because there is a campsite hidden in the forest nearby. Cars with Åland licence plates are parked in front of the Bodegan harbour bar and the terrace by the water is in demand. The beer and wine glasses on the wooden tables sparkle like gems in the sun. A flag with the inscription "100 År" flies above them - this summer, the islands are celebrating one hundred years of autonomy.
A true blessing, because the strategic location in the heart of the Baltic Sea was always a disaster for the inhabitants of Åland. Namely when the great powers of the region, Sweden and Russia, were at war. The English also liked to get involved. After the collapse of the Tsarist Empire and Finnish independence in 1917, the League of Nations in Geneva soon negotiated the "Åland question". Although it meant that the Swedish-speaking archipelago remained part of Finland, it also guaranteed permanent autonomy and demilitarisation. "Welcome to the peaceful islands" a sign welcomes visitors.
We now head ashore with our photo backpack. On the peninsula that separates the bay from the sea, a plaque provides information about the geology of the archipelago. If I understand the Swedish correctly, the archipelago was at the height of the equator 140 million years ago. Coral fossils bear witness to this. Trilobites populated the warm sea back then. Even though that was a long time ago and tropical latitudes are now a long way off, Maggie and Lothar from our crew don't want to miss out on their first swim in the Åland Sea. Between two passing bands of rain, however, the sun actually comes out and benevolently provides warmth as we dry off.
Continue on the route
As announced, the sky is grey again the next morning. Even the pearl of the Baltic Sea becomes dull. Our route to the south-east to the capital Mariehamn should take us through the sheltered, narrow Marsundet that separates Eckerö from the main island of Fasta Åland. We were expecting a few narrow fairways, but nothing like this: four offset cardinal buoys, three south and one north, a mental exercise in yellow and black. The distance between them feels like no more than a boat's length. We have to stop to be able to round the poles. As the channel depth is specified as 1.80 metres, there is not much room for manoeuvre. Navionics calls the place Näskatssundet. The only other place of nautical interest is the seven metre high fixed bridge between Alvarsholmen and Koholmen. The southern part is particularly scenic, once again like a tranquil inland journey.
Coming from the west, we finally reach the main fairway to Västerhamn from Mariehamn, which is also used by the large ferries. The "Galaxy" is just pushing off the pier and passing us on its way from Turku, Helsinki or Stockholm; skipper Marc knows the timetable. Now the yellow masts and yards of the four-masted barque "Pommern" loom ahead - and behind them are the jetties of Åländska Segelsällskapet. As we approach, an ÅSS rubber dinghy picks us up. Yes, yes, we have a reservation: Foxtrot One is our place and less than five minutes later our Cummins twins in the engine room call it a day. We are moored directly under the overhanging carved gable of the clubhouse. It's still cloudy, but the blue stripe on the horizon is getting closer.
But first we board the "Pommern", which belongs to the Maritime Museum. The 120-year-old steel barque is in good condition and even barrier-free. The cargo hold has been converted into a multimedia storm experience, and original bottled ballast sand is available to buy in the shop. Then it's the turn of the actual museum: pictures of captains, figureheads and ship models, painted, polished and oiled items. Many names that are also familiar in Germany: a bailer from the "Pamir", the steering position of the "Passat".
The fact that you come across them here is down to Gustav Erikson, the king of sailing ships. Few men have made the Åland Islands as internationally famous as the shipowner from Mariehamn. When the steamship finally triumphed over the cargo sailing ship after the First World War, because even the fastest of the proud tall ships could no longer keep up with modern turbines, he capitalised on this weakness: he bought rows of sailing ships at knock-down prices and deployed them on a route where speed was not yet so important - on the wheat voyage to Australia. As a result, many of the legendary former Flying-P-Liners of the Hamburg shipping company Laeisz cruised under the white flag with the red initials "GE" in their old days. At the same time, they carried the name of their new home port of Mariehamn around the world. This strategy made Erikson a rich man. He gave much of it back to his hometown during his lifetime. The four topsides of the "Pommern" high above the harbour are his memorial.
Trip planning over dinner
We finalise the programme for the remaining days of the trip over pizza at the Albin Café in the evening. Our table for four in the evening sun is right by the water, just a few steps away from the boat. Tomorrow we're off to the archipelago again: Rödhamn is the destination, the outer harbour of the ÅSS. This will be followed by Degerby, Bomarsund and Kastelholm before heading back to Mariehamn and then back to Stockholm, the starting point of our cruise, in one go.
I'm due to set off again at 11am the next day. I set off again before then, along the shady esplanade (to the early wailing of the leaf cutters) towards Österhamn. Wooden houses left and right in beige, white and grey. Skipper Marc said the townscape reminded him of Yakutsk. No wonder, after all, Finland was part of Russia when Mariehamn's street grid was laid out - as was the case with so many towns in the province of the former Grand Duchy in the Tsarist Empire. But the proof of the city's independence lies ahead: the concrete ensemble of the parliament (called Lagting) and the seat of government, which is strongly reminiscent of the 1970s. A narrow expanse of water in front of it is flanked by simple colonnades. On the individual pillars are brass plaques with key events from Åland's history, from demilitarisation after the end of the Crimean War in 1856 to membership of the Nordic Council in 1970.
We cast off, say goodbye to the "Pommern" for the time being and soon leave the main fairway of the approach and head south-southeast on the Västerfjärden into the archipelago, reaching the bay of Rödhamn. The jetty on the rock is well occupied, but we want to anchor anyway. It's a really beautiful place, no coincidence that the ÅSS has hoisted its flag here. Wooden shacks by the water, even a small bathing beach. On the rocky ridge of the island are a few white wooden houses and one of the large, rectangular beacons. At a depth of five metres, our iron falls and jerks in after twenty metres of chain. The dinghy is quickly made ready for shore leave.
We land at the jetty of the very chilled island café and swarm out. My path leads up to the old pilot house on the highest point of the island and finally down the other side to the south coast, over red scree and through flat, dry scrub to the rutted granite slabs that slope gently down to the shore. Although there is complete solitude at the moment, predecessors have left their mark: Small stone towers rise up everywhere. It doesn't go any further. The waves wash around the warm rock in front of me. So I stretch out and pull my hat over my face until the clouds come and it gets cooler. A wonderful place that will remain in my memory.
With the motor yacht through the archipelago
On the following day, the Cruising Club's motor yacht steers around the southern tip of the island of Lemland into the Ledfjärden and follows it to the north-east until the countless small skerries become the larger, closely spaced ones that are grouped together on the map under the municipality of Föglö. The wind is blowing chilly from the west and keeps sending gusts of rain. We make a stopover on today's stage: Degerby's smallgästhamnis located just north of the ferry terminal. Whether this is the reason why the cruising guide describes the place as "Mariehamn in miniature" remains to be seen. There are no other parallels from the water. We go to the stern buoy, the sun comes out and makes the colours glow. Red houses and green gardens. The excursion café naturally serves outside under the canopy of tall oak trees. A bearded Finn plays shanties on the ship's piano on his aft deck, a car ferry arrives from somewhere and then, although the digitally displayed departure time of 1.55 p.m. has long since passed, remains sleepily at the jetty. Unfortunately, I don't follow the village road far enough up the hill to the vintage car and tractor meeting, which Maggie and Lothar will talk about enthusiastically on board later.
We continue on to Bomarsund. The cruising guide and Wikipedia tell us that this waterway, which is barely noticeable on the map, used to be of such great strategic importance that the Russian Tsar had a huge fortress built there for security purposes. However, during the Crimean War, which even had an impact on the Baltic Sea, it was conquered in 1856 by a British-French squadron with ten thousand embarked soldiers. After Russia's defeat, the fortifications were completely razed to the ground and a new construction was forbidden by the peace treaty. Some of these ruins are still preserved today.
On the wide Ängholmsfjärden, with the island of Lumparland on the port side, the "Rolling Swiss" continues its journey northwards. We pass another pier for the large ferries from Sweden and Finland, in addition to the one in Mariehamn. At first glance, the timetable is hard to follow, as are the routes of the massive ships within the archipelago. Again and again they appear behind an island, plough unerringly at fifteen knots through the sometimes very narrow fairways and then round the next corner at full speed.
In the centre of the Åland Islands
The area is beautiful, even almost wild, with hardly any civilisation to be seen on the completely forested islands. No holiday homes, no pennants, no comparison with the archipelagos of Stockholm and Turku. From the east, we cross Bussöfjärden to reach Lumparn, the approximately five-mile inland lake in the centre of the Åland Islands, whose roughly round shape was created by a meteorite impact around a billion years ago. Heavy rain clouds are now gathering from the west. You can see from the dark veils beneath them that it's really pouring down. It could well be that we will meet up in Bomarsund just in time to dock.
As the bridge over the actual narrow section is too shallow for us, we have to take a small diversions up the wider Prästösundet, where a cable ferry takes road traffic from one shore to the other. We keep the island of Prästö on our port side, while the Vargatafjärden opens up on our starboard side. We pass Bomarsund a second time before entering Notviken, which lies parallel to the harbour from the north. A curved wall rises high above us. The black muzzles of old cannons peek out from under round arches - the first sign of the old fortifications.
The small bay is beautiful, much more beautiful than expected. Here, too, a wooden jetty runs along the rock. Only the outermost of the twenty or so buoys is still free, right next to a small Finnish cabin cruiser. Perfect for us! As we are moored, the expected summer shower arrives, heavy with large drops. But soon afterwards, the wet surfaces of the rocks, jetty and deck shine again in the sunlight.
A historic course is set on land
Via a nature campsite, I reach the main road that leads across the sound. The fortress once stood on the flat, south-facing peninsula. South was the direction from which the ships of potential enemies were expected. This is where the semi-circular defence wall, armed with dozens of heavy guns, faced. The fact that the enemy then came overland from behind, from the unprotected side, can be described as ironic. Information boards show the absurd size of the fortress. The remaining wall segments after the systematic destruction protrude from the meadow landscape like rocks. They are made up of six-sided blocks. You can imagine how much back-breaking labour had to be carried out by many people to erect the structure. And how much labour was required to dismantle it after barely ten years. It's no wonder that humanity as a whole cannot progress if so much energy is wasted along the way. A modern visitor centre provides a multimedia presentation of the historical context.
We now head uphill through the forest to Notvikenstörnet, the tower we saw on the approach. Passing heavy cast cannon barrels bearing the double-headed eagle of the Russian Empire (a beautiful symbol of the transience of political ambitions; perhaps today's ruler in the Kremlin should take this as an example), you come to the circular base of the former tower, of whose walls a two-storey section still remains, with casemates and cannons looking out over the fjord. Its purpose is history. The magnificent view remains.
The next morning we circumnavigate Prästö again, this time clockwise, before returning to Lumparn. Apart from the first day of the trip, when we only had to master the short stretch from Stockholm to Vaxholm, today's leg to Kastelholm is the shortest at 13 nautical miles. Not much happens, the clouds remain thick, even if it is supposed to clear up later - once again. So the "RS2" heads west for just under an hour before we enter Slottsundet to the north off the island of Tingön. The estuary winds its way further into the landscape, reminding us once again of travelling inland. But soon the dense deciduous forest on the port side disappears to make way for one of the most beautiful golf courses a non-golfer can imagine.
In the harbour of Kastelholm
There is just one last bend before the first footbridges of thegästhamnand finally the walls of Kastelholms Slott at the far end of the bay. From ashore, the harbour master is already waving the Swiss flag. At least we are not negatively surprised by the price: it is written directly on the jetty. 66 euros. Here, too, we would have been much cheaper at the stern buoy. But the space is good, crews and day trippers are sitting under large umbrellas in the harbour's small café and children are swimming in the harbour. Even the sun doesn't want to be a spoilsport and finally makes an appearance. Directly above the harbour, a footpath leads to the Jan Karlsgården open-air museum. Historic buildings from all over Åland are so casually displayed here that the ensemble in the midst of the beautiful countryside looks like a real village. There are farms, three windmills and a wooden horse ridden by two blonde children. In the centre stands the still colourfully decoratedmajstång,the "flower trunk" erected for midsummer. It was only a fortnight ago that this was celebrated here. The path continues along a road to the castle. It dates back to the late Middle Ages and is one of the best preserved in Scandinavia. The sun is now blazing, but it's easy to stay in the shade of the high walls. Unfortunately, it is already closed, so a visit to the cultural history museum of the islands inside will not be possible this time.
Instead, the saunas in the harbour are now in operation, with children dashing in and out again and again to jump from the jetty into the water and then warm up again. The adults are not disturbed by this, chatting and equalising the falling temperature with infusions. This makes for a very relaxed sweat.
Afterwards, we use the guest barbecue at the harbour, as we still have barbecue food and charcoal on board. The next family is delighted with our embers. Maggie and Lothar work their magic once again. We have cod, grilled and then cooked with vegetables in aluminium foil. Served with sweet potatoes and lamb's lettuce. As the evening light gilds the landscape, we round off the day on the aft deck. Our time in Åland is coming to an end - and we have the good feeling that we have really made the most of it.
The destination: Marienhamn
When we cast off the lines in Kastelholm in the morning and head back across Slottsundet to Lumparn, our destination is once again Mariehamn. It is to be our starting point for our return to Sweden. As soon as the unsettled weather permits, we want to tackle the direct passage to Stockholm from there. Our timing is good: the fresh north-westerly wind of the last few days is due to take a break soon and then only circulate weakly for several hours. Maybe tomorrow, maybe not until the night after tomorrow. Either way, we want to be prepared when the weather window opens. Until then, it will continue to blow, even if you hardly notice it here in the centre of Åland.
The first and only bottleneck of the day is the Lemströms Canal, the only artificial waterway in the archipelago. Just under half a kilometre long, it separates the southern peninsula of Högskär from Fasta Åland and creates a direct navigable connection from Önningbyfjärden, a bay in the south-west of Lumparn, to Slemmern, on the eastern shore of which the capital is located. The canal is crossed by a closed swing bridge only 3.3 metres high. It opens on the hour and to avoid having to wait, Lothar really steps on the gas for the first time on this trip. But it's still a close call.
Fortunately, a whole flotilla of sailing yachts is already waiting in front of the canal entrance, so it takes a while for everyone to get going when the traffic lights turn green. We join them. There are ten or twelve boats on both sides. The boats coming towards us are led by the "Grand Lady", the Grand Banks, from Espoo, which was on the other side of the jetty when we arrived in Käringsund. But this time we are prepared and are the first to shout "Grüezi" across.
As we pass through the canal, we can already see Mariehamn ahead. But we still have to head south a little way, under a bridge and between the islands of Styrsö and Nåtö back to the main approach. In bright sunshine, we finally arrive for our farewell visit. In front of the "Pommern", dinghies shoot across the glittering water, seagulls circle above. It could hardly be more peaceful.
Cruise stages
- 7. Öregrund (Sweden) - Käringsund (Åland): 36 nm
- 8. Käringsund - Mariehamn: 33 nm
- 9. Mariehamn - Rödhamn: 15 nm
- 10. Rödhamn - Degerby (stopover): 11 nm
- 11th Degerby - Bomarsund: 17 nm
- 12. Bomarsund - Kastelholm: 13 nm
- 13. Kastelholm - Mariehamn: 18 nm
- 14th Mariehamn - Stockholm (Sweden): 78 nm
- 15 Stockholm
- Total (Part 2): 221 sm
Weather/climate
Our boat: Trader 42 (GRP semi-planing) - Length: 13.30 m - Width: 4.30 m - Height: 3.80 m - Draft: 1.20 m - Berths: 6 (in 3 double cabins) - WC/shower: 2/2 - CE category: A - Motorisation: 2 x 380 hp (Cummins diesel) - Special equipment: VHF radio system, autopilot, plotter with radar and AIS overlay (active and passive), generator, EPIRB, bow thruster, dinghy (15 hp) in davits
The Cruising Club of Switzerland (CCS): With around 6,500 members, the Bern-based Zentralclub is one of the largest water sports clubs in Switzerland and is one of the country's leaders in offshore training. The motorboat division with its yacht, which is used for training and cruises in northern and western Europe, forms its own sub-division. In the 2023 season, the cruise programme will lead from Kiel through the western Baltic Sea, Kattegat and Skagerrak via Copenhagen, Gothenburg and Oslo back to Kiel. www.ccs-motoryacht.ch
Nautical information
The Åland Islands (Finnish: Ahvenanmaa) extend for around 90 kilometres between the island of Eckerö in the west and the islands of Kökar in the south-east and Brandö in the north-east. In total, the archipelago consists of around 7000 islands and skerries of all sizes, with the main island of Fasta Åland accounting for around two thirds of the total area with an area of around 1000 square kilometres. By comparison, the island of Rügen covers around 900 km². Only 60 islands are permanently inhabited. One third of the 30,000 inhabitants live in the capital Mariehamn. The most important language is Swedish. Despite being part of Finland, it has a high degree of autonomy. At sea, it expresses itself with its own blue, yellow and red national and trading flag.
The navigation: As in other archipelago areas of the Baltic Sea, the archipelago is characterised by a largely flat elevation profile and many shallow areas, even further from the coast. Safe navigation therefore always requires precise knowledge of the location. While the infrastructure on land is good, only important fairways and particularly critical points are marked with buoys. In general, fairways are marked by beacons, with the mostly white towers serving as additional landmarks during the day. For SAR tasks, the Ålands Sjöräddningssällskap ( sjoraddningen.ax ) and the Finnish Raja (Coast Guard; www.raja.fi ) responsible.
Literature
Coastal handbook: "Baltic Sea. Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Baltic States, Poland". Format: 21.8 x 30.4 cm, hardcover, 484 p., 704 photos and illustrations. ISBN 978-3-667-11846-2. price: 69,90 €. www.delius-klasing.de
Harbour handbook: Suuri Satamakirja II - The Great Harbour Book II: "Ahvenanmaa - Åland". Format: A4, spiral bound, 208 p., col. Aerial photographs of harbours and bays with approaches and depths. Price: 81 €. Order via www.hansenautic.de
Sport boat charts: Finnish pleasure craft chart set C "Ahvenanmaa - Åland". Format: 64 x 42 cm, spiral bound in clear cover. 2 over-sailors, 43 detailed charts (1:50 000), also in English. Covers the entire area of the archipelago. Connection to the Turku Archipelago (set D) Price: 58 €. Order via www.nvcharts.com
