Activities on a Märket lighthouse

The beginning of the week has been memorable and exciting. I arrived to Märket lighthouse island on saturday with other 5 volunteers to work and repair the old Märket lighthouse. Very next morning Kristina Brahe cruising ship was bringing nearly 100 visitors to island and we had a busy moments to tour them and selling the products of Finnish Lighthouse Society.

The weather has been sunny and moderate wind, but the forecast promises quite a storm in the end of the week. Let's see how big waves there will be...

Helping Finnish Lighthouse Society to repair Märket lighthouse

On a Märket island

 

Next week I'll be working as a voluntary worker for Finnish Lighthouse Society in Märket lighthouse island. There will be various tasks to repair the old lighthouse and to prepare for the 125th anniversary celebrity on 3rd of September.

Märket lighthouse

You can follow the activities on Märket island daily bases from the Märket diary !

It's interesting to spend one week in a small skerry in a Baltic Sea between Finland and Sweden.

Let the autumn storm hit the island!!!

5 lighthouses within 2 days

Getting closer to "Tankar" lighthouse island

It has been rainy and cold 2 days at Baltic Sea! I have been kayaking on the northern part of Baltic Sea and visiting 5 lighthouses just in 2 days. Wind has been blowing steadily 6-10 m/s from north and east and temperature has been nice 9-14 degrees Celsius with rain showers... It seems summer is gone now.

Lighthouse "Kallan" on a tiny island at Baltic Sea

Anyhow it has been experience once again to kayak on a not so calm sea and realize own skills once again.

And lighthouse "Merikarvia"

There were beautiful details on a Yttergrund lighthouse island...

"Yttergrund" Fence

Tiny hut at the foot of the lighthouse at "Yttergrund"

Hopefully I have a chance to kayak still on this autumn at sea, wishing moderate wind and temperatures on August and September...

Devil's mountain

Installing online control point at Devil's Mountain...

Previous 2 days went fast by working voluntarily for the Young Jukola orienteering competition in Kauppi, Tampere. The actual competition was today and the result service and online control points, which I was putting up were running smoothly. Now I'm already in train on my way to U2 concert at Helsinki Stadium.

3-athlon

6 athletes completed 3-athlon race today,not full length though... For me this was absolutely the first one, 750 meters swimming around Tesoma lake started the race, followed by 19 kms cycling and 7,5 kms running around Tohloppi lake. Recover drink after 2 hours race tasted fantastic.
Thanks for the organizer and other participants, just great experience!

Vierumäki - Heinola

Mountain biking 2,5 hours and 35 kms from Vierumäki to Heinola and back. Sun was shining, temperature moderate +30 and tracks beautiful and nice.

Leisure day

I was sleeping until 9:30 and next 2 hours spent with reading the newspaper and eating breakfast. What a nice start for a day! Biked to the Tammelantori market and had the lunch with my friend on a sunshine :) Then picked my tent from my friends who had returned from 3 weeks trip from Austria and Italy. In the afternoon paddled 8 kms to Haukisaari island to have sauna and swim on the Näsijärvi lake. What a beautiful and relaxing day all in all...

Frolic

Running 1 hour in a forest, having 2 hours sauna after the run and eating 2 sausages meanwhile. This week's frolic event successfully completed!

Elo half-marathon

After tough week with MTB and orienteering activities at Hämeenlinna and Lahti, I was driving back to home on Friday. My body was totally tired and broken, but I decided to run half-marathon on saturday near Tampere. It was hot and humid and not too easy. Surprisingly I finished only 1 minute slower than my record time on half-marathon!

Summer activities

Sunset at the Baltic sea

End of the June and whole July have been extremely active season for me. It started with the Jukola orienteering relay competition in Hyvinkää. I was extremely satisfied with my performance on my leg. I managed to complete the orienteering track of 9,2 kms at the time of 1:34 on a demanding terrain. This was one of the best runs I have done at Jukola commpetitions :)

Fin5 orienteering week was held on Ruokolahti at the beginning of July. I was planning to run 5 days on a row, but managed to do only 4. When running on the fourth day at the forest I was hit by the branch of the tree to my right eye, which was temporarily blinded and it infected. I had to abort and seek medical aid. With the antibiotics my eye was OK after couple of days.

Just before Fin5 week, I was kayaking on the lake of Saimaa 3 days. It was amazing hot during those days and every time when reaching a new island, we had to swim. Water was exceptionally warm after long sunny and warm period. The temperature was above 30 degrees Celsius.

I'm standing at the border of Finland and Sweden

Right after the Fin5 we started our longest kayaking trip this year. One week at the Baltic Sea between Finland and Sweden. We paddled from Åland to Sweden via the Märket lighthouse island and back. During this trip we visited at 3 lighthouses: Märket, Sälskär and Understen (Sweden). One of the best experiences during this trip was to stay overnight at Märket and have the tent sauna with refreshing dip to the sea. Just wonderful trip!

Märket lighthouse

Right after the Märket kayaking trip I started next kayaking trip to Porvoo and Helsinki. During 5 days I visited at 4 lighthouses: Söderskär and Tiiskeri near Porvoo and Suomenlinna and Harmaja near Helsinki. Harmaja was my 16th Finnish lighthouse to be visited by kayak. I have still lot's of lighthouse visits still to be done...

Söderskär lighthouse

The July ended at the week of mountain biking and oienteering at Hämeenlinna and Lahti area. It was tough week with 3-4 hours exercises every day on a tough terrain. I hadn't biked too much before this week, but somehow I managed to survive it.

Happy mountain bikers after 50 km exercise at Hämeenlinna