Peräsaari

The exceptional heat of June was about to end, that made us to want have another sailing trip to Saimaa where it would be nicer to swim than in the sea. According to the forecast, Peräsaari island seemed like a good destination. We could run there downwind and also return from there by running downwind. In the afternoon thunderstorms were predicted, but if we could reach the island before the noon avoiding the storm would be possible.

Our crew size was six that first seemed bit too adventurous but considering the wind conditions it turned out to be pretty manageable as two of us could sit on the foredeck when we ran. Probably the whole crew could have fitted in the cockpit too.

It was relaxing to run downwind, almost too relaxing occasionally. After the wind shifted a bit we could continue broad reaching that basically doubled our speed. When approaching Peräsaari we saw a Nordic Folkboat which left the island and was clearly curious to see our dinghy.

After arriving in the island we had tortillas as lunch. Because it was warm and there a forest fire warning in effect we didn’t even consider making a campfire. After a while two boats landed on the island. Another of them had a floorball team which erected a tent sauna. It’s not common to see that many people on Peräsaari. Maybe it was the weather which drew people to lake. The wooden surface of Sarastus gathered many admires again.

We also set up three hammocks that provided a nice place to admire the beautiful day. After that we had a hike around the island and saw how there were thunderstorm-like and darkening clouds in the northern sky. Soon there were sounds of distant thundering, but the storm passed Peräsaari 30 km on the north. We swam in the warm water that was refreshing in a warm day.

After the thundering distanced we set off fresh breeze but it died little by little, becoming calm eventually. We paddled for around 30 minutes until the wind returned. For the rest of the journey our speed was between 3 and 5 knots. It was so comfortable to enjoy of the cooling wind and admire the evening sky which beats all the digital 4K stuff.

We retrieved the boat onto its trailer and drove home. Everybody agreed that the day on the lake was far nicer than it would have been on the land.