Kaunissaari

Two of our daughters came home after their summer work ended, and they were hoping to get out on the water with us. So we decided to go sailing on a day without rain. Tuesday looked like a good day otherwise, but a light, variable wind was forecast for the Saimaa. We therefore decided to head out to sea, where the wind speed was forecast to be 6-8 kn.

Our initial plan was to sail from the Santalahti slipway in Kotka, but when we got there we found it was behind a boom. So we had to come up with an alternative plan. We used our smartphones to look for an alternative slipway, which was found nearby.

We arrived at the slipway, where we began to assess its suitability for use. Right in front of the ramp was a large rock and many more like it further out in the bay. Above the ramp ran a high-voltage power line, the height of which was given as seven metres on the beach. The mast height of Sarastus is seven metres plus the windex. There was concrete in front of the slipway for a tow vehicle, but it sort of ended midway above the waterline. We decided to launch the boat from this slipway, but we wouldn’t come here a second time.

The boat launching went relatively well. On the trailer, there was about 1.5 meters of clearance between the top of the mast and the overhead wires. On the way out of the bay, our youngest daughter sat on the front deck of the boat looking for rocks, and sure enough, there were some on the bottom. Fortunately, Sarastus has a draft of about 20-30 cm, so there was no grounding when the centerboard and rudder were up.

Finally we got to more open and deeper waters, where the wind started to carry us at about 4 knots towards Kaunissaari. On the way, we observed a cargo ship anchored off the freight harbour, called Da Tai, which was registered in Liberia.

When we reached Kaunissaari, I rang the harbour master who told me that piers C and D are available for visitors who are not staying overnight on the island. We rounded the breakwaters and arrived at pier C, where we docked the boat.

The guest marina has recently been extended, and I think the result is very nice. On a weekday in July, there was plenty of space.

We ate picnic lunches at a table on the shore while watching the relaxed life of the guest marina. There would have been a restaurant on the island, but the menu didn’t really meet our needs, so in the morning we took our own lunch plus strawberries. Due to unexpected delays in the morning, our departure was delayed by a couple of hours. This left little time to explore the island. However, I did a quick tour around the bay.

We packed our gear into the boat and headed off between the breakwaters with the easterly breeze blowing. Our departure was exemplary smooth, thanks to the crew.

Soon after Kaunissaari harbour was left behind, the easterly breeze began to die while the rains from the south of the Gulf of Finland began to approach. We had enough rainproof clothes with us not to get wet.

The rest of the trip was mostly about paddling and observing the cargo ships. Eventually the sun set, colouring the western sky with a gap in the clouds.

We arrived at Suokanpohja at dusk, after ten o’clock. On the beach, we packed the boat, accompanied by light rain and mosquitoes. We arrived home after one o’clock in the morning.

Kaunissaari was quite nice to visit and see its new harbour. It was also interesting to try out a non-natural harbour as a destination for a long time. The return trip was a bit dull due to drizzle and light winds, but that’s what Finnish summer weather is like sometimes.