Takaruuho

June came and so did the opportunity to make a sailing trip to Lake Saimaa. We went with my wife and my eldest daughter, who was at home for the first part of the summer. The weather was good all round, and we had the whole day to spare. So we drove to Sarviniemi, from where we continued by boat to Taka-Ruuho.

The sailing to the island went off without any major incidents. The wind was blowing steadily at about nine knots, which ensured a relaxed but rather pacy trip.

On the island, we heated up the sauna and had a meal. The water still felt quite cool, but surely a Finn should still be offered a swim after Midsummer.

Taka-Ruuho is an interesting place, not only for its topography, but also for its plants. Apart from the traditional wild blueberries, you can also find marsh rosemary on the bay’s shore.

On the way back, the sky showed the most unusual cloud formation I have ever seen. It looked almost artificial. I Wonder what caused it.

On our return to Sarviniemi, we were in for a surprise as we were about to pull ashore. Moments before, two rescue boats had left the beach. The boat landing had clearly taken advantage of the ramp. Apparently in Finland the marching order is that pleasure boaters are not expected to use the ramp when rescue personnel are out on the water.

We looked for another place nearby to get the boat up. It had a gravel bottom and a shallower shore, but as Sarastus is a boat weighing less than 200 kg, it took three of us to push it muscularly onto the trailer in shallow water.