Kayaking
the Finnish Kvarken Archipelago
September
6-7th 2014
Intro:
My
name is Sarah Burn and I am from Vancouver Island, Canada. I have grown up next
to the water, and enjoy all kinds of water sports. While attending Vancouver
Island University I participated in a number of outdoor recreational activities
on the water. I became a part of an outrigger canoe club and developed my
skills as a kayaker on the sea and in the rivers. Since then, I have enjoyed
many kayak/canoe day trips around the world and as an instructor/guide on
Hornby Island, Canada. When heading out on the water, I feel as though I am
taken to a new world. All my worries, fears, and stresses from school and daily
life disappear as I paddle on with great determination into a simple sea of
beauty with tranquility and joy.
Last winter I attended the Vancouver Film Festival
and listened to a number of great speaker share their adventurous stories on
the water. Maybe one day I might also do something more adventurous, but my
simple goal on my bucket list is to do an overnight kayaking trip in a famous
area. When moving to Vaasa, Finland to do my Masters I heard that I will be
living next to the Kvarken Archipelago. This archipelago is an important
geographic area in the world. In the summer of 2006, it was added to the UNESCO
World Heritage list and became Finland’s only natural World Heritage site. The
Kvarken has a unique landscape that experiences a special land uplift
phenomenon, known as ‘isostatic/post-glacial rebound’ at one of the highest
rates worldwide. It is predicted that this Gulf of Bothnia will close up at the
Kvarken sometime in the future.
Land uplift and
expansion changes in Kvarken Archipelago from 1978 to 2006 (http://www.kvarkenworldheritage.fi/)
I arrived to Vaasa August 21st, about 3
weeks ago, and have begun to explore the small city I now call home. I began
doing some of my own research about how I could possibly do a kayaking trip in
this area. However, on Wednesday September 3rd, while looking at the
University of Vaasa’s information facebook page, I saw a post advertising an
open house kayaking session at Vaasa’s Canoe and Kayak Club. Thrilled at
discovering this I was determined to go. Then I realized that the open house
was happening that day and had already started. Quickly I gathered my things,
grabbed a city map, googled the location, and headed out on my bike. Being new
to the area and unable to understand Finnish/Swedish, I got lost. I did end up
finding the place, but just as they were all returning from their kayak
session. Disappointed, I told my story to the members of the club about how I
am from Canada and am eager to kayak here and explore the Kvarken Archipelago while
doing my masters. Thankfully they could understand and speak English really
well. After listening to my story, they looked at me, thought deeply, and then
spontaneously and kindly invited me to join them that weekend on an overnight
kayaking trip through the Kvarken Archipelago. Surprised, but excited, I agreed
to join them. One member graciously lent me her new tent and I quickly began
preparing for our journey. And so the adventure began! J
Day 1 Saturday September 6th (My Mother’s
birthday)
7 am I woke up excited to begin my kayaking
adventure with my fingers crossed for good weather. I read online that it is
best to pack as light as possible, and to separate everything into smaller bags
that could be easily stored in the kayak. There is no water on the island, so I
brought four one litre bottles of water. I then had my thurmarest, sleeping
bag, tent, food, hat, sun-cream, first aid kit, flashlight, sunglasses, a map,
and extra clothes. I wore rain boots with snowboarding socks, which helped to
keep me dry, warm, and my legs well circulated.
8:30 am I got a ride to the club storage building. I
had gone out for a short paddle the day before, so I was able to reserve the
specific PFD, paddle, and kayak that I wanted to use. We, two other members
plus myself, loaded the trailer with our kayaks and gear. We drove about 20mins
to a dock at Norrskat, the farthest west from Vaasa that you can drive pretty
much and began to load up our kayaks.
10:30 am The weather was quite foggy, but the water
was calm and it was not raining so we were happy. We began paddling, and about
half an hour later the fog cleared and it became quite a gorgeous sunny day! A
number of birds and ducks flew by. Each of us had a laminated detailed map and
a compass, while one member thankfully had a GPS.
11:30 am We met our fourth member near Yttre
Uddskaret Island. The sea was still calm as we paddled through the small
islands in the warm sun in a north westerly direction.
1-1:30 pm We made a stop for lunch on the rocks on
Keskar Kaiskenkari Island. Not far from us a seal popped out of the water, and
eagles and hawks flew overhead. After lunch, we continued on gradually
following a boat route designated by red and white signs and poles in the water.
I wish I had my binoculars because in the distance we saw some dark big things
moving in the water. It is common and possible that they were moose or elk swimming
across these waters to make their way from island to island between here and
Sweden. I was surprised to see this, but the Finnish guys said that it’s pretty
normal.
3:30-4 pm We arrived at Gardarna Island for a short
break. It was wonderful to finally stretch my legs. We had seen many small
cabins on the islands that we passed, but this red and white old farming
homestead was unique. It had a log cabin sauna and some permanent residence
lived there I heard. The weather soon became quite hot, and mosquitoes started
coming out, so we left. We saw a number of fish jumping, and fishing boats go
by. The water became quite shallow as we made our way through the islands, and
it didn’t feel like we were out at sea.
About 5:30 pm we arrived at Mikkelinsaaret/Mickelsörarna
Island. Tuija, a member of the Kayak club, worked/lived there last summer. We unpacked
our kayaks, explored the area, saw the UNESCO sign, and chatted to others that
arrived over a communal campfire. I set up my tent, and cooked dinner inside a
shelter which the others were sleeping in. The shelter house was three stories
high, and had a gorgeous view over the Archipelago Islands. After dinner
everyone took turns using the sauna. It was my first Finnish sauna experience,
and my best. It was a real wood stove sauna, which was wonderfully heated and
helped to relax my muscles.
Despite the damp morning dew, I had a great warm
sleep in my tent on the island. The weather was really foggy in the morning and
about 16degrees. We ate breakfast separately and got ourselves and our kayaks
ready. We made a plan to leave at 10am, and on the dot we headed out with our
kayaks in a south eastern direction into the morning fog that slowly disappeared
into another gorgeous day.
We passed below the farthest island, Boskaret. Then we proceeded to squeeze through a gap between Syngrnd and Linggrund. Our experienced leader of the group had done this route a few years ago, but the passages have changed and become narrower due to the uplift phenomenon of the land. The sea was really calm, but still quite shallow as we paddled into the open sea.
We passed below the farthest island, Boskaret. Then we proceeded to squeeze through a gap between Syngrnd and Linggrund. Our experienced leader of the group had done this route a few years ago, but the passages have changed and become narrower due to the uplift phenomenon of the land. The sea was really calm, but still quite shallow as we paddled into the open sea.
11 am We had a short break on Replotgrund Island.
When we got to Flannskären Island we had to cross another narrow passage;
however this one was more narrow and shallow. I had to push on the rocks below
to make my way through. The others tried to find an alternate passage, or they
were forced to get out of their kayak.
12:10-1pm We found a small bit of sand on the edge
of the island to stop for lunch. The sun had finally come out by this point,
and the weather became warmer. On the island we found linden berries and mushrooms,
which I have never seen before in the wild. There were also hoof prints, which
they suggested came from sheep that farmers had brought over to eat the vegetation
on the island during the summer.
2:30 -2:50 pm I have not done much kayaking or
strenuous exercise for a while, so my body and arms are becoming sore and
tired. I was really happy to make this short toilet, snack, and rest break on
some rocks on the edge of the island of Stora Svartesoren. They sky was bright
and we could clearly see Keskar Kaiskenkai where we had our lunch break
yesterday, although it seemed like it was longer since we were there. After our
break, we continued on through the smaller groups of islands and shallower
waters, which were not that cold. We constantly had to watch out for the rocks
that were like icebergs small at the surface, but quite large and potentially damaging
to our kayaks in reality. We made our way through the two islands at
Tummelgrunden. Then, at Björkgrnd Island, we said goodbye to our leading
member. Our trip was slowly coming to an end.
I followed the expert navigation of the others as we
headed back passing many small summer cabins with their own wooden saunas, a
number of birds, as well as some fishing and speed boats. We arrived at about
4:30 pm to the original dock that we started at yesterday somewhat hungry and
tired, but certainly happy about our successful adventure. After unpacking our
kayaks and loading up the trailer and car, we drove back to Vaasa. In total we
had, according to the GPS, traveled 44.59kms in 13 hours and 10mins! I can now
happily tick off this goal from my bucket list. However, this is not the end. I
look forward to more kayaking trips here and elsewhere in the world in the
future. I also certainly encourage others to make this wonderful journey.
