Mariehamn

The short sail north to the capital of Åland was bracing . By the time we moored up, I was getting very cold. The captain had options as to which harbour to choose & the info was not that helpful so with a 15 mile sail situation between the 2 ( west and east creating a type of island feel ) we opted for Österhamn & obviously had to check out the other one upon landing by foot to stretch the legs and oh look ... check out the museum ship Pommern - a magnificent merchant ship of 1903.
I was feeling a little cold , tired, and historied out. The coffee pick-me-up and obvious 'kanel bun ' for fika time got me ready for the history lesson. I am so glad I didn't bunk off! The boardwalk - now so familiar everywhere on the island harbours across and around rocks was not to be left out here. A lovely feature used to navigate us fully around the ships hull at just above water level. A great starting point and viewing platform in which to take in the ships' size.

This impressive ship built in Scotland is the only four-masted barque in the world still in its original state. Bought by the Åland shipowner Gustaf Erikson in 1923, Pommern has carried timber from Scandinavia, saltpetre from Chile, and grain from Australia. Her last commercial voyage was done in 1939 and since 1952 Pommern has been a museum ship. The ship is now owned by the Town of Mariehamn but is managed by the Åland Maritime Museum Trust. The “Pommern – 100 Days under Sail" experience gives a guided tour based on crew stories and real events. I practised a splice and enjoyed the film with some of the crew's accounts of their voyage to Australia.
Spotted on board watching with us was British sailor and yachting journalist, Tom Cunliffe, who later, we discovered on his youtube blog, was also finding the weather bloody cold to go sailing and had stoked his solid fuel stove fire on board his yacht Constance, a Mason 44. Lucky Tom!
The newly purchased Åland flag was hoisted. We opted for the boat restaurant in the harbour for a treat ashore. By the time we returned we were both glowing as we warmed up from the north westerly wind bashing today.

In the morning, we enjoyed a stroll around the pedestrianised centre in the morning and topped up the provisions for further exploring over the next few days.Читать далее