Day 63 – We never saw the ship, but the waves suggested it was of reasonable size – 3 May

Day 63. 3rd of May. Bjurs to Skorvan. 46.2 km, 6.5 km/hr average speed.

We got off to a 0840 start and made reasonable progress even though the fog was thick. At one point we heard a boat very clearly, not just the foghorn, but the engine and even the sound of the waves from the bow. We took a small break on a small island and let it pass. We never saw the ship, but the waves suggested it was of reasonable size. We continued to navigate the archipelago with Stein’s GPS. Without that instrument, we would have had to wait it out until the visibility improved.

After a short lunch it was time for the crossing to Porkala. The visibility was better, perhaps a couple of hundred meters. Still we saw no land for an hour and navigated on compass. Again we heard ships and boats, but more distant. Of course we were listening in on Channel 16 on the VHF. Still we were glad when we reached the first rocks on the other side.

Just as we had crossed, the fog lifted and we could find our way with ease. The forecast said rain should start in a couple of hours. We pushed on to get to Skorvan where a Helsinki kayak club rents a hut. Maybe there were someone there?

How did we know? We knew because Esikko Mykkänen had tipped us. And how did we know Esikko? She’s a friend of the Leppanen family, and the Leppanen family is the Vågnes family’s main Finnish connection. And so the story of people showing up to help continues.

We look forward to meeting Esikko tomorrow. She is a seasoned paddler and have been paddling with legends (amongst paddlers at least…) like Jim Danielsson. She arranged for our kayaks to be stored at her kayak club for two nights.

We’ll spend a day in Helsinki getting hold of some stuff we missed out on in Stockholm. Easier here than in Russia we assume.

No one were present at Skorvan, but the hut has a large veranda with a roof and we have warm sleeping bags. So it was a good place to come to after all.