Been awhile since my last ARC post. Many apologies as we have been busy tourists and consumers. I have to say though that Finland has been an unexpected gem. The allure maybe be perhaps accentuated due to the contrast from St. Petersburg, but cruising the Finnish coastline has been spectacular. Our first night anchored after Haapasari was a brisk delight. I was the only one with sense enough to stay out of the sixty degree water. My polar bears were happy to get wet, and then have hot chocolate. Always a good excuse for hot chocolate.
A few days in Helsinki had us in ship shape. Twelve loads of laundry later. Many thanks for the ARC Fleet for their compassion and understanding during my monopoly of NJK laundry room. The boat finally does not smell like dirty socks, and there’s really not much better than clean sheet night. Actually, what could be better was the amazing market on the docks in Helsinki. Holy Cow – or perhaps I should say Holy Reindeer! I managed to load up on all sorts of local salamis (elk, reindeer), six types of pickled herring (it’s actually pretty good), and restocked our dwindling champagne stores (disaster averted). Motoring and motor sailing through the archipelago is a sight to see. My family could easily mistake these waters for Lake Winni without the mountains. Anchoring has been a peaceful contrast to city berthing in St. Pete’s and Tallin.
More pictures to come…
FABULOUS stuff Ali and gang .. you are in such a magnificent part of the world, enjoy! Sending all my love and hugs to all of you, Gretchen.
love you Gretch- hope you had a great time in Texas!
Don’t forget the vodka. To go with the Finnish fish breakfast
ooch….no bueno para vodka…..
Are you plugging into power on the dock? 50 or 60 cycle?
The cruising sound fabulous. Do you see any large powerboats?
We do plug into power while in marinas, but use a converter from 220 to 110. It is 50 hertz, which has not been great. Ice maker and washer/dryer don’t like it. We also find that running HVAC onboard when connected to shore power is spotty.
We have been cruising with a 68 Nordhaven throughout the Baltic (Migration, flagged in Marshall Islands). They have not had any issues that I have heard of, but berthing can be a bit limited – and sometimes in more commercial spots (dirty) due to their size.
Cruising is beautiful – very similar in feel to Maine/New Hampshire up here in Finland/Aland. I would highly recommend the ARC Baltic Cruise. Staff and coordination has been fantastic.
Ali
Thank you for sharing your story on this great website! It was great to meet you on Kökar in the restaurant. What a coincidence ! Anton was ready to instantly quit his job as a waiter and go sailing with you guys. As a mum I try to keep him ashore a few more months to finish college 🙂
In case any yacht need crew from november, there is a good guy to consider.
I`m back on on our home island Kyrkogårdsö. Did you find it on the map ? I guess you are aready in Mariehamn but in case you are still in Kökar you are most welcome when you pass us on the way !
Wish you the best of time and blessings on your jorney !
Love, Kamilla & fam.
kamilla.nordberg@aland.net
´+358045205141
Thank you Kamilla!
We are so sorry we did not get another chance to see you in Kokar. What a beautiful island! Best wishes to Anton as he finishes school.
🙂
Ali & WIDAGO Crew
I have been enjoying all of you travels, pics and especially humor.
I am planning a trip around the world with in two years and am hoping my adult children tag along.
How is the boat doing? You have not mentioned anything about the boat, maintenance or equipment etc. The Leopard 48 is on my short list, along with a couple of other boats. I was hoping to hear about how it’s holding up and if there was anything you wish you had or stuff you didn’t need, etc. One of my concerns is if there is enough cold storage for long trips with so many on board.
Keep the posts coming along with the great pics.
Marco, in San Diego.
Hi Marco – thanks for following our crazy adventure. Now you have inspired me to write something worthwhile regarding the Leopard48. A longer blog to follow, but the short and sweet of it is that we have been really happy so far.
As a new boat, the maintenance has been limited to just following manufacturer’s recommendations on our twin Yanmar engines. Guyon is very good about keeping the filters cleaned and changed as needed. We had the hull painted before leaving Tortola, and a thorough waxing as well (what comes out of the factory was not bad, but we wanted something more heavy duty). We have had some power issues but that is because we are 110 boat living in a 220 world here in Europe. As a mother of three, I would never turn down more cold storage. That being said, the fridge/freezer combo with the extra outdoor fridge has been more than satisfactory for even our longest passage (14 days). I limit the freezer to protein only – and had plenty of food upon arriving in Horta from Bermuda. We also purchased three big Yeti coolers which I only use for the longer trips. One thing we definitely would have done differently was to order the boat with the bowsprit and Code Zero head sail. In lighter upwind sailing, we are somewhat limited/slow with just the Genoa.
That’s it for now – I’m going to attempt to upload some pictures, but finding internet with decent bandwidth is practically impossible!
Ali