We consider ourselves fortunate to have been born on the shores of Lake Saimaa in eastern Finland. For a boating enthusiast, Lake Saimaa with its 5,500 islands offers a cruising environment unlike anywhere else in the world. With waters pure enough to drink and islands so plentiful you are guaranteed to find one for yourself, it truly deserves to be called a hidden gem.
My early years were spent exploring this amazing place in my parents’ boats. Later, when finances allowed, my brother and I bought our own boat, a 34ft locally built Tristan Harmony cruiser. She was followed by a Sealine F37, which my brother and I motored back from London. Four years later my brother decided to stop boating for family reasons, which left me, my wife, two kids (aged 4 and 3 at the time) searching for a boat of our own. We settled on a Fairline Phantom 43, which we bought in Lymington and shipped back to Finland in 2012 , writing a story about it for this very magazine (‘Finnishing School’, MBY May 2013).
More years of cruising on the Lake Saimaa followed but as we could now spend longer onboard, the idea of cruising further afield started to appeal. We knew that the Archipelago Sea National Park in the south-west of Finland was another special cruising area but what little first-hand experience we had of it was from the top deck of a passenger ferry.
ISLAND LIFE
Denne historien er fra November 2020-utgaven av Motor Boat & Yachting.
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Denne historien er fra November 2020-utgaven av Motor Boat & Yachting.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Lofoten or Bust- Part 4- Grandezza owner Per Harrtoft heads back to Sweden after an epic 3500nm adventure deep into the Arctic Circle to visit the mythical Lofoten islands
After ten memorable days in the Lofoten Islands in the far north of Norway, we are on our way back south towards Sweden. We have already made it as far as Trondheim, a charming place even if it was raining so hard we had to cycle round the city centre clutching umbrellas. But now we are back on board Deamare, our Grandezza 40 Fly, eating up the miles at a steady 31 knots.
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT YACHT TRANSPORT
As the name suggests it's a means of having your boat moved professionally from one location to another. It might be as simple as hiring someone to tow your RIB a few miles down the road or as complex as shipping a superyacht halfway around the world.
HANDLE A SINGLE SHAFTDRIVE BOAT PART 1
Single shaftdrive boats are relatively rare these days but the reduced costs of buying, servicing and fuelling such a simple but reliable drivetrain does mean they are making a bit of a comeback.
COCKWELLS MOTOR LAUNCH
There can be very few boats that have appeared three times at the Southampton Boat Show and been sold off the stand each time.
INSTALLING AN AUTOPILOT
Rick Channon makes solo boating simple with a Raymarine Evolution Autopilot
GOOD AS NEW
Why fit a brand new engine when Volvo Penta's remanufacturing service can rebuild you an old one to the same standard for a fraction of the price?
BENETEAU SWIFT TRAWLER 54
Alex Smith heads to France's Beneteau HQ for a UK exclusive on what might just be the best Swift Trawler yet
ΧΟ EXPLR 44
Can XO's all-new aluminium flagship really make it big in the Med?
BUYING OUR FIRST CLASSIC
Instead of whiling away their retirement playing bowls, Rob and Shona Adams decided to invest their time and money in a classic Silver gentleman's yacht. Would the gamble pay off?
PRINCESS S65
Torn between the V and F Class flagships? The new S65 might be the boat you've been waiting for...
