Lady Hamilton 2019

HANKO TO VANO (in the Finnish Archipelago) 28 miles

Day 62 Thursday 1^st August, 2019

Leave Hanko at 9 am and thread our way through rocks and islets to the Green Route.  This is a photo of the beach on the sand spit and lighthouse at Hanko.

We pass by the island of Gunnarsorarna, where we’re invited to spend a night camping by the ‘The powerful nature in Hanko’ brochure. Until the Soviet occupation of Hanko (1940-41) there were three small farms of Gunnarsorarna.  Nobody has lived there since 1941.  During the Russian occupation an anti-aircraft battery with four canons was built on the highest bit of the island and some of the structures are well preserved until now.  Now the island is equipped with a stable windbreak, a dry toilet, as well as facilities for making a fire – everything you need for overnight camping!

Besides channels marked with red and green lateral buoys, there are also marked channels with cardinal buoys, usually protecting rocks.

When we arrived at Vano payment is cash only – in a box at the end of the jetty – 10 euros and 2 euros for electricity.  We’ve only got 20 euros left between us as we’ve paid by card everywhere and didn’t find a cash machine in Hanko.   

The lady on the boat next door told Malcolm that a fisherman was selling fish from his boat on the jetty – they’ve only found fishermen selling their catches five times since they’ve been sailing for more than twenty years.  And he has smoked fish too (not sure how he smokes the fish on his boat!!!) .

The ferry comes in and people get off with suitcases. They must be staying here on this small island – or perhaps they live here or have holiday homes? There are only 15 people who live on the island of Vano, but they have summer visitors of 300 – not to mention the sailors!

We walk to the chapel, 1.5km away, down a well-signed route, past lots of heather.  It reminds us of the North York Moors which were covered in heather when we came home in July.

Eventually we arrive at the Chapel, down a wide path which is shaded by trees.

We go inside and find that there’s a ship’s figurehead of Alfred the Great! Apparently the frigate ‘Alfred’ sank west of Vano in the 19^th  century and divers rescued the figurehead in the 1970’s.  Alfred (849 – 901) fought for 7 years to rid the Danes from England and then he reigned wisely and well, according to the English version in the Chapel.

Malcolm prepares the stern anchor (the anchor and chain are in several lockers), and has to put the rope and chain in a bucket at the stern,  while I write the Blog of Hanko and cook spaghetti bolognaise (again!) .  Later we watch the finale of ‘Mad Men Series 4’.  And Don’s got engaged to his secretary!