SHORT IN ENGLISH

General

The Finnish archipelago is a paddling paradise!

It consists of approximately 41,000 islands, depending on how tiny islands or rocks you count as islands.This seemingly infinite amount of differently sized islands makes it a very interesting place to paddle, but creates a distinct challenge to navigation.

The environment changes from the barrenness of the outer islands to the greenness of the protected inner islands.

Sea

In the Baltic Sea, there are no tides and very few currents.

The most considerable factor when paddling in our archipelago is the wind - and the waves that it creates. Also, the weather can change very quickly, so you might want to study the sky before starting to cross open sea.

According to the records the wind usually blows from the west or from the southwest in summertime. But in practice this is difficult to notice! The wind always seems to be against you! The islands change the wind directions and sometimes cause waves to come from several directions at once. The sea can be very choppy. You might experience waves about 1.5 meters high when you are not in the shelter of the islands and when the wind is blowing across the open sea. But because of the many islands, it is quite easy to find a relatively sheltered route, or at least to find shelter behind islands along the way.

Between the main islands there is quite good ferry service. So if the weather gets ugly, you can take a ferry from one big island to the next.

The seawater in the Baltic Sea is not very salty. In general, the seawater quality is good, but because of pollution, blue-green algae may occur at certain times. This algae can be slightly poisonous and you should not swim in it. You should never drink water that contains blue-green algae.

Weather

Finns joke that the Finnish summer is short and has very little snow!

The most enthusiastic Finnish paddlers paddle as long as the sea is not too thickly iced over.

Most people will say that the best time to paddle in our archipelago is July: the weather is usually good (day temperature approx. 20-30 °C), the sea water is warm (temperature app. 18-20 °C) and services and shops are open. In July you can even paddle during the night because it never gets truly dark in July! The "midnight sun" creates magical evening light. But July is also summer holiday season in Finland and the archipelago is thus most populated during this month.

Other good paddling months are:

June Sea water is still cold (app. 15-18 °C), weather might be quite warm (app. 20-25 °C),the nights are lightAugust Sea water is still app. 20 °C, the nights are getting darker September In some autumns the weather in September is like in summer, but it can also be quite cold. The archipelago is more peaceful in September because there are not as many motor craft.

Water and food

It is difficult to find fresh water on the islands, so whenever you see a well or a water tap (in the harbors), fill your bottles. From the villages you can buy most staple foods, bread and smoked fish. In summertime the grocery stores on the main islands are open.

Telephone

In general, the GSM network operates well in Finland, even in archipelago. The prefix codes for international calls are 990, 994,999 or 00.

Language

Finland is a bilingual country. Swedish is mostly spoken on the islands. Nearly everyone speaks English, especially young people.

The names are often used both in Finnish and in Swedish:

In Finnish:	In Swedish:	In English:
Saaristomeri	Skärgårdshavet	The Sea of Archipelago (between Åland and Turku)
Ahvenanmeri	Ålands hav	The Sea of Åland (between Sweden and Åland)
Ahvenanmaa	Åland	Åland
Turku	Åbo	Turku

Ticks

There are many ticks in the archipelago, which might transmit the lyme borreliosis bacterium - lime disease.

It is recommended to check your skin for ticks every day. When you find a tick bite, remove the tick immediately with a tick remover or tweezers by taking hold of the tick properly (as close to your skin as possible)and rotating (never pulling) it until it comes loose. No medication is needed if no symptoms appear. Symptoms might include increased reddening around the bite area. The best way to prevent the ticks is by wearing appropriate clothing, especially while walking in the high grass. Appropriate clothing can be something like high rubber boots, or tucking your pants into shoes or socks so that ticks can't walk up your leg.

But do not be too afraid! Many people have lived and paddled several years in archipelago and the ticks have never been bitten. If you pay attention and check your skin daily, there should be no problem.

Maps

Quite many Finnish paddlers use touring maps, scale 1:100 000. But for the paddlers who are not familiar with our archipelago, I think, this map is too general.

1) Ahvenanmaa covers Åland
2) Saaristomeri covers The Archipelago

The best ones, I think, are nautical charts, scale 1:50 000. The size of the charts is 460 mm x 340 mm, which will cover half of your cockpit! But you will be able to find every island and rock on it, so it makes navigation easier.

3) C-series covers Åland
4) D-series covers The Archipelago

You can buy the above-mentioned maps and charts e.g. from the web-bookstore called Akateeminen kirjakauppa

Product (ISBN-code, EAN-code, Price in Finland)

Product	ISBN-code	EAN-code	Price
Ahvenanmaan matkailukartta 1:100 000	9514861256	9789514861253	12 e
Saaristomeren matkailukartta 1:100 000	9514863739	9789514863738	12 e
Merikarttasarja C 1:50 000 Ahvenanmaa	9514904044	9789514904042	59 e
Merikarttasarja D 1:50 000 Turunmaan saaristo	9514904249	9789514904240	59 e

Delivery costs are app. 30 e, delivery time app. 4-6 workdays, international credit cards are accepted.

Tourist information in Åland sells a special map "Paddle a Canoe in Åland", scale 1:50 000. Unfortunately I cannot recommend it: it is impractical and expensive (22 e). However, if you are interested in it, see the contact information at the end.

Magnetic variation is now app. 4 o, so you should subtract it from true north to get your compass course. But because most distances are so short, the variation doesn't matter much.

Border crossing

If you are paddling to/from Finland from/to Sweden (both member states of the Schengen Convention), you do not have to go through a passport control point, but you should use an official fairway. This is according to the law. However, groups have been known to have paddled from Sweden to Finland outside the official fairway and the authorities did not seem interested in them at all.

If you have something to declare, you have to visit the passport control.

See more: Frontier Guard

Everymans´s right in Finland

Public access to private land is much wider in Finland than in many other countries. Within the freedom to enjoy the environment comes the obligation to leave it undisturbed.

A practical summary:

You may

Saaristomeren Melojat ry - Yhteystiedot

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