Our position is 59:59.143N 20:06.170E

Distance covered 30.2 Nm

We left the anchorage early and very soon were having to monitor the many ferries running in and out of the channel that leads ultimately to Stockholm. One was on a course for ahead on collision before turning onto a course that seemed to go closer to rocks than we would have chosen to go.

Worrying when something this size is on a collision course

When we set off the wind was light and we motored past the final, outlying Swedish Islands, but soon it was blowing from the South, around force 3, and we had a wonderful sail, beam reaching across the sea of Aland at a steady 5 knots.

  Changing the courtesy flag. The Aland islands have their own flag and take a dim view of people flying the Finnish flag instead.

When we got close to the Islands our passage was again enlivened by having to avoid the many ferries , plying their trade to the various islands, but we safely negotiated the hazards and were soon tied up in the picturesque harbour at Rodhamn. We turned out to be next door to a Danish couple who had also been next door to us at Graddo (and must have got up earlier than we did) and it later transpired that they had also been in Borgholm when we were there, but they were snugly in the inner harbour, while we braved the outer pontoons.

The ferries were using a different passage between the rocks but it didn’t stop them threatening us from behind

  Entry to Rodhamn

The sensible height jetty we were tied to; The floating box further out is the holding tank pump out. That facility is far more widespread here than in Sweden

Rodhamn is a wonderful island. In July they can have as many as 70 boats in the harbour but while we were there it was only a handful and Anette, the harbourmaster, does everything she can to provide a wonderful service. I warmed to it as we arrived as the jetty we tied to was a sensible height, let into the rocky shore, and not requiring a scary plummet from the bow in order to tie up.

Anette takes orders for bread when you check in and this is delivered to the boat in the morning. She also makes fabulous cake which can be bought in the office. The island has no electricity and if we’d wanted water there was a pump at the top of the hill (which we couldn’t get to work), but I wouldn’t have fancied carrying it back from there over the rocks.

Anette at work in her kitchen which doubles as a boathouse

  The morning bread comes complete with a weather forecast

The scenery is basically rocks and trees, with a scrubby, heathery undergrowth

This seemed to be a new sort of duck to us and the flowers added some variety

View from the club jetty

  Wood is provided for the barbecues – we thought this one would smoke us out but it settled down

Rodhamn used to be a pilot station. There is a replica of the old pilot house, which is a club house for the Aland Sailing Association. There is also a small museum which has interesting information about how life used to be on the islands and also a collection of radio equipment from the days when it was the most South Westerly communications outpost that Finland had.

The pilot house replica

The museum (There was information in English) The islanders developed a form of cardinal marks using cones on poles before everyone else thought it was a good idea

This pole is erected at Midsummer and decorated – the decorations from last year have blown away – and they are renewed every year as part of the Midsummer celebrations.

The Aland Islanders wanted to be part of Sweden when they and Finland broke away from Russia after the 1917 revolution (they all speak Swedish still), but the League of Nations decreed in 1921 that they should be part of Finland so they now have a special status and are, to a large extent, self-governing – a bit like the Channel Islands and Great Britain.