Our position is 60:23.306N 25:39.749E

Kirsty and Tom joined us in Helsinki, for a few days, arriving in the middle of the night we came back from St Petersburg. Ted used the rowing boat again to fetch them from the jetty, although as it turned out the ferry was still running as there had been a party at the restaurant that evening, that didn’t finish until very late.

The next morning we had a bit of a lie in and then went to the nearby shop for provisions before casting off around midday and heading off through the Eastern entrance for the passage to Porvoo.

Heading off for provisions and returning laden down

Kirsty and Tom deal with the warps on the foredeck

Au revoir to Helsinki

It was a lovely sunny day but the wind was light as we motor sailed through the islands. We were surprised to get to a bridge that we had missed on the rather small scale chart we were using, but fortunately it opened every half hour and we didn’t have to wait long before we were through in a convoy with several other boats and on our way again.

A surprising bridge

and a fairy tale cottage

Enjoying the sunshine

This bridge had 17m clearance but it made everyone very nervous – it never looks as if we’ll go under! (our airdraft is 14.5m)

but we made it and cruised up the channel to our destination

Porvoo is the second oldest town in Finland and was established in 1346. When we got there the pontoon was quite crowded but luckily someone was just leaving and we were able to tie up in the vacated space. There was time for a walk round the old town and a meal in a very nice restaurant before going back to the boat to bed.

On the pontoon at Porvoo

It was completely unclear what this decoration under the bridge was about; suffice to say it seemed to have a bit of everything, including some my little ponies

but then it is a place where the café is also the harbourmaster and people dressed as animals hang about in the street

Sightseeing in the old town; the restaurant called Meat District was no place for vegetarians though

The church – we couldn’t go in unfortunately

Everyone just left their cast offs on the street in the hopes someone would help themselves!

Consulting the map to find the way to The Devil’s Steps – not sure how many injuries resulted from the ‘no winter maintenance’

The crocheted panels doubled as net curtains  but I’m not sure what the other panels were screening