These boys spent the evening at the landing pier a little outside this village, as boys sometimes do… And they were completely set up when we roared in out of the blue with the ArgoFram, wanted to use their English skills right away, asked this and that… Really cool, these boys, so I […]
Mikhail and Alexei are friends and neighbours, and work as engineers for the Volga Baltic Canal. – Alexei is a friend of Oleg, and I am a friend of Oleg, so I am also a friend of Alexei (and therefore also of Mikhail), and when friends get together here, it turns into a feast… And […]
Immediately after the first lock on the Svir, the river between Lake Onega and Lake Ladoga, this family spontaneously helped us find a suitable landing stage for our overnight stay – and then invited me and Oleg to their summer house for a pleasant sit-down. That’s the kind of hospitality that works! […]
Oleg and Denis own the newest marina in St. Petersburg, where I felt so at home (they deal with yachts of all kinds, currently somewhat limited due to circumstances…) – they immediately saw that my yacht does not offer the comfort of the other yachts in their harbour, but is rather camping on water, […]
Piia and Jarrko are the harbour masters of the Kotka marina and run the entire operation with cafeteria, sauna, laundry and also organise concerts there. We first met in 2021 (maiden voyage) and again in 2022 when I returned from sailing around the North Cape. – A safe haven and a great team! […]
Marko is a boat builder (www.LarsenB.com) and developed my ArgoFram in 2020; Andi is a service technician and provides me with the necessary security or information if problems should arise. (On my journeys in 2021 and 2022 over a total of 21’000 km there was rarely anything to do […]
During the night there was a big storm – the wind rocked my ArgoFram again and again, and when I stepped out of the cabin in the morning, I saw that my flag had been torn away. Goodbye Swiss cross (now I have to mount the reserve flag; after last year’s […]
A shopping centre with fresh groceries next door, and an experienced sailor at the pier, together already make a good basis for a successful stay (especially in this weather). When we are told where the puffins nest, Lois’ heart leaps – she has hardly expressed her wish to see puffins when […]
As beautiful as it is here, with people and nature, I want to keep going. Bronnoysund is to be the next stop. – No sooner said than we are informed that on the way there we will once again have to drive ‘around the outside’, i.e. that there is no way […]
Into bed when it rains – up again when it rains, and onwards… Our neighbour, the kayak adventurer, is also already up, eats another hearty meal, squeezes into his dry suit, and pulls out into the sound with elegant, powerful arm thrusts… insane, impressive. What a guy!
We are much more comfortable: […]