In the middle of July last summer I found myself with no responsibilities. I had five days with no plans and no kids to attend to. I packed AANAR, my modified Herreshoff Coquina, with camping gear and drove from my home in the small town Porvoo to my favorite place to launch, the southern point of Emäsalo Island on the Gulf of Finland. Being by the open sea, the wind there is steady and unobstructed, making sailing faster and more pleasant than in the 10-mile-long inlets that flank Emäsalo. I launched AANAR and rigged her for sailing. The original Coquina was a cat-ketch and with rope steering; mine is rigged with single lugsail and tiller steering. The Wizard of Bristol gave her delicate and fast lines, and she is rewarding to sail. AANAR's cockpit has plenty of room for a solo sailor and cruising gear. The burgundy cushions hanging over the side decks are an innovation I tried, hoping to make seat cushions do double duty as fenders. They were, frankly, more comfortable to sit on before the modification.
all photographs by the author
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Lovely! And inspiring.
Do you have cell service that allows you to use GPS on your phone while sailing?
The coastal waters of the Gulf of Finland are pretty well marked with seamarks but we do have cell coverage and I sometimes use my phone’s GPS just to check position when I’m in unfamiliar waters.
Please, pictures and some information about your “traditional Finnish lapstrake racing rowing boat with sliding seats.”
My rowing boat is 6 meters long, very narrow, and has extremely pointy ends. It was originally designed and built for a rower and a helmsman taking turns rowing, but when I restored the boat I added a second rowing station. Boats like these have developed in the Saimaa Lake and Savo regions of Finland and there is an annual event, the Sulkava Rowing Race where hundreds of boats gather and race in singles, doubles, and traditional church-going boats with 8 or more rowers. The racing boats’ designs are traditional and have evolved during hundreds of years but the construction and gear are thoroughly modern. Ruud van Veelen of Puuvenepiste builds the fastest boats for this race, and his Saajuu 470 was reviewed in the August 2015 issue of Small Boats Monthly.
Thanks for the picture (great boat!), information, and links.