010609 On the Footsteps of Forefathers

 

The first shift of this summer has landed on Märket. Yvonne, Mats and Mikael did some forecast estimations and decided that today is okay to land to the island. And then we had some high-speed cruising wih a jetboat.

So here I am, in this very little and rocky island, hosting a most beautiful lighthouse all by myself. But not alone, dozens of seals welcomed me when I came.

I’m also in the middle of my family history. The architect who designed the lighthouse, Georg Schreck, is my mother’s grandfather, and I might be his first relative who visits on the island. The feeling is great, I almost don’t have words to describe it! Now it’s time to study the local habits, get a good night sleep and get prepared to tomorrow’s busy working day.

Greetings,

Antero

 

020609 First Tasks

 

Somehow I woke up at 4:30, looked up from window and saw the most beautiful sunrise: the sky was so yellow and the sun was just a perfect circle. Well, I took a little nap before I got up, and then there was a busy day waiting for me.

I did some serious cleaning in a lighthouse, though the place will be needing it a few more times. There was a strong wind and light rain coming over the day, but it was all finished at the evening.

I had some luxurious time, sitting in the top of the building, reading the only book man can read in the the place like this: Muumipappa ja meri.

One more thing thing to do before bedtime: I have to get the the rowing boat into the water. Good night from the island.

Antero

 

030609 Furious Sea

 

Yesterday Mats came on SAR-boat with two divers. They mounted on a buoy. I took the rowing boat to water and made a litte evening trip to be sure that all was working well.

Yvonne called me at 4.30, they had decided that the wind is too strong to come to Märket. It sure is, big waves are surrounding the rocks and me. Too bad, because there was a family wanting to come here. I hope they’ll make it another time. No people will probably get here before next Sunday, so I’ll be all alone this whole week.

I saw only one brave seal this morning, but now he/she has gone. Perhaps there are better places to be. My only company are the birds: terns and swallows.

Today was also a cleaning day, and I tried to catch the waves with my camera. Things are happening here very slowly (the sea excluded, perhaps), life in the lighthouse is totally different than one in mainland.

Hopefully I’ll be able to send the pictures today, yesterday it didn’t work for some reason.

Antero

 

040609 Watching the Surf

 

Heavy winds continue. The night was a bit restless. I’m sleeping in the attic, and waves were loud and the wind was singing around the tower.The morning was cold, rainy and grey. As was my mind after the night badly slept…

The wind hasn’t settled at all, and now I’m looking out of the window where southerly waves are breaking making the water all white. In the northern side, waves are crushing on the rocks and spreying like springs over the cliffs. The scenery is spectacular.

I made a decision to bring the rowing boat engine back to the shed, because the boat is floating a bit restless even though it is safe from winds. I also tried to bring the boat in, but it’s too heavy and rocks are too steep for me to lift it alone. Hope I have it still in one piece tomorrow.

Today at last I did a powerful cleaning to the refrigerator. It really needed some extra care, and now it looks much better! What I have inside it is not much, not really any gourmet-food, mainly ready portions of pasta with some tuna flakes. It’s enough to keep me going, and I shall reward myself with a delicious meal when I’m back in the civilization.

I’m writing these reports with my own computer, and it’s usually very frustrating, because connections are so poor. To send a picture is a lottery really, and one looses more often than wins. But patience, that is a good thing to have on a little island like this.

I haven’t seen a soul here after Mats and the divers, the only sign of a life are container ships, which are sailing far, far away in the western horizon.

I think I go and mount an extra rope to the boat, then I watch some evening waves, read a little and then prepare to sleep.

Antero

 

050609 The Boatguard

 

The wind was a little easier last night, at least waves were not so noisy, but during the day sea has been blowing across the island from north to south.

My boat lies at the bottom of the little harbour lagoon in the southern side, but I have had to empty it of water couple of times today because of strength of the waves.

I have had some funny company all day. There has been a seal on the rocks besides the lagoon. It has been lying there on it’s back or side, sometimes scratching it’s nose. He has been my boatguard. Every now and then bigger waves from the other side – the same ones that are filling the boat – has been throwing it to the sea. It seems not to bother it, it just climbs back on the rocks in it’s own clumsy way. I think it really wait’s to get some surfing fun!

The weather has been almost sunny, and I tried to paint some borderlines today. Most of the marks were still wet, and some of them occassionally under water, so I couldn’t paint very many of them. However, if Finland is today a litte bit bigger than yesterday, don’t blame me…

After the dinner there was still a little bit cleaning and wiping to do, as always. I succeeded to find the island’s first pencil that works, that is progress if any!

The internet connection has been fast today, so now it’s time to send the report and then I’ll bw ready do the normal evening tasks: admire the power of the sea and then read a little before going to sleep.

Antero

 

060609 Whirlwind of Visitors

 

Visitor’s at last!

I am writing this at 9.30 sunday morning. I started it last night at one a clock, but I didn’t get the connection.

The Finnish Lighthouse Society’s conference guests – 30 altogether – came to a visit at 9 pm. We had to wait long to get them safely to the island. Then another group of 30 people came on Sunday morning at seven o’clock. So this has really been a party island!

I woke up this morning at 4.30, climbed up to the lantern balcony, and admired the beauty of the scenery and the sunrise for a while. This is the last morning for me for now. Then I started to make coffee and tea for the guests, and after a while they arrived by three boats.

But back to Saturday: In the morning, weather was nice and sunny, though windy still. At last I was able to repaint the bordermarks, the helicopter landing place and a warning line to the edge of the steep cliff.

While painting I became a target of a hostile air attack. The funny thing is that the attackers came from both Sweden and Finland. They made some bombing, and too bad, they made some hits in the target too.

After painting I had some lunch, made some cleaning, swiping the stairs like always (I can tell You that there are many stairs in lighhouses…), and made some common arrangements.

Then the time came to welcome the visitors. They arrived on three boats, some 35 guest and hosts. There really was some life and action after spending the week alone. And finally I met Pekka Väisänen, the chairman of the society, by whom I have been only kept contact by phone and SMS-messages. It was really nice to see people, though it was a bit of a culture shock to a lighthousekeeping hermit.

An English journalist, Fran stayed here for the night, he wanted to see the sunrise. He is making an article about the lighthouses, and it will be published in Finnair magazine, Blue Wings one of the next spring’s issues.

This week has been unbelieveably great, an awesome experience really. I have followed my grandgrandfather’s footsteps, in an easy way, and I have been trying to imagine how the life here was at that time. It’s very difficult to imagine, and trying to describe my own experiences in this blog is difficult too.

I can write about waves flushing across the island, I can write about the seals that are singing, I can try to describe what it is to be here all alone, sometimes worrying if the boat rope will hold for the night. But as long I can’t bring you the sounds of a sea and seals, the smell of this old building and the sea, the feelings I’ve had here, I can just offer you a glimpse of the life here. This is something one must experience by him/herself.

If this was the old times, today I would start rowing about 20km to Eckerö because I couldn’t use a sail. But today my challenge is to get the e-mail working. Times they are a changing…

New lighthousekeepers, welcome to Märket island! I promise You won’t regret it.

 

Antero Raudas