070608 Traffic, people, changing weather
What a day it was! Traffic, people, changing weather. Now it is peaceful and beautiful evening while Pekka is writing this story to You.
The day started at 9 AM when three boats started their journey from Eckerö to Märket. Already before that Diddi warned the newcomers: there is strange weather on Märket. That was the waves. And strange they were. They were coming from every direction. Diddi bravely managed to take the rowing boat to the bayou, where we changed roles. Pekka did some 10 rowing trips to get our guests ashore.
The guests were members of the Swedish lighthouse society and the president of Norwegian society. Also came six people from Åland with the third boat.
Our secretary Petri came also with a special task to get our new boat running. So he did, he installed the outboard motor to the air filled boat that Ville had repaired. It is a great combination! Now we can move around much more freely and safely.
The guests left at 1 PM. Finally it was time for the lunch. We were really hungry after all the hazzle. At 4 PM we started to wait for the Granberg boat to return. It was time for the shift change. Finally Taru, Niklas and Marja came along with four local visitors from Åland. We did all the round trips that belong to the normal routines. You never get tired to tell about the very special life of this kind of isolated lighthouse island.
We did have today the legendary Märket lighthouse keeper KEE Eriksson here to tell the Swedish guests about life on Märket. They seemed to be amazed to hear all that from a real lighthouse keeper.
Diddi, Asta and specially Seija, who stayed here for ten days, left our tiny island with mixed feelings. It seems that they all want to come back. They really love this place, and that is no wonder.
Finally it was quite. Everybody had left except we four lighthouse keepers. Pekka showed the places and routines of the lighthouse keepers to the newcomers. Tomorrow it will be a day of work even it is Sunday. All days are working days on Märket!
One feels so sleepy here. This gentle fresh air in the middle of nowhere makes you to want to fall on the warm rock and fall asleep…
Greetings from Pekka, Marja, Niklas and Taru
080608 Peace has landed
Peace landed on Märket on Sunday. No motors, no outer noise. Just a gentle weak wind that kept the wind mills of the frontier guard running. No boats either in the whole day – a wonder, because the weather was great. But maybe everybody on Åland and in Grisslemhamn Sweden just went cycling.
The sea level was record low, so we started documenting that for further purposes. One can compare the photos of dry harbour to the photos taken 100 years ago, when a sailing boat was in the old harbour of Märket!
We metered the water level, and it was 98.5 centimetres lower that in 1900, when the water level was hugged to the cliff on every pilot station and/or lighthouse in Finland.
Still we used the old harbour for boating. The new rubber boat needs only 20 centimetres of water, and so we decided to clear the bottom of the harbour. So Niklas and Pekka went to the water with iron poles to roll away the stones. Marja and Taru helped by drawing the stones with a rope. Together we four removed the stones, the heaviest one weighting at least half a tonne!
After that we swimmed the sweat a way in the harbour. Water was like milk, very warm. Pekka and Niklas then tested the harbour by driving through it with the motor boat. It went very well.
Then it was time to receive the days guests, two famous nature journalists from Finland, Kari and Veikko. Mr. Granberg brought them at 7 PM. We showed them places. We talked a lot af nature on Märket. Unfortunately all the seals have disappeared, but luckily Mr. Granberg showed them the Sankarna seal colony.
In the evening the the blow started and went over 10 ms. So we took the societys flag down and started waiting for Tarus delicious dinner… Well, thats all now folks…
The four keepers of the light + Kari & Veikko (accepted by all!)
090608 Storm and a paddler
Today was a really beautiful day on Märket. It was sunny the whole day, but the sea was not calm, just the opposite.
Most of us waked already at 6 AM because of the coming storm. It was 15 ms but not very spectacular. But after our morning coffee at 8 AM the wind had turned to east, and also the sun shined brightly. We found a great place behind ”Mr Granbergs lagoon”. As you can see, we could catch the storm and the lighthouse in the same photo. It was great.
The journalists were active interviewing us and following our work. Veikko, the living legend of Finnish radio nature broadcasting, told us many useful things about Märket’s nature. We were lucky to have him visiting Märket. But one thing was missing: the seals that we had advertised to Veikko and Kari. After a long search one head popped up from the sea near to the bayou – not any other seals in the whole day.
During the day the gang brushed and painted pilars that are meant for the safety of tourists on Märket. Pekka and Niklas also developed new methods to schratch the old paint from the inner roofs. Now it works.
In the evening it was time for traditional Finnish summer food: grilled sausages. After finishing that we started to wait for a brave woman, our member Mirja to arrive with her canoe over the huge sea all the way from the nearest island to south, some 15-20 kilometres away.
And there she was! She arrived on the ”new harbour” just before 10 PM, happily smiling and doing a winners waiving the paddle! First thing she was on TV – Kari was filming the arrival. We all greeted her warmly, the new lighthouse keeper for the rest of the week.
The night is falling and it is time to say good night!
The Märket Five with Kari and Veikko
100608 Amazing storm and more visitors
Today we had by far the most interesting weather since we came here last Saturday. In the morning it was cloudy and already quite windy, and then it started to blow up even more from southwest. Later the wind turned towards northwest. For a while it was quite sunny, but then some rain and thunder clouds started to rise from the horizon. Not before long they were all over Märket, giving a lot of rain. The combination of wind and rain was powerful!
Bengt Granberg brought over a group of local visitors from Ålandsbanken (a bank) with his boat in the afternoon.
Pekka guided them around on the islet and in the lighthouse. The guests were just enjoying coffee outside, when the first raindrops fell. Soon the rain poured down with such a power that all of us had to take cover in one of the sheds. Unfortunately the roof was leaking, so we got a little wet anyway, but it was nice and cosy inside the shed.
The rain was soon over, but only temporarily. We said goodbuy to the guests and to Veikko, Kari and Pekka, who left Märket together with the guests. Just as they left for the boat, there was another strong downpour. It looked like they got very wet when running towards Bengt’s boat. Only Mirja, Taru, Marja and Niklas were left on the island.
Today’s work included some brushing and painting of the safety poles, and removing old paint from the ceiling in one of the rooms downstairs. Taru was very diligent in the kitchen, as usual. Niklas took some photos of the wonderful and dramatic thunder clouds passing Märket.
The wind has calmed and the evening seems beautiful. Taru just spotted a seal on a nearby reef.
Greetings from the Märket four: Taru, Mirja, Marja & Niklas
110608 Seals and rain
Yesterday we told that Taru spotted a seal on the nearby reef. After writing the report, while eating dinner outside in the evening sunhine, we saw another seal on the same reef. Niklas interrupted his dinner and ran inside to grab his camera and teleobjective. He was very happy to get his first seal photos ever, although the seal was quite far away even for a 300 mm lens. Suddenly he spotted a few other seals on the same reef and took some pictures of them, too. The seals seemed to be enjoying the warm evening sunshine, which followed the rain and thunder earlier the same day.
The day was sealed with a wonderful sunset. It was just the phenomenon Kari was looking for during the two previous evenings, but unfortunately he left Märket ten hours too early.
The morning today was rainy. Actually it was more drizzle than rain, but combined with the northerly wind it didn´t feel pleasant at all. Niklas continued working with the poles, but the rain regularly stopped his work.
Inside the lighthouse Mirja and Marja were busy scrabbing the ceiling. They worked for hours and hours both before and after lunch, which made them the heroes of the day. Once in a while Taru gave them a helping hand.
Otherwise she was working in the kitchen preparing us both breakfast and a wonderful soup for lunch. She also made the dishes, as usual. For the moment she´s preparing something delicious for dinner. She really is the goddess of the Märket kitchen!
In the afternoon the rain stopped and the wind slowly turned towards northwest. Finally Taru and Niklas could continue with painting the poles. Let´s hope the rain doesn´t destroy them before they are dry enough!
Mirja took a dip in the sea, which is very cold now due to many days of northern winds. Taru and Marja just used warm water to wash themselves, but the cold wind made the experience far from enjoyable.
Today Ville phoned us for the first time. He plans to possibly visit us on Friday. We´re looking forward to meet him!
No visitors today. Were are you all? Welcome!!
Greetings from Märket,
Taru, Mirja, Marja & Niklas
120608 Visitors from the sky
The Märket Four´s morning peace was awakened to full daylight by a helicopter from the Finnish Rajavartiolaitos (Frontier Guard).
Two men landed and spent half a day fixing and updating the monitoring system. We were also glad to receive them as guests at our afternoon coffee table.
When they had left, a boat from Käringsundsby brought an international group of summer workers, who enjoyed a guided tour and refreshments at Märket. Their way from the boat to the island and back required 10 short rowing trips, of which nine were performed by Niklas.
The rest of the day in between the visitors, we worked with the poles and the ceiling. At breaks we sipped coffee and tea, and ate traditional Finnish ”pancakes”. Overall, a very lively day in a nice half-sunny cool weather.
Warm greetings from Taru, Marja, Niklas and Mirja
130608 Nostalgic feelings
Morning started with sunshine. It was almost windstill and very warm, too. Niklas spotted a seal on a reef nearby and after taking a few photos from the shore, he started to row towards it. Just as he reached the reef and lifted up his camera, the seal disappeared into the water. Bad luck: no Nature Photo of the Year this time either.
Mirja left the lighthouse with her canoe after breakfast. The weather started to change for worse a bit later. The wind began to blow hard and we had some rain showers.
We did some painting while it was raining.
Later we were glad to hear that Mirja had arrived at the continent safe and sound.
Otherwise it has been an ordinary day with everyday lighthouse activities. Unfortunately not a single visitor found his way here today.
There is some melancholy in the air, because we will leave Märket tomorrow at noon. It has been a pleasure for all of us to experience this unique place, and we recommend it for You too. While returning to our everyday lives, we will always keep Märket in our hearts.
Marja, Taru and Niklas