040709 A Big Change

 

Saturday is a day of changes; for others to move back to the civilized world and us to begin a week-long adventure on this rocky islet. The new crew for the next week will be two blonds and a brunette -Titta, Selja, Jutta – who will take over the kitchen and guiding Experienced constructors are renovating the lighthouse -Jouni, Mikko, Jari , Jari and as a last but not the least Ari, who has his third week here.

All the men have been here before, either this or the last summer, but for the ladies this is the first, but hopefully not the last time.

Already the very beginning showed the true nature of our existence here: no lazy faint laying in the sunny clifs – instead, real work. After a short but highly valued briefing from the last week’s crew and after waves of goodbye, we already got visitors here: five people from Åland by motorboat. Selja had her first guiding in Swedish before she had really understood where she was and saw all the places through. All went fine, and guests enjoyed a nice cup of coffee with a bun outside in the sun.

Titta will shoot photos for the diary during our stay and the renovation documentation. Jutta had nice, clear and creative ideas how to build up a menu for the week.

Cooking, dishing and guidning will keep us ladies busy here, while the men are doing their pro work. I admire their determined attitude how they immediately rolled up their sleeves and climbed up the scaffoldings.

Later on Märket proved its reputation as the stormiest place in Finland. I took a walk round the islet during the nice weather, but noticed that swallows were flying very slow, as they do during low pressures. A sudden thunder front rolled over the sky from the north, and fast heavy wind whipped the sea. As soon it appeared, a new change lifted the birds high again and sky was clear. Just wind and waves reminded of the storm.

 

050709 Visitors from Sea and Sky

 

In the morning it was clear that the guests who were supposed to come at 9.45 for a tour from Sweden, would not able to land. Sea was far too rough and furious. That’s bad, but even worse was the fact that Yvonne, who would have arrived in the same boat, should have taken care of our food supply. The same wind also swept away our northern harbour.

No use to cry, normal daily routines started. It turned out a productive day: wooden handmade beds are almost ready and have been lifted inside in the first floor. Soon they only lack a test lay down.

Historical marks of the sea level where strengthened with white paint. From 1900 and 1907 the land has visibly risen – this rocky island has been even smaller back then.

The wind and the sea calmed down gradually and in the afternoon we thankfully noticed a white boat approaching: Yvonne and Mats bringing the tourists and the food! All important for us and for The Finnish Lighthouse Society.

After they left we continued working, plastering the wall and all other duties – and had delicious Greek style meatballs made by Jutta.

The hottest topic of the day appeared over the sea from the sky and landed on the south side cliffs; an impressive sight when an 18-meter helicopter of The Frontier Guard with its handsome crew stopped by for a coffee. Unfortunately, their serve was short because they received an alert at the same time with the cup of coffee.

We stay curiously waiting what a new tomorrow will bring.

Selja and the team

 

060709 Beds, Paint and History

 

No time to get bored here, busy days full of work continue. Weather has been mostly clear and sunny today, wind approximately from two to six meters per second. The wind had dropped down from yesterday to a reasonable level, allowing us to work up in the lantern and complete the painting work for this time. Only decorative cast iron consoles still need to be done. After winning the fear of high places, it was possible to enjoy the view and fresh air up there too.

Beds are even more almost complete. They look robust and hold together, and definitely offer a good sleep and peaceful dreams for all users. Mikko and Jouni made quality work again.

Three painters arrived here this morning for four days, and on Saturday we should see the red and white painted walls as an result of their work. Their arrival also set a new demanding timetable for the kitchen crew: our dinner table is not big enough for all, so we are forced to eat in turns. Also their work time is different – that means almost constant cooking, either for them or for us volunteers. The amount of dishes also increases.

During the afternoon some of the scaffoldings were pulled down from the southwestern wall and erected again to the engine room walls in order to work and paint there later on.

We also had two boat guests here today, both of them with some interest towards Märket’s fascinating history. Captain from an old SAR boat, m/y Hans Helenius, with three family members from Lumparland, had a guided tour. For a change, he enlightened us with the history of the old SAR boat, which had made rescues here in Märket’s dangerous waters, too. Later on, we also had here Jan Andersson, a researcher from The Provincial Museum of Åland, collecting information from Märket for his project.

This work day will end, at least for me, with a nice and refreshing swim in the lagoon. And we are all waiting for our competent foreman Ari to keep his promise of offering a barbecue meal later tonight.

 

070709 Rainy Day

 

Rainy and windy day. Despite the demanding conditions brave lighthouse crew went out to organize and realize the engine room wall washing project. Our storm lover Jutta was the only possible person to fullfill the job, which she did in most admireably way, enjoying herself in heavy rain and wind.

Mikko and Jouni created for toilet more easy-reachable design. All workers outside get wet, and Jari K kindly warmed up the lighthouse, due to that it was nice and cosy when all smoke was first ventilated away. Jari S´s exellent selfmade clothes drying stative soon filled with wet overalls.

Selja and Ari get dirty but happy while plastering the first floor room walls behind. Unfortunately rain melted away plastering which painters did earlier in the morning from the facade, and they spend the wet day watcing Kun-fu movie from the computer. Waist of time and efforts, and dissappointment was read from their faces. Later in the evenign when sky get clearer they started to work again. Hopefully tomorrow will bring us some nice dry weather.

Ari´s birthday cake brought color and good mood for our gray day.

 

080709 Sun, Paint and Visitors

 

Sunny and warm day promote all yet unfinnnished works today. Some of them where comlepted, like one of the most important of these weeks; the lighthouse got now new shining paint all around.

For that painters worked late last night after the rain finally allowed them to continue, and went on early this morning.

The old roof from engine room was removed and new one is to be built soon. Also front wall from the same building started to get a new clean white painted outlook.

Nice weather also brought us visitors; first came a group of nine person having a 50 years celebration today. Nice idea indeed to have a day trip to Märket together before the party in the evening. Also Ville Holmberg´s family gave us a suprise visit with Bror Erik. Later on in the evening Yvonne and Mats stopped by and brought a family from Hämeenlinna with them to visit the lighthouse.

Busy day is turning to its end, might be so that we´ll be here more and less just us workers, if the winds the weather report has promised will rise.

 

090709 Stormy Thursday

 

High waves and hard work, a stormy thursday. Märket was for the most one meter below the sea level today. A beatifull scenery when clifs where washed from northern side to the south by smashings waves whit a smaragd green tone when they break to the shore. Island was covered by wild white water.

Despite the rough weather, the hold crew went outside to work.

 

100709 Prisoners of the Storm

 

In the morning the swells of the northern side sea were breathing heavily but tranquilly against the islet. Waves where flatter than yesterday, but still the strenght of the sea was present. No rest for island Märket as a new storm arouse from opposite direction with constant heavy southern winds. Due to forces of the nature no one will reach us here and we will stay prisoners of the sea.

This way our skillfull team won another workday here, and did its best today too: Mikko and Jari continued with the roof structure. Jutta continued to painf enginerooms walls, Selja and Ari continued plastering the magazine wall, Titta continued to do the dishes and fotography, Jouni and Jari continued their thousand tasks as all a around men.

We take our work here seriously but there is also time for play: Mikko and Jari built a nice kite to take most pleasure of the conditions.

 

110709 Last Day

 

Last day, everybody are more and less tired but happy. Sea has calmed down from yesterday and we worked under a bright blue sky. Task were completed to create an easy start for the next coming crew.

Bengt brought us visitors from Espoo, a four men team who visits a lighthouse a year. This time their target was Märket, and a not bad choice at all.

Our last day didn´t make a difference from other dilligent days here, but in the evening we dressed up to a clean clothes everybody and gathered round the table for a last good meal. Athmosphere is bit sad to leave this special island. The whole team thanks Märket.