Talkooviikko 30: Jake, Katja, Annamari ja Mikael

Week 29: Jake, Katja, Annamari and Mikael

Saturday 19.7.2014

After cleaning and other works for the change of the working shift our Saturday working list included for example washing and painting of the heating stove, carrying the wood logs from the harbour to the lighthouse. But fortunately the day was really done for the tourists which started flooding to Märket from the morning on. All three north side harbours were in use and two sailing boats evan invented a new place to come ashore. For now the updating of this diary is temporarily made by the Märket staff, so due to unreliable internet connections to the main land, the updating of the diary may take some time.

This week’s new member of the Märket-crew, Kaija-Riitta with Katja

All harbours of Märket (and more) were full-booked

Visitor K-H Stung found relatives from the very old photo taken 1906 on the Sälgrund lighthouse. Even the names of the two dogs (Vicki and Viri) were remembered and added to the phototext to the Märket’s copy of the Seppo Laurell’s excellent book “Suomen majakat – Finnish lighthouses” (1999), page 134. Carola visited Märket first time

Happy families enjoying the lighthouse, sun, coffee and juice

Our visitor-volunteer Harri practising some excercise

Also Britt-Marie and Kai enjoyed Märket in the warm sunny day

Jake, Heli, Kirsti, Katja, Annamari and Mikael

Sunday 20.7.2014

The day started more windy and clowdy than yesteday. Our friend wagtail was already awake and was constantly staring us from its watching place. Despite somewhat windy weather, we had one international crew visiting Märket. The captain of the boat had his third visit here – the two previous ones were last summer and the year 2009. Now he wanted to take his french and british friends to see something special. Also he wanted to see what had changed since his last visit. Katja guided the crew. Meanwhile Mikael carefully painted the heating stove of the first floor. In the evening Kaija-Riitta remembered the old days by washing herself in Lilla Märket.

A Wagtail nesting in the “dry” land breakwater near lighthouse, observed our every movement outside. After recent fixing the seams off the breakwater nestingholes are now limited to only few.

Mikael painting the first floor heating stove – zero runoffs!

Visitors from three countries: Captain Otto from Sweden and Samuel, Elias, Aron, Max and Nathan from France and London

Kaija-Riitta washing dishes after a tasty meal she made us.

Our younger guests enjoyed our “swimming-pool” done by the nature.

“Lilla Märket” has been used previously as a washing place – washing yourself there is possible even today.

Not the “Northern lights” of polar circle, but certainly the most “Western lights” of Finland – the light of Märket lighthouse.

Jake, Kaija-Riitta, Katja and Mikael

Monday 21.7.2014

While having a nice breakfast we listened the ten to eight AM weather forecast for Märket using our National Panasonic RF-849LBD radio from the year 1960. The radio is still going strong with only minor deficits – missing battery cover and a missing frame going round the FM/LW/MW-frequency screen. By the way, wind was expected to stay between 3-7 m/s the whole day. Kaija-Riitta and Jake went through the shop room checking if there was anything unnecessary stuff to take ashore. Over half of last saturdays lot of Finnish Lighthouse Calendar 2015 has already been sold, so we contacted the mainland to get some more. In the afternoon we had four visitors which had been visited Märket 2007. Quite much had been changed to better since.

Japaneze lighthouse-weatherproof quality from 1960

Jake and Kaija-Riitta sorting out the cupboards of the Märket shop-room

Only twenty one rebellion phantom midges wanted to leave their footprints to the newlypainted heating stove ignoring strict orders not to touch the surface until it is totally dry – really excellent behavior control from the other 10+ billion who were flying outside, see some of them here:

M/S Nelly brought four jolly visitors to Märket

This swedish ship passing by because the only buoy was reserved and the northern wind did’t allow the use of northern harbours

This newly found 5 cent coin – put unauthorized by a volunteer crew to the cashbox – made quite a trouble to our attentive shop cashier – the unbalance is now fixed

Tuesday 22.7.2014

Our Tuesday consisted of basic stuff, fixing anything that needed it, chopping wood and guiding several visiting groups. With Mats boat arrived first twelve guests. Via Eckerö following them came visitors Ulric and Kia from Sollentuna, Sweden with their boat Ellen. After them three additional visitors arrived also from Sweden. For this crew guiding was made both in swedish and in english. Also one canoeist arrived, who was happy to have a chance to fill his drinking water supply for the next stop which was Eckerö Åland mainland. In the afternoon we had another boat carrying Henning, Marina, Henrik, Sarah and Sabina. Russian ships are seldom seen in Märket. One shy boat with russian flag only passed by probably because the buoy was reserved by another guest. In the evening it was time to relax after a very hot and sweaty day. We continued the hot day theme by enjoying Märket’s hot, easy-heating sauna and swimming in the hot sun-heated lagoon.

Marcel and Tuneke, from Jorissen Amsterdam, Danmark.

Ulric and Kia were lucky to have a chance to have two nice guidings – firstly to Märket following captain Mats’s boat and secondly going all the way through Märket lighthouse guided by island volunteers.

Oscar, two years old, likes lighthouses. Also other visitors enjoyed the visit.

Kjell, Cristina, Leif came with Erika. First they tried to came straight ashore, but soon noticed that the south side of Märket is the total opposite of the north side – not deep enough to come ashore by almost any boat without using the on and only buoy. Katja guiding the boat crew.

Happy family Henning, Marina, Henrik, Sarah and Sabina from Åland made the almost impossible with the south harbour

Märket’s warm wood-sparing new sauna-wonder

This ship had quite odd-looking cargo – wings for wind-power plant perhaps? You decide

Wednesday 23.7.2014

We had an early awakening because we wanted to check if there was – and how many – seals near Märket for so many tourist had asked if there were any. Many new turist would visit the lighthouse also today. After checking Mats brought us 12 happy new visitors to see the sunny side of the island. We also had four other visitors, one of them was a son of a lighthouse worker from 1960’s. Also dog Charlie visited the island. It even found and ate a tasty fish which birds had dropped to the cliff. Even In the evening we had more turists, now from Mariehamn och Geta.

Also spriders do work in Märket mostly the nightshift though – here you can see what lovely curtains one or two of them has made for third floor window

One of the dangerous places in Märket was this heavy used chair for diary makers which broke up – now the chair is fixed and diary can be put to net in time 😉

Maria, Peter and Stefan enjoyed their visit and the warm, calm weather

A Märket way to lock the door – the handle installed so it is impossible to use the key hole – certainly not made by the Lighthouse society

Thursday 24.7.2014

Today we did all kinds of preliminary work for the next volunteers to come like kitchen inventory, cleaning the lighthouse, toilet and compost cleaning. We also made an more precise inventory of wood stuff.

Friday 25.7.2014

Today we did all kinds of preliminary work for the next volunteers to come like kitchen inventory, cleaning the lighthouse and also cleaned up the toilet and compost. We also made a more precise inventory of wood stuff. We also guided visitors both from Åland and Sweden.

We have been a bit unlucky with connections to mainland working now and then without any regularity

There was so many phantom midges flying all over that the only place to have dinner outside was (very) near the helicopter landing spot

Märket has been a fantastic experience for Katja and us all

Jake, Kaija-Riitta, Katja and Mikael

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