200908 Insects and birds

 

Change of lightkeepers, one comes and two go away. Lucky me, here are also four radioamateurs on their Happy Isle. The NNe wind brings insects here, and that’s why – so I believe – there are a lot of insect-eating birds flynig around. For example, the smallest domestic bird.

The seals are still having regular checking point a few hundred yards south of the reef.

Pasi

 

210908 A sunny autumn day

 

The morning was sunny with nearly no wind. Outside was warmer than inside. The day became more and more beautiful when time passed. T-shirt was nearly too much. In the afternoon, maybe about at 2 PM I tried to be a fortune-teller to predict the evening wether: cloudy, rainy and windy? No, the sun was shining from the sky and reflecting from water like from a mirror. Still at 6 pm. Really beautiful evening.

We had visitors at the first afternoon hours. A lady and two men came with a small motorboat from Sweden. The boat owner has a summerhouse just opposite over the sea in Sweden and the two others were his friends from Uppsala, Sweden. They were trying to get some fish when I asked then to come to visit here.

The visitors wery very pleased to see the borderline between Finland and Sweden, and with one step go from a country to onother. Fishers as they were they told that they have got only one fish from around Märket Reef in this summer, and it was as deep as 50 meters!

Lonely Lighthouse keeper Pasi

 

220908 Re-appearance of the Frog

 

Misty morning, some light fog, mild E or NEE wind, gentle swell coming from somewhere. In the afternoon, before the sunset the wind turned to N-NNE and strengthened but not up to stormy level.

The work started with morning coffee and a chat with the radioamateurs. And then to real work – cleaning the toilet, a job I am used to in my summerhouse, just a work someone has to do.

Second work was to continue the earlier lighthousekeepers’ job. Here the rain comes horizontally during storms. So we have to be sure that the water does not come into the lighthouse through the ventilation holes. A tube that is turned up and attached inside is enough to prevent this.

While I was here in May, we found a big frog in the basement and named him Saku the Frog. Today I saw a smaller frog and I believe it was Saku the Frog Jr.

Pasi

 

230908 Bird and Scrap

 

Morning started with good coffee and oatmeal porridge.

The nature is rich on the reef. Our biggest bird, Haliaeetus albicilla, sea-eagle, was eating fish on the small reef nearby. It flies immediately away when it sees us. Our smallest bird (Regulus regulus) flies after insects. When doors are open, the R.r. often flies inside. It is a hard work to get them out. Outside they are not afraid us, inside it is tricky to catch them and carry out. Two beautiful types of birds, seen almost constantly, are red-brested Erithacus rubecula and white-gray Motacilla alba.

At noon , the hard work began. Ville Holmberg and his son Tim came to take away some scrap. We carried the old sheets of metal (from the repaired roof).We shipped it to the bigger boat three times with the red dinghy piled high. Special thanks to the four radioamateurs for their assistance.

No visitors today. Tomorrow there will be: members of the press and authorities with Pekka, the chairman of our lighthouse society.

Pasi

 

240908 Visitors

 

After the morning coffee I was walking outside planning to start today’s work with the old lumber. There was a sudden visitor, a snake (Natrix natrix) whitch we call a “beach-snake”. It has yellow “ears” so it s easy to identify, and it is not poisonous. Old people call it “the mild snake”.

We got plenty of old lumber from the old boat shed roof. I have been sawing it all the day into pieces of firewood.

Today’s group of visitors, lead by Ville Holmberg, consisted of civil engineers and press from the mainland and people from Åland. They were brought here by a beautiful boat owned by Åland Sea Resque.

Pasi

 

250908 Sunshine Before Storm

 

Mild wind and sunshine follow us here, and we really like it.

Two swedish fishermen came to have their coffee and sandwiches. They had got some fish but no salmon, which would be the desired species.

The radioamateurs are preparing their antennas for the contest held next weekend. As we are traveling home on Tuesday, their antennas on the roofs need to be disassembled easily and conveniently.

For dinner we had the traditional dish for Thursday: pea soup and pancake. When baking the pancake the smoke alarm turned on. Well, at least we now know it works.

My task today was to have a thorough look around and check what should be taken to mainland and what left here until the next spring.

Pasi

 

260908 Waiting for the storm

 

South-western wind makes foam only on very few waves. The water in sea is in low level. The wind is cooler than in last days. At 11 AM the sun was shining through clouds into the thermometer, only 13,5 degrees Celsius in the sunshine.

Right now, half past 6 PM when I am writing this story the sun is shining and the wind is turning to north and getting stronger.

In the afternoon there was three sea eagles flying near in north-western side of this isle. One had a fish and other tryed to steal it. Maybe they were yangsters born this summer. A wonderful sight!

Your lonely lighthouse keeper Pasi

 

270908 Activities on Märket

 

Wind 10-11 m/s from west in afternoon, temperature 15 degrees Celsius. The flag of our society waves straight in the wind.

A small hawk was flying over the island. It did catch a bird, saw me and dropped his prey, continued flying around. I went to find the dead bird, there it was between rocks, a Turdus pilatis.

I was wondering what brings such kind of birds here long away of their usual neighborhood. This happening solved one of my problems. Between rocks I have found hole bunches of feathers of birds. The wilderness has hard rules.

Two more days here! The time has passed fast!

In the photo: Pertti Simovaara “OH2PM” at his hamradiostation on Market Lighthouse checking his rigs for the radiosport contest. From this saturday afternoon during next 24 hours he shall partisipate the Scandinavian Activity Contest heading to win the Scandinavian Championship. In this radiosport the general idea is to speak with hamradiostations all over the world collecting as many countries as possible and as many stations as possible.

Sincerely Yours, Pasi

 

280908 Foaming storm

 

Stormy and industrious Sunday.

Sunny morning again, stormy wind turned from west to north-west before noon and got stronger. The sea is nearly white because the wind drives the waves up to foamheads. No clouds and optimal wind direction makes the yard warm and comfortable.

Market Reef is beautiful in stormy weather. The high (almost two meters or six-seven feet) waves make the sea-shore foam and the biggest ones flow over the rocks. There are rivers and falls all over the lee-side when the water runs back to the sea.

Today I have carried all valuable things from the firefood shed into the lighthouse. Special thanks again to the radioamateurs for their help in carrying the heavy one and when lifting the bigger el. generator one stairs up with a pulley.

I made a stand for the outboard motor so it will stay in right position during the winter.

Only one whole day and two nights more left (if the weather allows :).

Pasi

 

290908 Almost the last day

 

Beautiful, sunny day again, at 6 PM we have still 13 degrees. The wind has calmed down during the day, but waves a rolling in the sea. Radioamateurs have been busy during the whole day tooking down their antennas and wires. In the meanwhilw they helped me to carry the three boats into the shed, a job which would have been impossibile for me alone, so thanks HAMs (a nickname for them)!

I wanted to photograph something unique, something to remember: I am standing in the Swedish terrotory looking into Finland, in front of me there is a white short line indicating the boarderline between the two states. In the backround right side you can see the stonewall built as a shield against the ice moving in winter. In the left hand side there is the beautiful, old lighthouse tower.

This last whole day here makes me sentimental.

Yours sincerely, Pasi

 

300908 Farewell, sunny Märket

 

Waking up before sunrise, checking all again and waiting the motorboat – these are the headlines for this morning. It became a sunny day, but the wind also rised.

Also radioamateurs are ready to leave Market Reef and waiting for motorboat taking them and their equipments to mainland. During twelve days they made contact with about 18500 stations all over the world. From left Pertti Simovaara, OH2PM, Lars Nikko, OH0RJ, Henri Olander, OH3JR, ja Ilmo Anttila, OH2BO.

The motorboat did start from mainland at seven am to take us away. High waves around the island made us unconfident if the waves would allow us to get to the boat. The captain of the boat had taken a small boat to lift us with it into the bigger one.

The flag of the Finnish Lighthouse Society has been waving during whole summer. I took it down at nine am. We locked the doors.

Last view to sunny Market is recorded from the boat. Market is closed. Farewell Market!

 

Pasi, the last lighthouse keeper of the season 2008