Week 22: Pasi, Aarni, Irma and Kalle - Suomen Majakkaseura ry

Saturday 23.5.2015

At saturday morning the weather was sunny but too windy for stranding in Märket. Pasi, Aarni, Irma and Kalle could set out for Märket when the wind was calmed down in the afternoon. The rest of the day passed by settling down, enjoying the sunny evening and for the first timers, Irma and Kalle, learning the basics in Märket.

Pasi, Irma, Aarni and Kalle (behind the camera) had to wait wind calming. It was great opportunity to get known in Eckerö’s culture sights.

The wind has calmed down, the boat is loaded and Mats is ready to take Pasi, Aarni, Irma and Kalle to Märket.

Newcomers, Irma and Kalle, are excited to see what the week has to offer.

Sunday 24.5.2015

At Sunday morning, the wind had calmed down. Aarni believed that he had seen by a spyglass, that a young seal would be trapped in a crack on the islet at noth side of Märket. Since it was calm day, after breakfast Aarni, Irma and Kalle decided to take the inflatable boat and go to the northern islet to look around and to find out what was the situation with this possibly trapped seal.

When the boat was stranded to the islet, there seemed to be no seals at all. At first, Aarni, Irma and Kalle spotted only few seal carcasses that were either decomposed or partly eaten, until there was a little movement in a crack nearby. There was a little tired seal trying to get up from the crack. The only possibility was to tow the seal up with a rope, because it would propably bite if someone would try to touch it.

Aarni and Irma on the islet at the northern side of Märket.

Little seal, later named Helmi (Pearl), was found trapped in the bottom of a crack on the islet. Aarni is trying to put a rope on the seal so that it could be lifted up. Irma is assisting with the paddle.

Soon the little seal was nearby the water. He drank some and crawled into the water. First it looked like a little uneasy, but soon he cheered up and it seems there would be a good chance that he would survive. Little seal was named Helluntai Helmi (it means Pearl of the Pentecost) and Märket volunteers wish a good and long life for him (or her).

The little seal was gently assisted next to the water and soon he was swimming and seemingly enjoying the cool sea water.

The rest of the day went fast, and in the evening, the sauna was truly deserved.

It was so calm in the morning that the water was like a mirror. It was quite different compared to the last morning.

Monday 25.5.2015

The morning was sunny and wind blew less than 5 m/s. It was a great morning for painting rails and the marks for the national boundaries. After sunny morning, the rest of the day has been quite grey and cloudy. The rail painting has to be continued some other day, because the wind was getting stronger in the afternoon, and the paint didn’t stay in a brush any more. The southern wind strenghtened up to 10m/s.

Irma has quite a conditions to wash the dishes.

Aarni paints the national boundary marks.

The sky is grey but the ground is always colourful.

Tuesday 26.5.2015

It was quite a changing weather, therefore the painting jobs could not be continued. It was an opportunity to consentrate to tool inventory and the other tasks that could be done inside. The weather was clearing towards the evening and it seems like there will be beautiful but windy evening.

The weather changes from rainy to sunny for a while and the water is evaporating from the warming rocks.

After a little sunny period in the morning, it was rainy, cold and foggy again, but it didn’t bother the fishermen who were trolling nearby Märket.

Swallows are having a break from hunting insects when it was raining too much.

You must not be isolated on a distant lighthouse islet. Pasi is contacting people around the world.

Wednesday 27.5.2015

The day was bright and sunny from the morning to late evening. The temperature was 8,4 °C and the seawater was 8 °C at the morning. The wind was calm, except in the evening when a rain front passed by at the western side. It was quite an active day, since the weather was so nice. The sauna was cleaned and all the rails were painted.

You could say it is a pleasure to wash dishes when the sun is shining. Irma is bringing more dishes to Aarni.

Kalle is finishing the rail painting job.

Aarni is coming back from succesful photo shooting journey.

Aarni is photographing a breathtaking spectacle made by sunset and weather changes at the west and the south.

Thursday 28.5.2015

Thursday morning was so warm, sunny and calm that Pasi, Aarni, Irma and Kalle could take their coffee outside. It truly felt like summer. At morning, the wind was only 2-3 m/s.

Pasi, Aarni and Irma are enjoying warm and almost windless morning on a terrace.

Everytime you walk around the islet, you can find something interesting. Could this be a pothole filled by rocks?

Suddenly the wind raised up to 10 m/s. That was the end of the still water surface. The calm and warm day turned into windy and cold. At least it was still sunny. That reminded again how fast the weather conditions can change here.

In the afternoon, the southern wind strenghtened and it raised some waves.

When the wind strenghtens, insects escape from the windy side. Swallows wouldn’t have to go too far to get some food.

Friday 29.5.2015

The sunny and windy weather continued, but the day was quite different. Volunteers in Märket haven’t seen any other people almost for a whole week. Today there was visitors coming. And not just any visitors, the last lighthouse keeper in Märket, Karl-Erik “KEE” Eriksson, with his wife was coming along a journalist group.

In the morning, there was some time to look around the islet and there was some gritty scentless chamomiles beginning to blossom. The summer is coming here too.

Pasi is scoping the horizon if Mats’ boat would show already.

The visitors arrive in the early afternoon. It was the first time that Mats comes to Märket with his new boat. From now on Märket volunteers will travel from Eckerö to Märket with a little faster boat.

Old lighthouse keeper and his lighthouse

KEE is reminiscing his times in Märket. He was Märkets lighthouse keeper until 1976 when Märket’s light was automatized.

Today the table was set for, not four, but twelve people. Thanks to chef Irma, everybody was happy and well fed!

The visitors had to leave quite suddenly because of the unpredictable wind.

Only two visitors, Stefan and Lauri, could stay over the rest of the week, because it still is a little uncertain wether people get back home at sunday as planned. The weather forecast promises strong winds for sunday and monday. It will be seen will we have some unvoluntary extra days at Märket. There would not be anything to complain, though.

Saturday 30.5.2015

The wind continued and even strenghtened towards the evening. Luckily Pasi, Aarni Irma and Kalle had already just about all the tasks that were assigned to do in the week 22.

Irma is having a laundry day. The clothes should dry very soon in this wind.

Visitors, Stefan and Lauri, got along well, and they have had a lot of interesting moments in Märket.

Stefan doing some work inside before heading outside.

Lauri is looking around and spotting something interesting to photograph.

It has been a windy week at Märket but today was the windiest day. The southeast wind raised up to 14 m/s and it raised sharp waves around the islet.

The stranding place at the calmer side of the islet.

It’s been planned that the volunteers will change shifts tomorrow. It remains to be seen if there will be some calmer moment when the change can be done safely. At this point it looks like the change can be made sometimes around noon when the wind turns and calms. If the wind and the waves don’t calm down enough we truly have to wait better moment.

Irma has another week ahead but all the others are leaving with the next boat. This will probably be the last day in Märket for the others, for now. It has been a wonderful week, but luckily it will not be the all in all last week in Märket. See you soon!

Sunday 31.5.2015

Bags were packed at 8 a.m. but the wind was still too strong for changing the shifts. The whole day was about waiting, killing time and observing the weather. If the change couldn’t be done today, the next chance is at Tuesday.