Saturday 22.8.2015
Finally on our way to Märket! We arrived to Märket on a sunny and warm weather. The ”Help” girlpower-crew was waiting for us on the rocks. This week we get also one man with us, so a little bit manpower also at the island.
We had our safety-tour with group leader Minna. Two of us, Hannele and Eeva are first timer’s here at Märket. Before we had chance to settle down, first tourist, came from Sweden, from Grisl. Eetu guided his first tourists.
After this family get their coffee finished, the next group came. Two men from Pori came from with a scorpion rib boat. Those men had just visited sunny Katanpää in Kustavi.
In the afternoon Eeva was cooking us delicious meal and we ate outside on a terrace. Also we checked things to-do list for this week. In the late afternoon came boat from Svartklubben. Family Nylen wanted to visit island and buy some postcards from Märket. After that we had some time to relax on the rocks.
In the evening wind was blowing from the southwest, but the sunset was beautiful, what a great end ofthe first day here!
Sunday 23.8.2015
We woke up on a sunny and calm weather after good first night sleep here. After breakfast and morning swimming, we had energy to start working. Hannele and Milla started to paint wood steps with tar.
Next, we brought the mattresses to terrace, clean those and left outside for the rest of the day.
Before noon, Mats came with tourist from Jomala. Eetu and Sari guided the Holmberg family. After guiding children went swimming to Modensmageln and enjoyed the lovely weather.
After tourists left Märket, we had some time to have picnic at the east side rocks. Picnic was Minna’s great idea. Eeva and Minna had made some delicious snacks. It was so nice to relax on a warm weather!
Today we visited Märketshällorna with rubber boat looking for seals, but didn’t see any on the islet. They were gone fishing.
At the meanwhile we saw motorboat coming to Märket. Mirja guided the tourists from Åland. In the evening some paddler’s from Finland came. They were paddling around Åland and wanted to visit Märket – what a nice conversations we had about paddling, birds and nature, what a pleasure to meet them here on Märket!
Sunset was beautiful.
Monday 24.8.2015
Monday morning was little windy, but still sunny. The day started with breakfast. After we went to work: Hannele and Mirja started to clean and washing up toilet downstairs, it was a dirty job…
Eeva and Minna washed cellar. Eetu and Sari worked upstairs to get the rust away, at radio amateurs room. Late afternoon Hannele continued the painting of the roof inside.
Then it was time to swim. Temperature outside was around 24, so the seawater felt good…
Valkokatka (Monoporeija affinis) was swimming in the little pool too, and Eeva manage to get good photos of them.
Hard work needs good food to keep the spirit on. Today we ate pasta salad.
We have seen many birds here in two days. For example white tailed eagle (merikotka), sparrow hawk (varpushaukka), kestrel (tuulihaukka), wood sand piper (liro), red-necked phalarope (vesipääsky), redstart (leppälintu), cormorants (merimetso), ruff (suokukko), eurasian curlew (kuovi), red knot (isosirri) and of course house martin (räystäspääsky).
In the evening we went to sauna and made pancakes. We swam at Modelnmageln. Eeva managed to get pictures of the ”Märket’s Loch Ness Monster” in the pool.
Late we ate the best summer dessert: pancakes with jam and whip cream – yammy! SO good that didn’t have time to take pictures!
While the night was warm and because the radio amateurs room was painted, some of us decided to sleep outside. It was a stunning night to sleep under stars and half moon.
Tuesday 25.8.2015
After slept outside the night we woke up pretty fresh. The night outside was windy. For breakfast we ate pancakes, leftovers from yesterday. We continued working on radio amateurs room.
Mirja did the dishes.
Today it has been blowing whole day, especially during afternoon and also in the evening. The wind has been approximately 10 m/s during the day. Almost no birds on the sky.
In the afternoon we collected small fishes and ”katkas”, to look those closely.
Late afternoon Mirja did mattress inventory.
In the evening we grilled sausages for dinner at the back yard of lighthouse.
Wednesday 26.8.2015
Night was very windy, from southwest, and it started to rain also. Heavy rain continued couple of hours. At night we had to fix the water tanks, to get all the possible water collected. Mirja and Sari did the ”wet”-job in the middle night, when it was dark, rainy and windy. And then back to bed!
Today we had nice task to do, to mark the carvings on the rocks. We found some old marks, for example lighthouses architect Georg Schreck autographs. Here some of the marks and autographs:
Georg Schreck
WM
AL
Mirja washed women’s toilet. It was a nasty job, but now it’s done, and the toilet works again. Minna was cooking us spicy lunch. Hannele finished radio amateurs room painting.
Before dinner we had yoga at north side of rocks. Nice exercise after work and windy days.
The sun even came to look us, what a nice surprise the smiling sun!
For late dinner we had cabbage pie and pancakes à la Eeva and Hannele, nam.
Thursday 27.8.2015
We woke up in the morning to look the sunrise at six a clock, it was Minna’s order!
Sun was rising behind the clouds. Because it was so early, we went back to sleep for a while.
After breakfast Sari washed dishes and we started to work on the roof downstairs ”bedroom”. We carried all the stuff outside from the room to get the work begin. Girls were moving their stuff again, now to upstairs. We heated up fireplace to get dining room dry.
We made inventory of first aid equipments and made also food inventory.
For lunch we ate steak and potatoes with cauliflower.
During the day, wind raised up to 16 m/s, so not so much work to do outside.
But it was amazing look the waves, so cool! We really felt the power of wind and sea. Like Mirja said, after been outside, it’s so nice to be inside lighthouse and enjoy hard wind through window.
Friday 28.8.2015
Cleaning, finishing roof painting at downstairs bedroom, carrying water and filling up saunas water tanks, packing, sunbathing, baking donuts, sauna and swimming all those kind of things included our last day here at Märket. We also fixed firewood storage, because it was collapsing down. Upstairs on third floor we found out that the window was a little bit broken, so Eetu and Hannele renovated it. Now it’s fixed and hopefully last many years. Here are pictures from today:
Sun came out today. Wind was little bit calmed from yesterday. In the evening wind raised again, some clouds came to the sky. We saw white tailed eagle flying over Märket, maybe it came to say goodbye for us. We had nice week together, island was giving us all: the hard wind, sun, rain, rainbow, moonlight, stars and almost thunderstorm at last night.
It was almost full moon at last night here. Final day we saw northern lights at midnight. Thank you Märket, it was a pleasure, hope we meet again! Welcome new crew!
Eetu, Eeva, Minna, Hannele, Mirja and Sari