June 11th 2013

Departing from Turku

The two weeks we stayed on the River Aura passed far too quickly. Pekka had to work hard on the boat to get her ready for our possibly rough summer sailing while my priority was to spend as much time as possible with our family and friends.

Alex and the Frog

Vida and the Magic Pond

When it was time to leave, I felt downright miserable. But 'A girl's got to do what a girl's got to do' and so, on the 9^th of June, we bid farewell to our friends who had come to the river bank to see us off.

We then motored only for a few hundred meters to the other side of the river and tied up alongside Inga Lill, a beautiful 34 metre galeas built in Finland in 1948, where our children, their families and more friends were waiting for us. We were greeted by a moving trumpet solo, and after a few speeches, dozens of hugs, kisses, and tears, we finally departed from Turku.

Inga Lill escorted us all the way to the Airisto from where we continued to the Torasviken Bay in Nauvo. There, we dropped anchor and spent the evening with our friends and ex-neighbours from Turku.

Next morning, we woke up to a cold and rainy day which made it easier for us to continue our voyage. We weighed anchor and headed for Kotka to check us out of Finland.