Finland
From CruisersWiki
FINLAND CRUISING GUIDE
An online cruising guide for yachts sailing to Finland.
FINLAND | |
Finland | |
Flag | |
Capital: | Helsinki 60°10.25′N, 24°56.25′E |
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Language: | Finnish, Swedish |
Currency: | Euro (EUR) |
Timezone: | UTC+2 (DST observed) |
More notes about the country | |
Latest News | |
Content - news items, etc. |
Overview
Finland (Finnish: Suomi, Swedish: Finland) is in Northern Europe and has borders with Russia to the East, Norway to the North and Sweden to the West. The country is thoroughly modern with well-planned and comfortable small towns and cities, but still offers vast areas of unspoiled nature. Finland has approximately 188,000 lakes (about 10% of the country) and a similar number of islands. In the northernmost part of the country the Northern Lights can be seen in the winter and midnight sun in the summer. Finns also claim the mythical mountain of Korvatunturi as the home of Santa Claus, and a burgeoning tourist industry in Lapland caters to Santa fans. Despite living in one of the most technologically developed countries in the world, the Finns love to head to their summer cottages in the warmer months to enjoy all manner of relaxing pastimes including sauna, swimming, fishing and boating.
Cruising the region
Archipelago navigation skills are requred when cruising in finnish waters. Latest charts are accurate, most of the rocks are found and the rest can be avoided with the depth meter. Use landmarks for navigation, not official seamarks that change very often, for example east buoy is changed to red buoy in year a and back to east buoy in year b. Or new buoys are added or removed.
Climate & Weather
Finland has a cold but temperate climate, which is actually comparatively mild for the latitude because of the moderating influence of the North Atlantic Current. Winter, however, is just as dark as everywhere in these latitudes, and temperatures can (rarely) reach -30°C in the south and even dip below -50°C in the north. The brief Finnish summer is considerably more pleasant, with average temperatures around +20°C, and is generally the best time of year to visit. July is the warmest month with temperatures up to +30°C. Early spring (March-April) is when the snows start to melt and Finns like to head north for skiing and winter sports, while the transition from fall to winter in October-December — wet, rainy, dark and generally miserable — is the worst time to visit.
Due to the extreme latitude, Finland experiences the famous Midnight Sun near the summer solstice, when (if above the Arctic Circle) the sun never sets during the night and even in southern Finland it never really gets dark. The flip side of the coin is the Arctic Night (kaamos) in the winter, when the sun never comes up at all in the North. In the South, daylight is limited to a few pitiful hours with the sun just barely climbing over the trees before it heads down again.
Sources of weather forecasting:
http://www.flyingineurope.be/aviation_weather_maps.htm
http://ilmatieteenlaitos.fi/merisaa-ja-itameri?doAsUserLanguageId=fi_FI
Charts
http://kansalaisen.karttapaikka.fi
When cruising in archipelago you must know your location every second in your own head and make quick navigation decicions. Avoid gps and plotters, because if you enter a false track or point to the plotter, you will damage your boat to rocks.
Do not operate a fast motorboat with autopilot, you will drive over sombody like it has happened:
Local Radio Nets
Also see World Cruiser's Nets
Submit details of Cruiser's Nets and VHF operating/calling channels here.
Arrival/Departure procedures
Arrival
When arriving from outside European Union, go to coastguard post. If you are coming from EU, go where you want but prefer official passages when arriving.
Departure
When departing to outside European Union, go to coastguard post. Otherwise exit using official passages.
Immigration & Customs
Immigration
Contact:
http://www.tulli.fi/en/index.jsp
Customs
Contact:
http://www.tulli.fi/en/index.jsp
Health & Security
There is no sharks or other dangerous animals, most dangerous are viper and mite. To avoid them, look where you step and do not go under alder trees. 112 is the phonenumber for police or ambulance needs.
Ports & Popular Stops
Offshore Islands
In finland the are no offshore islands, all islands are near the coast.
Cruiser's Friends
http://keskustelu.suomi24.fi/debate/3356
References & Publications
http://www.vesille.fi/vierassatamaopas/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1&Itemid=6
http://www.satamakirja.fi/?&sk=1e5e85a93181b00005166e826926dbd9
Links to Forum Discussions
List links to discussion threads on partnering forums. (see link for requirements)
External Links
Marine shops:
http://www.vestek.fi/ http://www.biltema.fi/fi/ http://www.meredin.fi/
Personal Notes
Archipelago of Turku and Saimaa lake are the best places in the Baltic Sea.
Contributors to this page |
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Names: Lighthouse, Nausikaa, Haiqu |
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| HOMEPAGE | Wiki Contents | North Sea | Baltic | Northern Europe | Finland | |