Finland

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Revision as of 20:46, 19 March 2014

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
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 the Finnish waters. Latest nautical charts are accurate, most of the rocks are known and the rest can be avoided with a depth sounder. It's recommended to use landmarks for navigation instead of markers, that tend to be replaced often. It's not rare, that a lateral marker is replaced with a non-lateral or some buoys can be even added and old ones 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:

• Flying in Europe
• Ilmatieteen Laitos

Charts

• karttapaikka
• Merikarttojen karttakohtainen päivityspalvelu

Special Navigation Notes

When cruising in archipelago you must know your location all the time for sake of your safety and to make quick navigation decicions. It's recommended to not rely on GPS or plotters, because an inaccurate or erroneous course can make your boat to collide with rocks, that can cause huge damage.

High speeds should be avoided by motorboats, because there is a risk of collision with others. Records of such accidents exist.

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:

Finnish Customs

Customs

Contact:

Finnish Customs

Health & Security

There are no sharks or other dangerous animals, except viper and mite, that are the most significant ones. By using common sense, you can avoid them. Especially long hay and shores tend to be places, where you get bitten by them. In case of emergency, dial to 112.

Ports & Popular Stops

• Venesatama

Offshore Islands

In the Finnish waters, the are no remote offshore islands, but all the islands are located relatively close to the continent.

Marinas & Yacht Clubs

Use this section only if there are few marinas not covered in pages under Ports and Islands above. Remove if not applicable.

Transportation

List transportation to other countries, etc.

Routes/Passages To/From

List popular passages/routes, timing, etc.

Cruiser's Friends

• Purjehdus

Forum Discussions

List links to discussion threads on partnering forums. (see link for requirements)

• Finland Sailing and Cruising Discussions on Cruisers Forum

External Links

Marine shops

• Oy Vestek
• Biltema
• Meredin

References & Publications

• ??
• Harbour Books

Personal Notes

Archipelago of Turku is the best place to sail in the Baltic Sea and Lake Saimaa in the Finnish Lakeland. --Timovaan Hyvässä slöörissä

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