Photos from last Summer...

These are taken from National Park area near to frontier of Russia (0 - 10 km to zone).

Sunholmat on the right, Hamina bay is supposed to be seen at left corner, but distance is too big. Here can be seen a typical phenomena: the clouds tend to rise from hearth side, but sunshine and it's risen seabreeze won't let them. As a result flowers here get much more sunshine than in inner lands. By the way, Sunholmat could be translated as Sunislands.

This is taken as a closer look from photo above. This kind of a stone is a rarity.

Typical small islands stark nature here: wineberry bushes at front and a lot of other kind of plants. Sorry, but I don't know the names in English. This place is next to above, Southwards.

Sunholmas are there again and right next to them you can see the smaller island; its pic is the previous one. Take a look ahead from the big stone in the middle: next photo is taken there, after the islands at the horizon. ( The Itäkaris can't be seen)

Anttu is a small white rock. Nothing grows there. Anyway, it's ideal for seabirds, which have their food all around swimming. Black dots there are Merihanhis, or "Seagooses". Now, at 15.00 only a few pairs there, but on my way back at 18.00 in the darkening evening I counted about 145 of them, as they got scared of me and flew away seeking for a more peaceful place. ( I passed Anttu about this far that time too ) Next photo: an Itäkari, biggest one, at right corner of this photo.

Itäkarit, "Eastislands", amazed me with beautiful shapes everywhere in its starkness.

Upper ground, same place. Stonepiles grow moss, dirt isn't fertile, but somehow these old bushes manage to live and produce berries year by year. I would not like to be here at winter; there's no shelter, no way to get back to shore. At summer, although, this is something unique.

Typical stones here - can you see the butterfly?

Last storm shelter for South - West winds before open seas and Russian border. At world war II this island among others has been under heavy (unsuccessful) attack by the Soviets. Traces can still be seen.

Shallow waves coming from East and there's practically no wind. Water temperature is about 18 Celsius, now, at mid August it's as warm as it gets. No more Finnish Islands, next to this direction is St. Petersburg.

These days one has to have lots of money and Toll declarations ready when accessing trough Russian border and beyond by boat, because the Russians don't have much money. They tend to charge extra money from anything they can think of, e.g. if someone want's to go and see Their islands. What I've read, some places of their side are badly threated and require cleaning, before tourists are allowed to land. I'll go and explore Suursaari and other historical islands gladly after it can be done without paying Them some one to five hundred dollars. Moving around sea and islands there should be free like here in Finland.

"Those photos were from places which even the tough sailor will visit only perhaps once per summer or not at all. I managed alright, because there wasn't so much wind or waves that time. The journey takes about one hour at 25 knots, but not all want to spend so much time and gas. There really are good enough islands and places before these ones, so why to go this far? My reason was that I have seen almost every island closer to our cottage and I like to see something different for a change. In summer exploring islands is a great hobby."

Continues with a mixture of photos.

Return to:

[Index] [About me] [Achievements] [Links] [Photos] [More photos] [ >> Mixture] [L-104] [Kotisivuohje] [Pikku - uikku] [Kuorsalo ja Tammio] [Leftovers]

Jani Ylä-Jääski 12.8 and 28.11.1998