Sea Kayaking in Scandinavia, Land of Ten Thousand Skerries and Light Houses
I looked down my chart, out towards the sea, back down my chart and once again out to sea. - Oh my, how was I ever going to figure out which island is which? It had been quite some time since I'd paddled in Sweden. The myriad of islands and skerries in front of us all looked the same. Then I saw something break the horizon line - a lonely light house stood proudly anchored on a rock the size of our house back in Bozeman, Montana. After another quick glance at the chart I started to notice several light houses and something we Swedes call a "Kummel."
A kummel is a navigational aid, more specifically a 15 foot high pile of rocks painted black and white. Long before the time of kummels, the Vikings built huge fires to guide their ships through these rocky waters. While sea kayaking we encountered several of the bays that provided shelter for these ancient war and trading ships. Occasionally, we happened to camp in meadows containing rock formations from 9th and 10th century Viking homes.
In the summer of 1996 my husband Tim and I ventured out on three different paddling expeditions in Scandinavia. We were scouting for future trips for our newly founded company, Crossing Latitudes. Our first trip was among the Vesterlen islands in northern Norway. This dramatic archipelago is located at latitude N69 and is often referred to as the "Islands Kingdom of the Norwegian Sea." Thanks to the warm waters carried by the Gulf Stream, the climate here is far milder than in other regions of similar latitude. The midnight sun, a hundred miles above the Arctic Circle, provided us with continuous daylight. We gladly left our flashlights at home. Surrounded by tundra and steep glaciated peaks, our camps were often on remote sandy beaches.
The Vesterlen islands are dotted with small fishing settlements steeped in a maritime culture dating back to the Viking era. Along our route from Stokmarknes to ¯ksnes, we met friendly local people who invited us in to their homes when the weather got nasty. During one particularly wet windy day we paddled into a remote outpost called Tinden. Here we met Skjalg (pronounced Shelk), an 82 year old fellow who has been welcoming seafarers here for over 60 years. Drinking tea and telling stories with him made our sea kayaking journey through this wild and vibrant archipelago an unforgettable experience.
Our second trip was in the S:t Anna's archipelago south of Stockholm in Sweden, my homeland. We started from Tyrislt, a small guest harbor where one can rent sea kayaks and row boats. Extremely warm and sunny weather forced us to eat a larger than normal quantity of ice-cream before launching. S:t Anna archipelago is a paradise to first timers and experienced folks alike. Close to the open Baltic sea, the outer islands and rolling swells are only a couple of hours of paddling away. Numerous granite islands offer unlimited camping possibilities. This is also a weekend sailing mecca. The water on the east coast is less salty than the west coast and far more enticing for swimming than the Arctic . Onto Jelly fish land!
Skagerrak is the north-eastern part of the North Sea extending northeast between Norway and Sweden. We paddled for two weeks through magnificent granite islands forming a maze-like archipelago. Owing to an unusually warm month of August, the shores were invaded by jelly fish by the thousands. Luckily the ratio of stinging to harmless jellies was 1 to 30. In some protected bays where the jellies had gathered, getting in and out of our kayaks was like wading through a sea of slime. After a few days this was no big deal as we all became experts at spotting red stinging ones.
Our trip started in Gteborg, the second largest city in Sweden. Long ago an intricate system of canals, designed by the Dutch helped Gteborg become a major European shipping center. We happened to be here during the Gteborg Summer Festival. The parks, cafe's and sidewalks along the famous "Avenue" were all crowded with people celebrating Gteborg's 350 year anniversary. Our senses were bombarded with live music, art shows, sports-events and spontaneous street performances. A one hundred meter long table was set up with "all you can eat" shrimp, crayfish, smoked mackerel and other goodies from the Swedish sea. This was an excellent way for us to fill our bellies before enduring the rigors of our outdoor adventure.
From Gteborg we traveled north to Marstrand. This beautiful island community dates back to the early 1200's. It's skyline is marked by the 17th century stone fortress of Carlsten, built to ward off Danish invasions. We took a guided tour and learned about the incredible conditions the prisoners had to endure while constructing the fortress. You only ate if you were healthy enough to work all day while the infermed were left to die. We were very glad to be 20th century visitors. Here in Marstrand we had the pleasure of meet Reidar, co-designer, builder and owner of the Swedish sea kayak, "The Caribou", a sleek yet stable single with British lines. We enjoyed paddling the Caribous for two weeks among the rocky islands of the Skagerrak sea. Reidar had a great boat trailer for getting the kayaks to and from the dock. This was a flatbed moped with an integral kayak rack. This is one of the few motorized vehicles allowed on the island of Marstrand.
Our goal was to paddle the 100 nautical mile stretch between Marstrand and Strmstad. Once again we were blessed with exceptional great weather and could paddle among the outer islands and experience the vastness of the open ocean. Many afternoons, in search of ice-cream and cold beer, we would pull into small fishing villages and relax. Places like Smgen, Krringn and the Koster islands are a must to visit for any paddler. Here we took advantage of local markets and cafes for fresh food from the sea and garden. Our shrimp and smoked mackerel dinners sure tasted better than ordinary Mac n' cheese.
1996 was a great summer in Scandinavia and we have continued to run trips, expeditions and courses over there. The west coast of Sweden, "jelly fish land", is still my favorite area but that's probably because I grew up there and have great memories from childhood. Arctic Norway is spectacular of course and we are always looking forward to our trips there. In 1999 we are expanding and will offer a Wilderness Sea Kayaking course in the Vesterlen islands with focus on the technical skills, outdoor living skills, leadership/fellowship and first aid. We also continue to go to the Arctic Sea Kayak Race & Ramble and our '99 Exploratory Expedition will venture out the northern Lofoten Islands and fjords. Join us!
For a free brochure or information on paddling in Scandinavia please call Crossing Latitudes 1-800-572-8747. E-mail us at: info@crossinglatitudes.com or visit our Website: www.crossinglatitudes.com Lena Conlan
Finland
A paddler can choose from many different kinds of waterscapes in Finland. The coastal waters are dotted with thousands of islands and rivers flowing down to the sea through thinly populated areas. There are many routes to take among the lakes of the beautiful Pijnne, and the rivers in the wilds of eastern and northern Finland. For the beginner canoeing near the coast in the shelter of the archipelagoes is recommended, preferably on the south west coast. Best canoeing waters are in the lake region, where waters are linked together in long chains and form a network. Many tourist organizations arrange canoeing trips, for example, in the land archipelago, to the rapids of central Finland, the Saimaa region, the Kainuu waterways and the Lapland rivers. Furthermore some member clubs of the Finnish Canoe Federation arrange guided tours along the most beautiful routes and also rent out canoes for individual use.
For further information contact: Finnish Canoe Federation, Olympiastadion, Etelkaarre, 00250 Helsinki, Finland tel; +358-(O)9-494 965, fax; 499 070