8 Metre Worlds in Helsinki

The 8 Metre Sailing World Championships are held in Helsinki at the moment. Till August 3 boats from all over the world will compete in several races. The main hub of the competition is Liuskasaari.

The organizing sailing club HSS even opened a Sailors Café just for the event. From its terrace you have a wonderful view onto the open sea and can also follow the races. They serve coffee, tea and small snacks for reasonable prices. Especially when the sun is shining it’s a great place to enjoy a fresh sea breeze.

From the mainland you can take the small ferry going to Skiffer and Boathouse to get there.

That was The Tall Ships Races Helsinki 2013

The tall ships are on their way to Riga for the second leg of the competition now. Here are some pictures of the last four days with those impressive sailing boats.

STS Fryderyk Chopin (class A) from Szczecin, Poland

The Tall Ships at Länsisatama

STS MIR (class A) from St. Petersburg, Russia 

crowds passing by the stands and shops

Götheborg (class A) from Gothenburg, Sweden

the crew parade on Bulevardi

awarding the prizes for the first leg of the TSR 2013

daylight fireworks for the first time in Finland

the vessels in the harbor

Alexander von Humboldt II (class A) from Bremerhaven, Germany leaving the harbor of Helsinki

the Cuauhtémoc (class A) from Acapulco, Mexico sailing with the crew standing on the masts

last tall ships leaving Helsinki escorted by countless small boats

The Tall Ships arrive

Today the Tall Ships Races Helsinki 2013 starts. The TSR is an international regatta of sailing boat of different sizes from all over the world that takes place yearly. The ships sail two races between different ports. This year’s first leg was from Aarhus to Helsinki. At 10:00 the last big ships arrive at Länsisatama.

Before the ships continue they will anchor in Helsinki till Saturday accompanied with a big celebration. The whole area around Länsisatama is closed for traffic and is filled with stands, tents and two big stages. For the upcoming four days there will be a full program everyday including music acts, theatre, workshops, artistic performances and even daylight fireworks at Friday night. It is also possible to come on board most of the bigger ships during this whole time.

After the last day of their stop in Helsinki the ships will cruise together to Riga to start the second leg for the competition from there towards Szczecin in Poland where the Tall Ships Races 2013 end.

Watch the boats pass by

A wonderful place for a coffee at the sea is Café Carusel. It is well known by locals and is located close to Kaivopuisto next to a small sailing harbor. 

Like in most Finnish cafés there is no table service which means that you have to get your drinks and food – they don’t just sell snacks but also bigger dishes like pizza – inside. Then you can either take a seat inside or go onto the big summer terrace. While sitting here you can watch the sailing boats leaving the harbor for their cruises around the small islands in front of the city.

It might not be cheap here but this place really makes you feel like being on holidays.

A walk around Katajanokka

It’s basically right in the center but is still so different from the rest of Helsinki. Katajanokka, the peninsula in the south west of the city is a great place for a Sunday walk. Especially the northern part is worth a visit.

You might know the area if you ever left to Stockholm with Viking Line. At the most western tip of Katajanokka there is also a ferry leaving to Suomenlinna. From here you have a great view over the small islands in front of Helsinki.

If you continue along the seaside further north east you can see the impressive ice breakers of the Finnish marine. Now they are not in use but in the winter they are important to keep the ship passages in the Gulf of Finland open. Since not many countries have such powerful boats they also help out other countries during the cold time of the year.

After you pass the first sailing boats you get to Katajanokan Casino. These days you can’t gamble there anymore but enjoy good food at the fine dining restaurant.

Next to the casino you find the memorial for the ones that lost their lives clearing the sea from mines after the Second World war.

Head back east now and you will get to the marina where you can see nice sailing boats and also some of the most expensive and biggest yachts in Helsinki.

Now you got a first impression of Katajanokka. But there is still so much more to discover here. You should also visit the Orthodox Church on top of the hill. It’s the biggest in the Nordic countries. Also lots of good cafés and restaurants are just waiting to be discovered.

So take your time to explore. Have a nice Sunday!

Sailing again

Since the sea is open again the first sailors put their boats back in the water. The harbors in and around Helsinki are slowly filling up again. During the winter the boats are taken out of the water to avoid them being surrounded by ice. Especially the melting of the ice can be dangerous since the huge forces that are at work can cause big damages to the boats.

Especially on the weekends and afternoons you can watch the owners getting their boats back in shape for the season. That normally involves a complete cleaning and also some new paint not just to make them look nice but also to protect them from the aggressive sea water.