Baltic Trip - Haapsalu      1st - 4th June:

1st June
    After an exceedingly hot and humid night (so humid the GPS signal failed!), we arose to yet another blue sky and brilliant sunshine. We made ourselves shipshape, filled up with water, diesel and fresh provisions, and cast off. Rex would have been green with envy if he knew how favourable the winds seemed to be.
    We sailed forth with a fair warm wind, bliss. But all good things come to an end, the wind shifted into an unfavourable stance and we had to resort to tacking. We laboured on and I took the graveyard watch. Since there were only two of us now, we shifted from a 3 hours on/6 hours off pattern to a 5 hours on/5 hours off with a 4 hour graveyard watch (midnight to 4am) to provide the rotational shift on a daily basis.

2nd June
    I enjoyed the graveyard watch in these northern latitudes. The sky hugging the horizon maintained a salmon coloured hue, crowned by a pale blue sky all night long. In effect, sunset just melted into sunrise, a delight to experience.
    When I took over my next watch at 9am, we were in a sea of mist, cold and murky, a complete contrast to the last couple of days. The wind was still shifting, sadly not in our favour. Shortly after midday, we assessed our progress. We had covered 18 miles in 26 hours. We still had a fair way to go before we could turn south and take advantage of the westerly winds. The decision was taken to motor for a while; a pity for Alan since he loves to sail as much of the way as possible.
    Then, miraculously, the mist lifted, and the coastline and busy port of Pakri came into focus. More importantly a fleet of moving and moored vessels came into view too. Feeling the warmth of the sun on my skin lifted my spirits, and helped to alleviate the frustrating snail pace over the last day or so.

3rd June

Haapsalu from the Marina

    The wind was not in our favour yet again, and progress was slow. By midnight we found ourselves weaving through very narrow channels, with hardly any wind. The sky was still a salmon pink. Alan remarked that this was very much like "Swallows and Amazons", except dangerous rocks and shoals lay in wait for the unwary sailors.
    It was exhilarating gliding serenely through these waters, but at the current speed of 1.5 knots, it would take us until 4am to reach our destination, so we resorted to motoring the last leg. The approach into Haapsalu was well thought out; we just picked up a series of about six leading lights which guided us admirably.

V�ike Viik Lake

    The waters around Haapsalu marina were very shallow indeed, at places there were just centimetres between the keel and sea bed. We tied up alongside a pontoon for the night and settled down to a bottle of beer each with nibbles, a relaxing way to end the day, or should I say start the day. Meanwhile the mosquitoes hovered around the lights on the pontoon, the air almost like a snowstorm with the myriads of squadrons of the wee beasties.

Estonian Weather Stone

    A few hours later we awoke to more sunny and warm skies. We busied ourselves with repairs most of the day, in particular relocating the searchlight on the pulpit; it was taking a hammering from the genoa. We also met up with a German sailor who was heading to St Petersburg. He needed guidance on the approaches into the customs and protocols, and he was desperate for information on the marinas too. We duly informed him of all we had learned, and he left a delighted man.

Stick Breaker

    Meanwhile the marina itself seemed to be in a state of confusion, as if it had just opened, but it had been operating for some time now. Alan went to try the launderette. A standard wash lasted 2.5 hours, and the wash could only be carried out by a girl who sat and watched the rotating drum for the duration. The drier was actually a cupboard with a warm heater on the bottom. Great! Having learned from Alan's experience, I didn't bother using a mechanical wash, I hand washed and hung my stuff out to dry on the rigging.
    I took myself for a stroll in the vicinity of the marina. Many small houses were scattered higgledy-piggledy along the peninsula upon which the marina was located. I marched across the narrow neck of the peninsula, passing a peaceful lake, Vaike Viik, on the way, and stumbled upon Vasikaholmi beach which offered stunning views across the bay from its sandy shores.
    I returned to the boat and we retired to a marina restaurant where I had the most gristley, fatty piece of pork ever. In addition we both had a so-called traditional Estonian desert which can be best described as cold creamy porridge with a dollop of jam.

4th June

Episcopal Castle

    Another hot, blue sky day again with hardly a breath of wind. Today would be an explore of Haapsalu, located on a narrow peninsula. It was a pleasant old town with medieval roots. At the end of the 19th century it was a popular resort for the wealthy of St Petersburg, their grand wooden villas still dominating the area.

Dome Church

    Our first port of call was the Episcopal castle, one of the best preserved castles in Estonia. Established in the 13th century, it served as the centre of the Diocese of West Estonia and the islands until the middle of the 16th century. The mighty complex was expanded and renovated through the centuries, and repeatably put to the test in fires. Now it had been renovated into a complete historical tourist attraction and the venue for cultural events.

Haapsalu Villas

    The cathedral or Dome Church, with its excellent acoustics, a 11 second echo which presented a serious challenge to performers, dated back to the 1270s. It was one of the largest one-aisled churches in the Baltic region. The simple interior, a rose window above the portal and no tower (getting too close to God was considered too haughty), complied with the requirements set on building standards of the Cistercian monastic order. During full moon nights in August, a figure of a lady appears in the window of the Baptistery. According to the legend, the White Lady, a local Estonian girl and a canon fell in love. He dressed the girl as a choir boy and brought her to the castle. When it was discovered, the canon was thrown into a cell and starved to death, whilst the girl was immured alive into the Baptistery walls.
    Superb views of the surrounding area could be taken in from the top of the Watch Tower, though being there for the clock striking one was a bit of a shock. As well as the Bonifatius laboratory which dealt with aspects of alchemy, the museum in the castle contained a collection of weird instruments of torture in the basement, with odd machines inviting the brave to take a seat, press a green button to start the machine, and a red one to stop it. Hmmmm... The three hectares of land included in the castle made it the largest of its kind in Estonia. part of this land serves as a wonderful concert location during the summer months. Here, the likes of Status Quo, Robert Plant and Alice Cooper have formidably tested the robustness of the castle foundations.

Long Platform

Railway Museum

    After we bought provisions for a possible sail in the morning, Alan returned to the boat, while I visited the railway museum. In the early 1800�s, Dr. Carl Abraham Hunnius discovered the curative properties of the local sea mud, and the town�s new role as a resort destination was sealed. In 1825 the first spa opened in Haapsalu, and pretty soon everyone from Tchaikovsky to the Tsar and his family were coming here to take the cures. Thus it was here that the railways of tsarist Russia began. The railway station was built into the resort town, favoured by the tsarist family and nobility of Russia. The station also included a passenger building and an imperial pavilion. The interior display would have proved informative if there had been any English text. Outside there was a magnificent 216m long ornate platform, covered with a roof in its entirety in order to keep visiting dignitaries dry. A large set of sidings stood beyond the platform; the final resting place of a number of old steam engines and slowly decaying dilapidated wagons, coaches and cranes. Cinder cycle paths criss-crossed the whole area, with cyclists popping out of and into glades. The sea provided a fitting backdrop for the scene. This was no doubt a busy station during the 19th century, but now it was full of the ghosts of bygone years.
    I headed back into the old town and took in a few galleries, including one where recent students were graduating and displaying their works. The young, fresh faced graduates were all dressed smartly, the boys in suits, and were all posing for photographs in front of their art, with various proud family members.
    I wandered around a sleepy, laid back town which very much put itself forward as a cultural centre. During the summer months, various arts festivals were held, starting today. Over the next few months there would be folk, jazz, blues, rock and classical festivals. Even the traffic seemed to drift along at the same sleepy pace.

Kurhaus Concert Hall

Tchaikovsky Memorial Bench

    I then took in a gig, featuring a keyboard player and female vocalist performing blues and jazz before Alan joined me. We then watched a folk concert, and in the Kurhaus on the promenade we took in a superb concert of music by Tchaikovsky. The great composer loved to spend time in Haapsalu, and some of his works were inspired by the area.
    We sauntered back to the boat and enjoyed fruity cider as we watched the sun sink down below mirror like water. In our absence, the German chap we had been advising earlier, had departed. He had left us a thank you note and a couple of beers; a kind gesture.