Friday, July 26, 2019: Day 7; Helsinki, Zodiac Through the Archipelago, Last full day on board

We awoke this morning to Helsinki. We docked at 8:00 am. We depart at 2:00 pm with an "all aboard" at 1:30 pm. We have one excursion today titled "Finnish Archipelago & Cottage Visit by RIB (rigid inflatable boat). We were to meet pier side at 8:45 am.

We docked directly downtown Helsinki. There was a Ferris Wheel on the pier next to the boat.

After waiting on the pier for about 30 minutes after the time we were supposed to start, our guide led us off to meet our RIB. It was a 30 foot zodiac, similar to what Stephen and I used on our glacier lake cruise in Iceland last year. It was powered by a 250 HP Yamaha and captained by Leaf, a Swedish Finn who spoke excellent English.

Leaf

We were fitted with a very warm parka, life preserver and goggles.

Off we went. Leaf told us that Finland had almost 180,000 islands, but he could not tell us what the definition of an island was. The plan was to weave amongst, the islands for about an hour before stopping at one for lunch. At times, we reached a speed of 35 knots (40 mph). On the return, we went a different route and got up to a speed of 45 knots (55 mph). It was as good as a Disney World ride.

When we arrived at the island for lunch, we first went on a hike through the forest. It was a cool and absolutely quiet walk.

At the turnaround point, we walked up a look out tower which was just above the tree top.

Lots of heather.

The hike was about 1.5 miles in total. Back at the cafe for lunch, we had a salmon/vegetable stew which was delicious.

Then we loaded geared up and started back to the port. With the speed of the boat and the strong north wind, the parkas kept us warm.

There were some very elegant homes along the way. Mostly however, the houses were very small and modest.

We arrived back at the pier at 1:00 pm. We did not have time to do anything but walk back to the boat.

Leaf did point out that, on the Ferris Wheel, there were two "special" coaches. One, the gray one, was a sauna. The other one, the black one, was the Champagne coach. Interestingly, the Champagne coach featured Terri's favorite Champagne.

We headed out of port and saw many more of the islands, including the main fortification
that protected the city in the past.

We finally passed the main island at the head of the Gulf of Finland. As soon as we passed, the pilot boat raced out and ran along side of us until the pilot, who guided the ship out of the harbor, jumped off.

If you look real close, you can see the pilot jumping over

Tonight, we decided to have another sushi dinner. It was good. When we got back to the room, Maggie, our stewardess was next door. Laura thanked her for her efforts and we said our goodbyes.

We put our luggage out and the kids headed off to party the night away. I turned in.