My longtime friend Heidi called on 6th September and asked if I was interested to join her on the 7th for a day of boating going to the old naval fortress of Katanpää from Uusikaupunki where her boat was moored. I agreed and we set out from our house in Kustavi early in the morning by car. Arrived about an hour later and set to prepare Heidi's boat for the trip, it was already fueled so it wasn't much more than a bit of snacks and drinks.
Soon enough we were on our way and Heidi handed me the wheel and said better a pro does it although I think she knew the waters like the back of her hands as she had been boating with her father for donkeys years. It took me awhile to get orientated and had the chart constantly in front of me as I had only visited the local fertilizer factory years ago with cargo ship. The boat also did not have a compass so I just followed GPS heading roughly so had to mentally tick off every leading light, marker and buoy we passed enroute.
Undersigned on the wheel
Heidi & Cheche
Also navigating the archipelago in a small boat where you are at sealevel is so much different than from a cargo ship bridge where you are higher up. At sealevel every island looks more or less the same so it is very easy to mistake your whereabouts if you aren't on the ball at all times, the consequences could be dire as submerged rocks lurks everywhere close to the surface.
Archipelago
Approaching Katanpää marina
The weather was fantastic considering the time of year, we were out on sea just in T-shirts and shorts in autumn where at times in the middle of summer you may need to wear wintercoats at sea. After an hour or so we made the approach to Katanpää marina and made fast to a T-jetty and clambered ashore. The cafeteria was till open serving sandwiches and drinks which also was remarkable to the time of year. The marina had quite a few visitors too so we were not the only ones still taking advantage of the weather despite the late time of year.
Katanpää marina
Katanpää marina and Heidi's boat
We first had a bit of a snack at the cafeteria and then Cheche and I decided to have a walk around the Island whilst Heidi was enjoying the marina.
The fortress island has a quite a colorful history all the way from when Finland was a Grand Duchy under Russia, as not to reinvent the wheel I've freely translated a text below from here there is also a homepage for the fortress here but the English version is not very expansive.
"The northernmost base in the Baltic Sea's largest fortress belt
At the beginning of the 20th century, people in Russia became worried about the capital St. Petersburg integrity. Peter the Great's fortress girdle at sea was built to guard the security of the Gulf of Finland. When the chain was at its most extensive, it stretched to Dagö (Hiidenmaa), Ösel (Saarenmaa), the Archipelagic Sea and all the way to the northwestern corner of Åland. Katanpää, which was built in 1915 - 17, became the northernmost base of the Baltic's largest fortress belt. From Katanpää it was possible to guard all three coastal waterways in the Archipelagic Sea and thus prevent the enemy from penetrating the Turku archipelago.
Map of Katanpää
The Russians did not manage Katanpää for long, but left the fortress at the beginning of 1918. During the Finnish Civil War, the Reds (communists) occupied the fortress for a couple of months. In 1925, Katanpää became a bastion where some officers and conscripts lived. It is said that the 1920s were a quiet time for the archipelago's fortresses. During World War II, Katanpää served as an inspection station for cargo ships heading for destinations in the Gulf of Bothnia. After the war, when Åland was demilitarized and the other fortresses in the chain were demolished, only Katanpää remained in its original form as a reminder of the heyday of the fortress system.
Remote from major battles
The remote location was one of the reasons why Katanpää was preserved in its original form. With the exception of a few minor battles, Katanpää has never been involved in military action, and its buildings have not been destroyed by warfare. Thanks to the remote location, there have also been no demands to modernize the fortress. However, the original buildings have been restored over the years.
Isle of prisoners, conscripts and boatmen
Over time, people have more or less voluntarily visited Katanpää fortress. At the beginning of the 20th century, the prisoners, which the Russians brought from Amur and Manchuria, laid a two kilometer carefully made cobblestone road on the islet. In the 1930s, Finnish prisoners broke paving stones and restored the barracks buildings. The most special work that the prisoners did was fishing, which provided fish for food and for sale.
The training of recruits during peacetime began in 1953 at the fortress. In May 1955, the naval barracks were destroyed by fire, which significantly reduced Katanpää's accommodation capacity and its use for training. In March 1955, Katanpää became a bastion.
The Coastal Artillery did extensive restoration work on the old buildings on Katanpää, and now the islet is an excursion destination, open to all who travel by sea. Where you can admire the nature of the islet and the small barracks area formed over the centuries. Katanpää is the southernmost destination in the Bothnian Sea National Park, which was established in July 2011."
The cobbled artillery road
Exhibition hall
South shore
Old bakery and laundry
Waterpump and provision cellar
Old sauna
Officer's house in private use
Old groundcellar
One of the cobble roads
Mushroom growing on dead trees
Big artillery battery
Artillery battery
Artillery battery , on top of the old cannon
Shore artillery
View ahead out to sea
Inside the cannon
Bunkers nearby
Island paths
Lookout tower
Lookout tower
Heating of the hut at the lookout tower
Another artillery building
Small artillery battery
Small artillery battery
Southern shore
Southern shore
The old hospital
Summer visitors
The old provision building
The old stone quarry
After having had the grand tour of the Island except the "Devils field path" (rocky boulder deposits from the ice age) we were back to the marina and saw Heidi busy chatting with her neighbouring boat so we still did a quick look on the old stone quarry and then headed back tot he boat and set off back to Uusikaupunki as it was getting late.
Approaches to Uusikaupunki, island destroyed by cormorants
Uusikaupunki yachtclub
We had no incidents going back but observed a boat overtaking us suddenly going to a full stop so we turned back to check if they were alright. Turns out they had ran out of fuel but had a spare jerry can to get back home to a close by island. We continued having made sure they were alright. Made the approach to Uusikaupunki marina past the fertiliser factory and yacht club to the gas station where we filled up the boat and then continued to Heidi's berth. As we tied up we then went onto emptying the boat and covering it up, it was to be put up for winter storage the coming week. All in all a very enjoyable day, we thanked Cheche and soon enough we were going back home to Kustavi.
Uusikaupunki marina
Uusikaupunki marina
Uusikaupunki marina
Sunset
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