Chapter 24

Ah Spring...

Considering that winter lasts forever and spring is about a week, Helsinki does spring with a vengeance. The temp might be in the mid fifties but it's shorts and picnic weather this far north. While folks in midwestern US are still bundled to the ears, Finland is celebrating the rebirth of their world.

I passed my class on larger boats. I could now legally captain any of the family and company Swans and ... much to my disgust ... any power ship up to nine hundred ninety nine tons ... noisy fuckers. Most of the class work and labs was tugs, ocean going vessels and their ilk.

I took the train from Helsinki to Lahti and Lahti to the Kouvola junction were I hitched a ride on one of the many timber trains headed for the mills of Syväsatama and the fisheries where Wendy and my boat, the Baltic 45 ... actually 47 ... was ready to get wet. Or so Wendy said.

I have to admit ... she did a wonderful job. The bow compartment was a vee birth and raising the main cabin overhead to 6 feet 9 inches gave enough clearance to allow a larger stern master suite. The bigger diesel daddy provided shortened the salon to 20 feet but everything fit.