Do you enjoy sailor life in general and wooden boats in particular? Do you like music and dance and a nice and relaxed atmosphere? Then the Åland Sea Days are something for you – a smorgasbord of activities will be laid out a few days – and nights - in July. Choose the activities that you like best!
The Sea Days are for many the highlight of summer in Åland. This year the days will be arranged from 13th to 18th of July. The main arena will be the Sea Quarter in Mariehamn, by the shore of a sea bay, at walking distance from Mariehamn.
“Forest turns into boats”
In the Sea Quarter the Åland boat building and handicraft traditions are cherished – here you will also find a ship yard where wooden boats are built and a good harbor also for larger boats. There is also a museum which depicts “how forest turns into boats” and ateliers and shops which sell handicrafts from Åland.
The Sea Quarter is an excellent stage for the Sea Days. There is a relaxed and jovial atmosphere among the red sheds and you can come and go as you please. Admission is free!
Children have their own day
Maritime history is like a red thread running through the entire program which will suit both adults and children. Some items on the agenda reappear every day, others just once. You can for example sail out at sea with a traditional wooden boat, try paddling a canoe, see how an old hot bulb engine is run and watch as seal oil is boiled in a traditional way.
Sunday, the children will have their own Sea Day. On this day children can carve bark boats and try dinghy sailing. Those that prefer to stay ashore can pet the animals in the petting zoo, build a kite or enjoy themselves with Pippi Longstocking.
Spectacle
In the evening there will be dancing and music in the Sea Quarter and the music styles vary. Look for local information about the different orchestras that will perform. There will also be food and beverages served.
The Sea Days end on Sunday and then there will be, among other things, a traditional equatorial line crossing ceremony aboard the old steel bark Pommern in Mariehamn’s western harbor. This usually turns out to be a funny spectacle when it is shown how it could be in times past when young sailors who crossed the equator for the first time were baptized and received into the kingdom of the sea god Neptune.
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