The day was sunny and beautiful, and Sweet Hope looked beautiful, too, as she approached Helsinki Market Square to pick us up. We were about to embark on a day cruise onboard this exceptional yacht and the entire team of colleagues was fidgeting with excitement as we stood on the pier.
I am not a sea-going person myself, so I didn’t know quite what to expect. The first surprise was how sturdy she felt beneath my feet – I somehow expected her to rock a little but she didn’t even take notice of us boarding.
After being greeted and treated with a glass of bubbly, it was high time to get her engines going and experience Helsinki from a new perspective. The proportions of the city look so different from the sea!
Navigating us carefully within the busy seafront of Helsinki, our captain Mika was bombarded with questions by all of us. On hindsight, many of them must have been a little silly, but you really feel like a child on such a luxurious piece of transportation – you can’t help yourself! “What is that?” “What is this?” “How does that work?” Fortunately, both Mika and Katri are inspired by the sea but also the yacht itself, so not only did we get all our questions answered but heard dozens of stories of their adventures with Sweet Hope.
The predetermined route of our afternoon showed the nautical side of Helsinki, ending at the world heritage site of Suomenlinna Sea Fortress, where we docked for dinner.
One of the highlights of the day was visiting the engine room of the yacht. It was fascinating to learn about the equipment, starting from freshwater systems all the way to different safety features. To the tiniest detail, the builders of the yacht have truly paid attention to the practicalities of living onboard. Mika’s excitement of the yacht is so contagious that even diesel engines become interesting.
All in all, the experience was exceptional and gave us all memories to last a lifetime. Regardless of whether your group of special people normally enjoy regular boating or not, a trip on a yacht like Sweet Hope surely is something everyone can appreciate!
By, Heli