Today Team Viking did an out-and-back paddle from Mary’s Harbor, following the coastline from the boat launch at the inner harbor to Shoal Cove Head near the opening to the sea. It was a beautiful paddle with clouds overhead, mist in the air, and temperatures hovering in the mid-50s. The water leaving the harbor was calm, although as we worked our way to the point, the chop and headwinds increased, causing us to adjust our stroke and to edge our boats accordingly. I turned my kayak away from the shoal and pointed it toward the open Labrador Sea; next stop Tralee, Ireland, if we headed due east, or Greenland, if we headed east for a bit and took a slight left turn.
When we arrived at the boat launch this morning, Chris engaged in conversation with a local fisherman, and simultaneously I met an elder of the community whose grandfather had come from England; his father was born in Mary’s Harbor, and he was born and raised there, as well. I appreciated our interaction at the boat launch as we put on our kit, decked out our kayaks, and prepared to launch. The older gentleman looked at the sky, and in his thick Labradorean dialect, made some mention of the weather. The environment triggered a memory:
Suddenly I was transported back to 2012; June 21st, to be specific. More importantly, it was Mid-Summer, 2012—the celebration of the Summer Solstice throughout Nordic lands. Russell and I had paddled ahead of the group as we all agreed to seek a location to experience the Mid-Summer tradition. This was the day’s priority, even if it meant taking us off course for Helsinki.
We were still in the waters of Aland, an archipelago province of Finland. The hours were waning. Large bonfires were being lit along the shorelines, and you could sense that there was energy in the air. Russell and I turned at one island point, noting that we should be able to find the town we were looking for just to the west of our location. As we rounded the point, off in the distance, there was a residential dock and what appeared to be 15-20 people sitting down enjoying a celebratory dinner at a long table. Russell and I were intrigued, but we kept a bit of distance to avoid disrupting the group. One woman stood up, looked directly at us, and waved us over with large gestures. We smiled at one another and did not miss a beat, maneuvering our Whiskys in the direction of the festivities.
We soon got within calling distance of the dock, with our boats floating next to one another. The woman and her guests were up out of their chairs and dressed spectacularly. It was a sight from Nantucket or the Cape, perhaps. Shades of Jay Gatsby, even. “Where are you from?” she asked, and Russell promptly shouted “Florida!” with a beaming smile.
“Florida!?!” she exclaimed, “what are you doing here?”
“Paddling from Stockholm to Helsinki,” Russell replied in his trademark matter-of-fact tone.
Looking somewhat perplexed, astonished, and curious, she and her friends asked if we would like to join them for dinner. We replied that we were not alone; a group of eight more floated just out of sight. That did not matter to our hosts, as it was Mid-Summer, and it was time for friendship and celebration. And thus, with a heartfelt expression for his home state, Russell opened the door for the 10 of us shabby-looking paddlers to share an elegant meal, to have a place to set up camp, and to spend an evening celebrating Mid-Summer on an island somewhere in midst of the Baltic.
A burst of wind snapped me out of my reverie, and I reluctantly turned my bow back inland. My paddle had tasted the salt of the threshold of the Labrador Sea, and I had felt a mist blow from distant Ireland. It was enough for one day. On our way back into the harbor, I thought more about our morning interactions. It was starting to mist more heavily, and all you could hear were the blades of our paddles dipping into the water. As we turned in from the outer reaches of the desolate seashore and returned into sight of town, the homesteads, fishing boats, and brightly colored out buildings struck me the most. I wondered about the families that occupy the beautiful homes that make up this community and wanted to know more about their stories. We offer heartfelt thanks to the two gentlemen for the kindness they showed us, however fleeting, with their cordial hellos as they welcomed us to their community, a generous act that made us reconsider the meaning of that word.
Follow along on our ongoing adventures in ten-minute intervals via this link:
In the Wake of the Vikings 
I’m laughing and crying at the same time!!❤️💔
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