Houtskär

Houtskär is one of the most popular spot in the Archipelago sea. There is a guest pontoon, often crowded in the summer. Plan to arrive early afternoon when boats are departing to get a berth. Alternatively, the bay is well protected and anchoring is straightforward west of the pontoon.

The four hourglasses are in a rack held by a hand popping-up from the wall towards the assembly. Hourglasses were common in Lutheran churches, to ensure that the priest was not going beyond one hour for the celebration. People obviously had other things to do... The rack includes four hourglasses, the first one running in 15 minutes, the second one in 30 minutes, the third one in 45 minutes, and the last one in one hour. Therefore, the assembly could monitor precisely whether the priest was not abusing their patience.

The votive ship below is very impressive. It is one of the model done by Åke Sandvall, and represents a Swedish warship from 1770 called P.E.S. At this time, Finland was still Swedish...