Steamship Regatta of Lake Näsijärvi 2019 | Mustalahti Harbor of Tampere, South Finland

Näsijärven höyrylaivaregatta Tampereen Mustassalahdessa 31.8.2019.

The steamship regatta of Lake Näsijärvi (Näsijärven höyrylaivaregatta) was held at the Mustalahti harbor (Mustalahden satama) of Tampere on August 31, 2019. The regatta was organized by the Finnish Steam Yacht Association (Suomen Höyrypursiseura ry.). There were many beautiful steamships on display, including:

S/S Intti (home Tampere), built in 1884
S/S Näsijärvi II (Tampere), 1929
S/S Häme (Tampere Teisko), 1903
S/S Tarjanne (Tampere), 1908
S/S Visuvesi (Tampere), 1890
S/S Kotvio II (Vilppula), 1884
S/S Suntti (Kuru), 2014
S/S Hellnäs (Lappeenranta), 1920

Finnish Steam Yacht Association (https://steamship.fi/) was founded in 1968 to foster steam vessel culture. It has about 340 members and over 80 steam vessels in the register. It organizes events, which gather steamship enthusiasts and lovers of all ages.

The Mustalahti harbor is in the heart of Tampere, at the southern end of lake Näsijärvi. It is located next to the Särkänniemi amusement park (Särkänniemen huvipuisto) and Näsinneula observation tower (Näsinneulan näkötorni, Näsi needle). Näsinneula’s height is 168 meters. It is the tallest free-standing structure in Finland and the tallest observation tower in the Nordics.

Mustalahti has been an important harbor since the foundation of Tampere in 1779. Mustalahti (meaning Black bay) got its name from the fact that the bay water looked black when viewed from the high rock on the side of the Tampere city. Originally, the bay had two parts. The larger part of the bay was called Kortelahti, the smaller Mustalahti. In the 1930s, the port began to lose its importance with the development of the road network and bus traffic.

The steamship S/S Kuru (HL Kuru, höyrylaiva Kuru) began its journey on the lake Näsijärvi in 1915. S/S Kuru sank near the Siilinkari islet on September 7, 1929. The sinking of Kuru is still the most severe maritime disaster in Finnish inland waterways. It led to the loss of 138 lives.

On the day of the sinking S/S Kuru left the Mustalahti harbor despite the fact that a strong wind was blowing from the lake Näsijärvi, estimated at 17–20 m/s, with gusts even hurricane-force. Before Kuru, S/S Ylöjärvi left Mustalahti, and S/S Ruovesi had just arrived at the port. Ylöjärvi and Ruovesi were smaller ships than Kuru. Five minutes after Kuru, S/S Tarjanne left the Mustalahti harbor.

After the Kuru ship reached the Siilinkari islet, it ran into a cross wave, and three large tidal waves were noticed from the ship. Masses of water rolled into the ship, Kuru turned into the crosswind, fell on her side and sank. It is about 1.2 kilometers from Mustalahti to Siilinkari.

Still in the same year in 1929, the Kuru ship and its steam engine were raised from the bottom of Lake Näsijärvi. Kuru was renovated, and the steam engine was allowed to work on the ship for another ten years. The Kuru steam engine has been restored and put on display at the Mustalahti harbor.

Tampere is also known for the legendary steamship S/S Tarjanne. It is one of the world's oldest steamships on the original route. The Tarjanne steamship still runs the original route from Tampere to Virrat. Tarjanne is the last passenger steamship still running a long regular route in Finland. Tarjanne was built in 1908. The steamship Tarjanne has been serving as a passenger and a freight ship on the lake Näsijärvi. Nowadays the iconic steamship operates the route between Tampere via Murole canal to Ruovesi and Virrat. Its historical route from Tampere to Virrat is also known as the Poet's way (Runoilijan tie). Total travel time of the route is 8 hours and 15 minutes. Tarjanne steamship also does charter cruises.

The city of Tampere is located in southern Finland between the lakes of Pyhäjärvi and Näsijärvi. It has been a center for inland traffic on land and water. Tampere was founded in 1779 on the banks of Tammerkoski rapids. Since the two lakes differ in level by 18 meters, the Tammerkoski rapids linking them have been an important power source throughout history. Tampere became the first industrial city in Finland. The development of large-scale industrial life in Tampere began in the 1850s. Tampere was a leading textile center of Finland and Northern Europe. In addition to the textile industry, the most prominent industrial fields were the metal, iron, and wood processing industries, followed later by the shoe and leather industries. The old red-brick factory buildings around the Tammerkoski rapids tell the story of the Tampere city and its industrial past, and form a Finnish national landscape.

Tampere is one of the major urban, economic, and cultural hubs in Finland. Tampere is the 2nd largest urban area and 3rd largest city in Finland, and the most populous Finnish city outside the Greater Helsinki area. Tampere is the most populous inland city of the Nordic countries. It has a population of 250,000. The Tampere metropolitan area has the population of 400,000.