The message on the bottom of the webpage of Estonia’s version of The Weather Network www.ilm.ee reads: Kevade alguseni on jäänud 12 päeva ja 4 tundi... It’s a countdown until the arrival of spring in days and hours. Spring arrives here on March 20 at 20.27 and the switch to suveaeg, “summer time” or Daylight Savings Time is on Sunday, March 26 but the weather is currently very wintery indeed and people are taking advantage of it.

The season’s most significant snowfall was on Feb. 27 and 28 – one could not dream of a more perfect vastlapäev (Shrove / Pancake Tuesday) for sledding. It has kept snowing slowly and persistently ever since and with the cold weather continuing, ski conditions are supreme! Click on the website’s suusailm for details of trails and snow depths at 18 Estonian ski centres.

Jääteed (ice roads / routes) to many west-coast islands are also seeing plenty of traffic, including many foreigners who have come to marvel the exotic experience of driving 25 km across the Väinameri (“Sea Strait”) from the mainland to Hiiumaa. Since cars are let onto the ice in 2 minute intervals and must maintain a distance of 250 m with other travellers, line-ups stretching over a kilometre and a half have developed at Rohuküla harbour during the past few weekends. That practically rivals ferry line-ups on jaanipäev / midsummer.

1700 cars travelled the route on the last weekend in February, with an average of 500-600 cars daily, reports Toivo Saar, ice master for Hiiu Teed, who maintain the route. That’s double the traffic of the past few years, partly because the route was also being used by many people driving to Saaremaa.

It takes about half an hour to travel by car from Rohuküla to Heltermaa and 10-15 minutes to the island of Vormsi, 9,3 km offshore. Last Saturday a 6-seat minibus began servicing the Munalaiu harbour to Kihnu island route instead of the other winter connection option – a plane. The 9 km mainland to Muhu ice route was also finally opened to vehicles weighing up to 2,5 tons on Wednesday morning, reported www.saarlane.ee. That makes it the sixth official ice road on Estonian waters this season. The opening of the Kuivastu-Virtsu route and direct access to Saaremaa was hampered by a 2 km long stretch of ridge ice (rüsijää) on the Kuivastu side. Only as of last week did the ice freeze to 40 cm and a bulldozer could be sent out to clear it away. The location of the route was also shifted just prior to opening, since some spots had not achieved the required thickness due to previous ferry traffic.

Ice routes can only be traversed during daylight hours; suggested driving speed is up to 25 km/hr and between 40-70 km/hr; (driving at speeds between 25 and 40 km/hr causes resonance on the ice and can damage it); stopping along the ice route, travelling off the path (marked by junipers planted in the snowbanks), or travelling in conditions of reduced visibility is not permitted; and one of the most unsettling rules – you are NOT to fasten your seat beat for the drive across and must make sure the vehicle’s doors can be easily opened. This is a necessary precaution, although routes are not opened until the ice is at least 22 cm thick. If this thickness is maintained, routes can still be traversable even after a layer of water has seeped on top of the ice as spring approaches. Supposedly driving and watching a flock of ducks take off from the water ahead of you is trippy to say the least.

The Finnish Institute of Marine Research Ice Service’s ice report of March 8 for Estonian coastal waters – In the Gulf of Finland: 20-40 cm thick fast ice in the archipelago. Off the archipelago 10-30 cm thick, partly ridged, very close drift ice. The ice edge runs approximately along the line Bogskär - Glotovi - Osmussaar. In the Bay of Vyborg and the Bay of St. Petersburg 40-60 cm thick fast ice. Farther out to Vaindloo 30-45 cm thick, partly ridged, very close drift ice.

Vaindloo island, mentioned in the previous report, was the site of this year’s second freighter accident early Monday morning when a tanker, part of an 8-ship convoy travelling with ice breakers from St. Petersburg was rammed from behind. All 14 crew members were saved before the ship sank 6 miles north of Vaindloo. January saw a horrific oil spill off Estonia’s northwest coast with thousands of sea birds killed.

A Border Guard helicopter discovered a kilometer long oil slick along the 40 m wide shipping canal near the island Tuesday. According to Border Guard officials, it does not seem to be a massive spill; approximately 500 liters of refined machine oil is thought to have flowed into the Gulf. “A thin layer can be seen floating on the surface but thick ice on either side of the shipping canal will stop the oil from reaching land, making for an easier clean-up,” Silver Vahtra of the Border Guard’s Pollution Prevention Department said. With the help of their Finnish colleagues, authorities are preparing to either pump the oil out of the ship’s hull or to seal off any leaks until spring, when removing the oil will be easier. In any case, special marine equipment from Norway will have to be used.

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