Satahanka
Satahanka, international camp for scouting on waters in Finland
Satahanka is meant for scouts and guides of sea scouts and for those scouts and guides that do activities on waters like sea rescue, canoeing, diving and swimming. The Satahanka camp is organized by the Guides and Scouts of Finland. Participating Satahanka is also excellent way to get to know sea scouting and activities on waters if your scouting group is planning to engage in water activities and sailing. Taking an enlistment on the Satahanka camp to make the camp happen is also a great way for an individual to familiarize oneself with this kind of scouting or scouting in Finland.
So what can I do in Satahanka?
Satahanka camp is all about sailing with boats and dinghies. Satahanka is also all about water front activities from sea rescue, canoeing and swimming. The camp has also scouting skills program on land. A hike has traditionally been part of the camp and not to forget, big get together camp fires are essential part of the event. But foremost, Satahanka is all about having fun in the water and learning new while having fun. The camp offers activities to all age groups.
How old should I be to participate?
The Satahanka camp is for children from the age of 12 and upwards. The participants are from all over Finland and from other countries. The Satahanka camp has strong international flavor.
The international Satahanka camp
The Satahanka camp is an international event. The event welcomes international guests and the greatest contribution that an international group can give for Satahanka is to bring your own boat with you. The international guests participate in the camp through offering their boats to be used in the camp program in the same way as the local scout groups bringing their boats to the camp. International guests are also welcomed organize program for the camp as part of the over all camp program. The international guests are offered opportunity to participate to special camp events that make local culture familiar and get the opportunity to see places outside the camp area with visits to nearby towns and places of interest. The program varies from one Satahanka camp to another.
The modern longships: Satahanka spirit is born in our hearts and minds and also by bringing your vessel
As a camp tradition, the vessels are treated in the camp as independent units and as if they were homes with their own ways and traditions. The camp hopes to have good co-operation with the crew and the boat during the event. Satahanka camp offers participating vessel means to service the boat and crew, berth and suggestions for a program the vessel and the crew can offer to camp participants staying in the vessel as the vessel participates the camp program. The crew of the vessel sees the best of the camp.
As every vessel in the camp is a small world of its own, welcoming scouts and guides to the vessel during the camp program is what scout and guide movement is all about. It is about reaching out, giving your hand to a fellow scout or guide. The camp's name comes from Finnish word that means viking longship that required many vikings to row it, almost like hundred oars. Every vessel in the camp is like a modern longship.
The success of Satahanka camp is very much dependent on all participants contribution in their minds and hearts but also in the most practical way possible. The backbone of the camp program are the scout vessels that are brought to the event by the groups. The Satahanka camp is only able to offer experience of a lifetime on water if there's means to bring about 1000 scouts and guides to the waters.
Lots of sea blue, something traditional, little bit of borrowed and always new
Satahanka camp is organized every 4 to 6 years. Satahanka renews its program every time and the location of the camp and those who make the camp happen change, too. The camp always include the most traditional flavors of scouting and guiding in addition to the camp traditions. The camp has been organized since 1955 and it has one of the longest chain of organized camps even in the world scale. The name Satahanka comes from a Finnish word meaning the viking longship that had sail and the longest ships needed lots of vikings to row it. The longships are also mentioned in Kalevala.
Satahanka XIII 2018
Satahanka XIII will be arranged 30.7.-6.8.2018.
| Year | Order | Place | Camp captain |
| 1955 | I | Parainen, Musfinnö | Rafael "Raffu" Helanko |
| 1960 | II | Helsinki, Itä-Villinki | Lauri "Lapa" Winter |
| 1968 | III | Rymättylä, Pähkinäinen | Heikki "Jäski" Jääskeläinen |
| 1973 | IV | Ahvenanmaa, Föglö, Bänö-ö | Aarno "Imppa" Stauffer |
| 1978 | V | Saimaa, Kyläniemi | Matti Valtonen |
| 1982 | VI | Parainen, Öjn-saari | Antero "Hakle" Hagelberg |
| 1987 | VII | Rauma, Pihlus | Pentti "Pena" Ajanko |
| 1992 | VIII | Saimaa, Kerimäki, Paasivesi | Jouni Koistinen |
| 1998 | IX | Ahvenanmaa, Bomarsund | Kari "Puni" Kiesiläinen |
| 2002 | X | Hanko, Syndalen | Mika Runsten |
| 2008 | XI | Sauvo, Ahtela | Jouni Riihelä |
| 2013 | XII | Kustavi, Lootholma | Katja "Kike" Auvinen |
| 2018 | XIII | Loviisa, Rönnäs | Aino Pohjanvirta |