On the last week of June the coastal City of Kemi in Finland (situated at the bottom end of the Baltic Sea by the Bothnian Bay) was the stage for the kick off meeting of the APP4SEA project. The meetings were held at the site of the famous Kemi Snowcastle, and although there was no snow in the sight anymore, the marine surroundings proved to be a perfect setting for the project partners' first gathering under the Midsummer's nightless nights.

For two days the partners were engaged in deep conversations about the content of the project, concrete action plans and how to reach the goals set for the project. Some maritime activites were also undertaken, for instance a visit to the icebreaker Sampo, which is used for pleasure cruises during winter, and a short sail off the coast of Kemi by traditional sailing boat. After the two-day event the partners team spirit had been elevated to new levels, the route to the destination port had been drawn to the charts and finally the sails were raised!