By Water

“Back then – most people didn’t have boats, so it was the only way anyone could get from Mäntlahti to here. It was always the Vikla. Or actually not the Vikla yet – it was Moosen [Pitkänen]’s boat when I first started coming here. The kids were often shoved into the front cabin where the engine was, and you can imagine the fumes and stink. And first we’d ride the bus on the winding museum road, so we’d already be feeling sick.”
Raimo Skog, Tammio

Steamships carried residents and summer visitors until the late 1930s. After the wars, Kuorsalo and Tammio were reached by a postal boat from Mäntlahti. Summer residents didn’t start acquiring motorboats until the late 1950s, when prices dropped and living standards improved. When the postal service ended in 1969, a small scheduled ferry from Mäntlahti operated during the summers until 1993. When the departure port moved to Hamina’s Tervasaari in 1993, regular transport to Kuorsalo ceased entirely. Since 2020, the boat Vikla II has run between Kotka and Tammio.

Hamina’s upper class began organizing sailing races in the 1880s off Tervasaari and on the waters around Tammio. Island residents took part successfully and also raced in neighboring municipalities. The boating worlds diverged in the 1910s, when engines became common and fishermen adopted slow but reliable inboard motors. At the same time, pleasure craft grew ever more streamlined. Both types of boats were built in the same shipyards, including in Vehkalahti’s Summa and Neuvottoma.

Different kinds of boats enable all sorts of maritime activities. Sailboats, canoes, outboards or surfboards – everything has been seen gliding past Tammio and Kuorsalo! A boat opens access to other islands and skerries for hikes, berry-picking, and hunting. Many still fish with nets and old methods: providing for yourself connects you to past generations. A boat has also always been one of the archipelago children’s favorite toys.