Communications
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This story has been restored from the magazine archive. The text is original; outdated contact details have been removed.
First you take the GT-map and look for Raisio and Kustavi. At Raisio road number 192 branches west from the number 8 road. It is about 60 kilometeres from the intersection to the centre of Kustavi and one more kilometre to the Vartsala ferry. Nowadays the ferry of the National Board has a fixed schedule.The timetables of the connecting vessel and the Vartsala ferry have been syncronized so that the ferry leaves the Kustavi shore about half an hour before the vessel takes off at Vuosnainen.
The connection between Vuosnainen and Åva is taken care of by MS Viggen (tufted duck) owned by the Provincial Government and introduced in the autumn of 1998. If you intend to go to Lappo or Asterholm you have to drive rfom Åva to Torsholm where MS Alfågeln (old squaw) takes you to Hummelvik on the main island and MS Doppingen (grebe) to Lappo and Asterholm. During the summer’s tourist season it’s wisest to make a reservation for the car, especially if you have a trailer or a caravan.
If you’re going to Brändö with your own boat, you can launch it at the ramp of the Marina in Vuosnainen. With a seaworthy boat you can get to Brändö in less than an hour if the wind conditions allow you to cross the open sea area of Kihti. In Brändö there are several launching ramps, the location of which you can enquire when making the arrangements for your accomodation.
The reservations for the ferries are taken care of by Ålandstrafiken. They will serve you in English, so you won’t need a dictionary for making these arrangements. From the same telephone number you can order a timetable leaflet with the information on Alfågeln, Doppingen, Viggen, the Vartsala ferry, the buses and the scheduled taxiroutes. The internet address of Ålandstrafiken is www.Is.aland.fi/trafik/.. The fares for a car are 30 Fmk to Åva and 40 Fmk to Lappo or Asterholm. A boat trailer is charged 60/80 Fmk one way.