From the very beginning, it was clear that we would now be setting course for the Danish island of Læsø, right in the middle of the Kattegat, to meet up with friends there. We leave the Swedish archipelago in a flat calm — the first proper calm of the entire voyage. Our wind instrument is showing a fickle one to two knots of wind as we pass Vinga (see below), the westernmost of the Swedish archipelago islands. And then, suddenly, there it is: the wind. The sails are hoisted at once, already with two reefs from the outset. The Kattegat is, once again, proving itself to be the Kattegat. What follows is a glorious day under sail, carrying us swiftly through the heavy shipping traffic and on to Læsø. There, we spend a few wonderfully relaxed hours with our friends, whose journey there at the same time was considerably less enjoyable. Thanks to the many traffic jams, they only just managed to catch the last ferry from Frederikshavn — and their poor dog “Lotti” did not even get the chance to go for a walk beforehand.

Læsø.

Lotti.

We leave Læsø with the rising sun (see above), intent on covering the remaining hundred or so nautical miles across the Kattegat before the strong winds forecast for the weekend make further progress difficult. For the time being, however, the twelve to eighteen knots of wind are entirely manageable and give SY Blue Layla a cheerful turn of speed, allowing us to arrive at the Kattegat’s other great island, Anholt, earlier than expected (see below).