No early start today — we cast off in the early afternoon, bound for Vaxholm, just under fourteen nautical miles to the east. First we motor out through Stockholm, the old town's palaces sliding past on starboard. The northeasterly comes and goes, but under engine it hardly matters. A mild, grey day, and on the flat water we make good progress.
17:01
At the edge of the city the engine goes quiet and the sails go up. The wind blows straight from the northeast — exactly where we want to go — so we beat our way through the archipelago: tack, and tack again, Lidingö alongside, the headlands passing on port. Working up the narrow channels with the wind on the nose has a rhythm of its own. In the gusts we touch almost seven knots — not bad close-hauled.
Eventually we've had enough of tacking, and the engine comes back on. We pass Vaxholm and its old fortifications — this waterway has been guarded for centuries — and the lighthouse slips by on port. Shortly after, we tie up in Vaxholm's guest harbour.