Arctic Paradise - The Lofoten Islands (Sailing Free Spirit)

Join us in this episode as we continue to explore the Lofoten Islands, anchoring in some truly idyllic places, exploring and getting close to the wildlife. We attend a Norwegian festival and sail up the breathtaking Trollfjord. I'm Jasmine and these are my parents, Guy and Joe, and this is our home, Free Spirit. Come join us on our adventures. It was the end of July and we set off from our anchorage and headed out for a sail. For the first time in a while we were able to raise the sails and Free Spirit glided smoothly through the water. After a lovely journey we anchored in a small channel off the island of Skrova. The forecast was perfect for the next few days and the turquoise arctic waters were very inviting. Eagles soared over our anchorage. We couldn't wait to explore. It was hard to believe that we were so far above the arctic circle. It all felt so magical. Many young birds were getting ready to become independent, learning valuable skills from their parents. It was berry season and many of the islands had patches of delicious wild berries. All the plants were lush and in bloom and we watched as bees and wasps busily gathered pollen and nectar, making the most of the midnight sun. In this short season before the cold, dark winter returns. On the other side of Skrova was a small town where we stocked up with some supplies. Even in the shallow waters along the shoreline, there was so much activity and life. I watched as tiny flatfish hid in the sand and hermit crabs changed their shells. We gave up our fishing gear and went to the beach. We geared ourselves up for a snorkel. With the endless hours of sunshine, Free Spirits Hull had begun to grow a layer of algae and we dived down to scrape the worst of it off. With the jobs completed, we were free to explore this underwater wonderland. Not far away was a lush kelp forest, a valuable habitat great for biodiversity and carbon capture and home to many interesting creatures. Beneath the boat lies another very different habitat. At first the bottom seems largely devoid of life, but if you look closely amongst the pieces of marl, strange creatures hide. After some small repairs to the canvas, it was time to say goodbye to this beautiful anchorage. We hoisted the sails and set out again. We headed to an anchorage near Kabulvag to wash our clothes and get on with some boat jobs. With the wind blowing into our anchorage, we set off to a more sheltered spot just around the corner. We travelled behind the islands to avoid the worst of the swell, paying close attention to the charts and anchored in the harbour of Kabulvag. We were just in time to take part in a small festival celebrating the victory of a long campaign to keep the areas of Lofoten, Västerålen and Senja permanently free from oil exploration, a cause we very much support. It was unusual and so lovely to be able to celebrate the successful conclusion of an environmental campaign. Many Norwegian artists turned up to perform and celebrate. The headlining band was Isak, a popular modern Sami band. Sadly, this was one of their last performances. The celebration continued with a disco. The partying went on way into the night and ended for us with a sobering paddle back to the boat. In the early hours of the morning, we headed off to explore new places. We took a free mooring in a lovely spot just off the island of Bøya. Despite the grey weather, there was still beauty everywhere. That night we were awoken by sudden violent katabatic winds that blasted down from the and had to quickly tie up the sails to make sure they were safe. We were boat bound for the day as the wind toyed with us. The next day, the conditions calmed. We set off once more. Drinking in our last views of the Lofoten islands, we headed further north up Rafsund. We diverted course to visit the fabled Trollfjord. A narrow fjord with surrounding cliffs reaching up to a thousand meters in height. This place was truly breathtaking. It was a deeply moving experience and we were lucky to have this incredible place all to ourselves before the tour boats arrived. We continued our journey. Please like and subscribe. A huge thank you to all my wonderful patrons for helping to support the production of these videos. I've recently been having a lot of computer issues and your contribution has really helped me. If you'd also like to help as well as getting early ad-free videos, click the link in the description and join my Patreon account. Thanks for watching. Join us next time as we explore further north, anchoring in and exploring some beautiful places. We sail off Andenes, encounter a sperm whale and witness our first northern lights. you