Overwintering in Stornoway - Outer Hebrides Scotland (Sailing Free Spirit)

Join a live aboard family as they spend a winter in the port of Stornoway in the Outer Hebrides, slowing down and immersing themselves in nature. They meet some of the locals, get on with boat jobs, explore some of the Isle of Lewis and get close to the wildlife.
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[@davidbamford4721]

That cockpit canopy is an excellent idea.

[@johnwishart7950]

wonderful video again you seem to make the places you are in smile

[@sailing-freespirit]

Wow what a lovely comment, thank you! 😊

[@scotnielsen3073]

Really lovely insights into boat life. Also composting toilets.

[@tupaia]

Lovely video once again, thank you! Looking forward to watching the next one!

[@sailing-freespirit]

Thank you! 😄

[@micheldavin1596]

wouhaaaa, ces images sont magnifiques, c'est très artistique, encore bravo

[@sailingsheriff3349]

Yes and your footage is soo good it’s a shame to miss it

[@08m]

Forest bathing ♥🌲🌳awesome description!

[@kmleary]

A lovely and most enriching video. Thank you.

[@sailing-freespirit]

Glad you enjoyed it! Hope you’re doing well.

[@themooringscottage8872]

Love your story telling and nice music, I wait every month for your great Chanel ……thank you love it !

[@sailing-freespirit]

Many thanks 😊

[@troo_story]

He's got a great perfume bottle? 😳

[@davidshipkiss]

Love your videos, thank you for sharing

[@user-nb5en7cn8u]

Hi! Love to see your footage of Free Spirit , which is well known to me from it’s former life in the Netherlands. Sweet memories! About your video’s i wonder if you can adjust the balance between the volume of the narration and music. Music is much louder and that is imho not what you should want.

[@jean-paulderoubin2014]

Great Work!

[@SailingAlanouwoly]

Amazing video, you're so good at capturing the wildlife!!!😍🔥

[@sailing-freespirit]

Thank you!! 😊 And thanks for starring in it, lots of fun memories 😉

[@SailingAlanouwoly]

@@sailing-freespirit very true! good times 😄

[@eelcostoffels]

Fantastic series and gorgeous Koopmans. Especially enjoyed your detailed underwater footage. As I am interested in cruising the west coast of Scotland myself, I was wondering how difficult (or easy) it is to source provisions?

[@sailing-freespirit]

Thank you! Sourcing provisions not always easy, often requires a long walk and sometimes even a bus ride, so stock up well whenever you get the opportunity 😉 Best of luck with your adventures!

[@TroyaE117]

Buy lots and lots of tinned food and long-life milk and stow them somewhere quiet and you won't go far wrong. When fresh provisions are available, make use of them. When they run out, reach for the long-life milk and the tins. Make sure you have plenty of propane. Catch fish when you can, and eat them immediately. Carry plenty of diesel for the winter heater. Batteries will not work long enough to propel the boat any distance, and certainly won't heat the boat, and are far too risky that far north. Fair winds.

[@FredGallefoss]

White-throated dipper ("Fossekall" in Norwegian) is the national bird of Norway, I suspect You know this by now 🙂

[@chriswilson3009]

The questions that always pops into my head is how do you manage money wise ,do your patrons and youtube pay for all your expenses or do you have to take work in the places you stay or again are you just living off savings as i see plenty of live aboard channels on youtube and wonder are these all rich people as its not a cheap pastime

[@sailing-freespirit]

Certainly not a cheap ‘pastime’, but can be a very cheap way to live, providing you’re prepared to embrace simplicity and are happy at anchor. www.yachtingmonthly.com/cruising-life/the-argument-for-becoming-sea-nomads-92758

[@kbbarton1]

Absolutely stunning! Really enjoy the focus on the local flora and fauna in each of your videos. Did you all live aboard the boat all winter in Stornoway?

[@sailing-freespirit]

Thank you! 😊 We did, but we went to Cornwall for a prolonged Christmas break to visit friends and family.

[@kbbarton1]

@@sailing-freespirit Wow, and I was dreading living aboard my boat on the Hamble this coming autumn!

[@TonySmith-pu5ws]

Really good video! Interested to see you installed composting toilet, am thinking of doing this. Any information you could share?

[@sailing-freespirit]

Thank you! We have a Nature’s Head composting loo. Beats installing a black water tank (didn’t have the space!)and feels good not to be pumping crap into a shallow, turquoise paradise anchorage. For three people we need to empty urine every day and the solids once every 2 weeks or so. Positives: Well built and sturdy construction, likely to last long. V.little smell. Negatives: Pain and messy to empty in a confined space. Installing the fan may help dry contents but is a draw on battery when at anchorage. Have to generally dispose of waste in garbage bins. Modifications: Emptying was such a dreaded task that we have removed the rotating stirring paddle and simply line the solids chamber with a compostable plastic bag. Now, when the chamber is full or we are in a suitable location with bins, we simply pull out the bag and dispose it - nice and simple solution for a yacht we think!

[@TonySmith-pu5ws]

@@sailing-freespirit thank you very much this is a lot of information I guess not pumping crap into beautiful anchorages is worth some planning and effort I am encouraged to keep researching

[@sailingsheriff3349]

Really do like your videos but for some reason the quality has been reduced to 480 on all media, other programmes don’t have this problem, is it just my systems?

[@sailing-freespirit]

Thank you for pointing this out. Not sure why this has happened. I’ll investigate and hope to return to uploading HD quality for all future videos. Seems to have affected the last 3 uploads!! ☹️

[@eelcostoffels]

Fantastic series and gorgeous Koopmans. Especially enjoyed your detailed underwater footage. As I am interested in cruising the west coast of Scotland myself, I was wondering how difficult (or easy) it is to source provisions?

[@sailing-freespirit]

Many thanks! Sorry for late reply. When anchoring in more remote places and on some of the smaller islands, provisioning can be a bit of a mission, involving long walks or kayak journeys and sometimes even a bus ride. You can get lucky with local farm produce (eggs, bread, veg and/or frozen sausages etc) but don’t count on it. Best to stock up every time you find yourself close to a village shop or store. Provisioning will soon become just part of the journey, like the weather, part of your planing but often full of surprises and occasional frustrations. Best of luck. Happy sailing.