Living the dream - and our best and worst fishing trip ever

Me enjoying the sunshine on Ravensdale's aft deck at sea

More than 18 months after we sold our house and bought a boat I am still totally loving the liveaboard lifestyle.

We may not be travelling miles to far flung locations, but we’re having fun living on our Neptunus 133 Ravensdale at Maryport Marina, Cumbria, UK, and taking her out cruising and fishing in the Solway Firth.

Now the weather has improved, we’re going out to sea more often, which we certainly couldn’t do with our last home, which was made of bricks and mortar 😊

And this week’s fishing trip was definitely memorable – sadly due to the “one that got away”.

One day, we will probably take our 43ft cruiser a bit further afield, but I really don’t mind either way.

I love our life, which really does feel like one long holiday, especially when the weather’s good and we can live in shorts and T-shirts every day of the week as has been the case this week.

I can honestly say that I'm "living the dream".

It may not be everyone's idea of a dream, but then we're all different. Thank goodness! 😊

Our most exciting and most disappointing fishing trip yet

We considered taking Ravensdale out fishing on Saturday as the forecast looked good, but the wind blew up before the gate was due to open so we decided to wait for a better day.

That's the beauty of us both being retired. We no longer have to do things at the weekend or when I’m on leave whatever the weather.

We can go any day of the week so can wait for the conditions to be as near perfect as possible.

Monday was a lot less windy than Saturday, so it seemed the obvious choice.

Maryport Marina gate which is only open when there's at least 2.4m of water over the sill

It was calmer in the morning, but the marina gate was closed so we had to wait until it opened at around 2.45pm.

As usual, we hung back and let the smaller boats that were waiting to leave the marina go first. We then followed them out into the Solway Firth.

Ravensdale leaving Maryport for our latest fishing trip

It was a bit misty when we headed out. We could hardly see the Scottish hills on the other side of the firth. However, it cleared later and the sun shone through.

Scotch mist - the Scottish hills just visible in the distance

The temperature went up to 15.5C, but the wind blew up to around 9-10mph while we were anchored up making it feel a good bit cooler.

We turned the engines off while fishing again so it was lovely and peaceful.

Phil set up three rods with different bait on each – a peeler crab, a hardback crab and a bluey, which is a Pacific saury that looks like a cross between a mackerel and a garfish.

Phil baiting a hook with a crab

He also tried using squid and discovered the peeler crabs to be the most effective bait.

One of the dogfish Phil caught on this outing

He had lots of bites and pulled in four dogfish, but the highlight of the trip was when he hooked a large starry smooth-hound.

They really are beautiful fish. Like dogfish, they are members of the shark family, but these look much more like sharks.

It took him nearly 10 minutes to get it alongside the boat as it was a real fighter.

The big fish fighting as Phil tried to reel him in

When it got near the surface, we could see that it was at least 3-4ft long.

I took a few photos of it then grabbed the landing net in the hope it would help to get the fish aboard, but it was obvious the net wasn’t big enough to deal with this one.

The elusive starry smooth-hound (the blue boom on the line is about a foot long)

The other problem was that we were fishing from the aft deck, which is much higher from the water than the fore deck.

Phil tried to reel it in and got it about half way up the side of the boat before the 20lb line on the trace he was using snapped and the fish got away.

The smooth-hound just before he made good his escape

Annoyingly he had stronger line on both of the other two rods. Typical! ☹

To say he was devastated would be an understatement as it was the biggest fish he’d ever hooked in his life.

I was pretty disappointed too, both for Phil and because I would have loved to have got a proper look at it and taken some better photos.

I’ve never really been into angling myself, despite Phil’s best efforts to convert me to the joys of fishing.

The first Christmas we were together, almost 20 years ago, he asked what I wanted by way of a present. I asked for a gold bracelet and got a fly fishing rod and a pair of waders! 😊

Yes, I have used them on more than one occasion since, but I still prefer watching him fish to doing it myself.

That said, I was genuinely excited about this smooth-hound and was hugely disappointed when it became the “one that got away”.

But at least I had some photos to prove it really did exist 😊

It was fairly rocky again on this outing, but I took plenty of coffee in a flask, so I didn’t have to boil a kettle at sea as we’ve yet to get a guard for the stove.

We switched the engines back on before bringing in the anchor and they started without any problems.

Phil bringing in the anchor

Phil kept the speed to 10 knots and under on both the outward and homeward journeys and we got back at 6.40pm to make sure we were there in good time before the marina gate was due to close. 

After we got back, we wished we’d gone out on the morning tide and come back on the afternoon tide.

Ravensdale heading for home

And we’re planning to do that one day soon to extend our outing.

By keeping the speed down and switching the engines off while at anchor, we’re definitely using less diesel which means we’ll be able to take Ravensdale out more often.

The following day, we went to a local fishing tackle shop and bought bigger hooks and a bigger, stronger landing net.

Phil also made up new traces using 40lb line and the larger hooks in the hope that, the next time he hooks a big one, he'll be able to land it.

And we’re planning to go out on a “smoothie” hunt as soon as we have suitable weather conditions to take the boat out to play again 😊

Installing a Fishfinder 

Phil fitting the transducer for the Fishfinder

Last weekend, Phil fitted a fishfinder that we were given and have had on board for some time.

He decided that it wasn’t doing any good sitting in its box so set about the job of installing it.

It was very difficult to get the cable through from the in-hull transducer he fitted in the bilge to the unit on the console due to the position of Ravensdale’s diesel tank, but he managed to get it there in the end.

We didn’t have time to read the instruction manual before the last outing, so it didn’t help much on that trip. We will have to check how to use it before the next one.

More than 100,000 page views on my blog

I’ve been totally amazed at how well my blog has been received all over the world.

Last week’s blog post took me past a major milestone - 100,000 page views.

Me writing my blog on Ravensdale's dining table

I started writing it when we moved on board in November 2016, but it didn’t really take off until the post about our first liveaboard anniversary in November of last year when the number of readers shot up from an average of just over 1,000 page views per month to more than 10,000.

Last month's page views were lower than usual as I missed blogging for a week while away on holiday.

However, they've picked up again this month and last week’s post attracted the most page views yet at 6,787 at the time of writing this.

Blog statistics showing the number of page views by month

I started writing my blog as a diary for my husband, Phil, and I as I wanted to keep a record of our life afloat.

I was also writing it for friends and family, who probably thought we’d totally lost the plot when we sold our house and bought a boat - which is probably true 😊

And it's now read by thousands of people across the globe.

I have no idea why people in much more exotic parts of the world are interested in our life on our boat in Maryport, Cumbria, UK, but I’m very glad they are 😊

More people read my blog in the US than anywhere else in the world, including the UK.

The illustration below shows the number of page views so far by country for the 10 countries with the most visits.

Page views on my blog by country so far

I have also been delighted by some of the more surprising places that it’s read, including Afghanistan, the Bahamas, the Central African Republic, Chile, Japan, Niger, Pakistan, United Arab Emirates, Vietnam and Zimbabwe to name but a few.

Sometimes I get negative – or even downright rude comments – when I post links to my blog on some Facebook groups, but I’m not going to let that put me off posting it.

Thankfully there seem to be many more people who enjoy reading it than those that want to poke fun at us or criticise everything we do.

The illustration below shows the number of page views for each of my top 10 blog posts with the dates they were posted.

Page views for my most popular blog posts

And, for anyone who’s interested, links to my three most popular blog posts so far are below.

Switching off Ravensdale's engines at sea for the first time

Winter cruising joys and the misery caused by flooding bilges

Our new docking sticks prove a great success

My laptop set up on the table on Ravensdale's aft deck

I still enjoy writing my blog and particularly so yesterday (Thursday) when I took my laptop out and wrote much of it sitting on Ravendale's aft deck in the sunshine.

Cleaning Ravensdale is a never-ending task

Phil has been busy cleaning Ravensdale again this week.

On Wednesday, we made the 30-mile round trip to the chandlery at Whitehaven to buy some more boat shampoo and teak cleaner for the aft deck.

Phil using rubbing compound to remove marks from Ravensdale's gelcoat

And he spent much of yesterday (Thursday) trying to get marks off her gelcoat before giving her a good wash.

The only trouble was that he forgot to close the windows in our bedroom before running water over the aft deck and it poured in, soaking some clothes that were sitting on the side waiting to be put away and the towel, loo roll and mat in the en-suite head.

The soaked clothes drying in the wind

Thankfully it was hot and sunny, so we hung the clothing, towel and mat out on the clothes line and the wind that was stopping us going out to sea did a great job of drying them.

The power of social media

There has been a hole in the car parking area near Maryport Pier for several months, but nothing worthwhile was done about it until it appeared on Facebook this week.

The hole, which is at least 18 inches wide, is just above the harbour wall running from the new pier towards Maryport Basin.

As with most holes, it started out fairly small and gradually increased in size.

I was concerned that somebody could fall into it and gut hurt so took a couple of photos of it in early April and showed them to staff at the marina, which is nearby.

The hole in Maryport Pier in early April

I was told it was the responsibility of the local council and the marina had reported it to them, so I assumed it was in hand.

Since then, tape has been placed around it and cones stood in front of it, but they either blew away or were removed.

On one occasion, I found a cone sitting inside the hole.

On Monday of this week, someone posted a photo of the hole on a local Facebook group and people started commenting on it, pointing out how dangerous it was.

On Tuesday, I discovered a large metal fence had been placed around it taking up four of the parking spaces in that area.

The fencing erected around the hole this week

Attached to the fencing is a red and white sign saying “Danger Keep Out” and another saying “Mandatory PPE. Hard Hat. Safety Boots. High Viz Vest/Jacket.”

I guess this shows the power of social media 😊

The warning signs attached to the fence

But I’m really not quite sure why anyone needs to wear a hard hat to protect them from a hole in the ground 😊

Breaking-in my new camera

I’ve been trying out my new camera, which is exactly the same as my old one – difference being that this one isn’t broken 😊

I took my camera for a walk around the harbour in the sunshine on Saturday and was very pleased with the results.

Fishing boats in Maryport Harbour

Another fishing boat in Maryport Harbour

Maryport Harbour in the sunshine

Two more Maryport fishing boats

I’m sure the old camera must have been going wrong for some time as my images seem to be sharper with this one.

I also took lots of photos on Monday’s fishing trip on the Solway Firth, including photos of the other boats that were fishing in the same area.

Two small fishing boats with Maryport in the background

Fishing boat Spurdog just off the Cumbrian coast

Fishing boat Sunrise Allonby on the Solway Firth

Yacht Paladin in the mist on the Solway Firth

And I was really pleased when Tom Watson, who is one of the local fishermen, sent me a message on Facebook on Tuesday to let me know what time he'd be returning to Maryport so I could be waiting on the pier with my camera.

Winsome bringing home her catch of shrimps

Solway Prospector returning to Maryport

Winsome passing Maryport Pier

Solway Prospector heading into Maryport Harbour

They also let me take shots of them unloading their catch of shrimps from Winsome in Maryport Harbour.

Unloading Winsome's catch

Winsome owner Tom Watson carrying a container full of shrimps

Pigeon post

The pigeons that have been nesting in the drainage hole in the harbour wall near Ravensdale have been enjoying the sunshine.

We’d been wondering for some time which was the male and which was the female, but saw the evidence the other day so need wonder no longer 😊

Mr Pigeon perches on the top of the drainage hole after being evicted by his mate

Mr Pigeon spends a lot of time in the mornings when the sun is on the wall sitting in the doorway, but occasionally Mrs Pigeon kicks him out so she can take his spot.

Phil takes far less photos than I do, but I caught him hiding behind Ravensdale while trying to catch a few shots of the pigeons coming and going from the drainage hole.

Phil waiting for the pigeons to fly in and out of the hole in the wall

A visiting pigeon on one of our mooring ropes

Another pigeon with green and red leg tags also visited us the other day. We wondered it he had been taking part in a race and stopped off in the marina for a rest.

A week of wall-to-wall sunshine

We’ve had another amazing week of mainly warm, sunny weather in Maryport, Cumbria, UK.

And to think that when I was growing up in the south of England I was led to believe that the north of the country was a cold, damp place to live.

I’m now beginning to think it was just a rumour spread by northerners to keep as southerners away 😊

However, the wind has restricted our opportunities to take Ravensdale out to play.

Last Friday was dry and sunny with a top temperature of 12.8C (55F) and a top average wind speed of 13mph.

Saturday was yet another sunny day with a top temperature of 14.8C (59F).

Maryport Marina was flat calm on Saturday morning before the gate opened

We considered going fishing as it was really calm during the morning, but the gate didn’t open until 1pm by which time the wind speed was up to 15mph so we decided to save the diesel for a calmer day. 

Sunday started dull and it began spitting with rain immediately after I’d opened all the windows to air the boat, so I had to close them all up again, which was very frustrating. However, it didn’t come to anything.

The sun tried to come out several times, but the day was mainly overcast with a top temperature of 14.5C (59F). The average wind speed went up to 21mph with gusts of up to 30mph.

On Monday, the temperature rose to 15.5C (60F) but it felt cooler in the wind. The top average wind speed during the day was 10mph.

Maryport basking in sunshine on Monday

Tuesday started pretty windy and overcast, but the sun came out by lunchtime. However, it remained fairly windy throughout the day.

The top average wind speed was 23mph, gusting to 33mph and the highest daytime temperature recorded locally was 17.6C (64F).

Wednesday was an even warmer sunny day with the temperature going up to 18.7C (66F), but it was still too windy for us to take Ravensdale out of the marina as the wind speeds were more than 10mph all the time the gate was open.

The wind rippling the water around Ravensdale on Wednesday afternoon

Yesterday (Thursday) was the hottest day yet, but it was still fairly windy. The top temperature was 21.1C (70F) and I had to cover my arms and wear a cap to save myself from getting sunburnt while writing my blog on Ravensdale's aft deck.

And, so far, today (Friday) has been sunny with light cloud. The top temperature has been 17.4C (63F) and the top wind speed 21mph with gusts up to 31mph.

Really hoping the wind will drop soon so we can go out in search of smoothies with the new net and tackle.

Switching off Ravensdale’s engines at sea for the first time

Ravensdale on the Solway Firth by Jan Fialkowski

Turning off a boat’s engines at sea may not seem like a big deal to seasoned sailors - or landlubbers - but we’ve been reluctant to do it just in case they didn’t start again.

So, we must have been feeling particularly brave this week as we switched off both of Ravensdale’s 300hp Volvo Penta engines while at anchor in the Solway Firth, near Maryport, Cumbria, UK.

We’ve previously only switched one off and kept the other one running while fishing, just in case…

Thankfully they both started again first time, which will give us the confidence to turn them off when we drop the anchor in the future.

We aim to take Ravensdale out to sea at least once every couple of weeks to give her engines a run and to keep her hull relatively clear of growth.

Phil checking the antifreeze/water mixture with a hydrometer

As we took her out fishing on Bank Holiday Monday (May 7), we didn’t really need to go out again just yet, but the weather was too good to stay in the marina.

And this time we took a friend along with us – our first passenger since we bought our Neptunus 133 and moved  onboard in November 2016.

Before our latest outing, Phil replaced the water in Ravensdale’s port engine with a mixture of water and antifreeze.

I must admit it seemed a bit strange adding antifreeze on a warm, sunny day, but I do know there’s more to antifreeze than stopping the water in the engines freezing up in cold weather 😊

Fishing in the Solway Firth

We’d offered to take Mic Horton, a member of the marina staff who’s become a good friend, fishing with us on Monday morning.

The gate was due to open around 9am and we were all ready for the off, but it didn’t open until nearer 9.30am as they have to wait until the water levels on both sides of the gate are even. We left the marina soon afterwards, returning before the gate shut again at around 2pm.

Ravensdale leaving Maryport and heading for our fishing spot

We definitely broke our single figure rule where the wind was concerned this time as it was around 11mph when we left the marina and blew up to about 14mph while we were at sea.

After I posted photos taken during our last, not particularly successful, fishing trip, a local fisherman told us we would’ve had more luck if we’d been about 100m closer to the shore so that’s where we went this time.

And Phil and Mic definitely got more bites than we had on our previous outing.

Mic seemed to enjoy his fishing trip. In fact, he caught more fish than Phil did 😊

Phil (right) and Mic preparing to start fishing

Mic landing a very small skate

Phil with one of his dogfish

Mic caught five dogfish and two small skate and Phil pulled in two dogfish and two small skate. All were returned to the sea.

Phil also caught what looked like a small bull huss, but sadly it came off his hook before he could reel it in. At least I saw it before he lost it, so I know he’s telling the truth about the one that got away this time 😊

It was lovely and peaceful on this fishing trip as we turned off both engines for the first time.

We’d decided to do so before we went out and Phil ran the generator up before we left to make sure it would get us started if for any reason our batteries let us down.

The sea got pretty choppy while we were out in the firth, so much so that I now know we need to get some sort of rail around the stove as I ended up having to hold the kettle in place until it boiled, which is probably not the safest thing I've ever done.

And the teapot and mugs were trying to slide all over the bench, so I put them in the washing up bowl in the sink, which seemed to solve that problem.

Tea making on a lumpy sea

Phil started up the engines well before we needed to head for home, so we had plenty of time to sort any problems that might arise, but they started first time, so we will feel a lot more confident about turning them off again.

The boat was still rolling well when Phil brought the anchor in and we set off home.

We'd travelled at around 9.5 knots on the way out and did 7.5 knots on the return journey, but the revs were higher on the way back as we were heading into the waves. We also needed our windscreen wipers on for the first time purely due to the spray.

Ravensdale returning to Maryport

We had wall-to-wall sunshine the whole time we were out. I wasn’t at all cold in shorts and a vest top despite the wind and I caught the sun a bit, which I probably shouldn’t have done, but I didn’t really get burnt.

Phil let Mic, who is a powerboat instructor, take the wheel on the way back to Maryport, which he seemed to enjoy quite a lot too 😊

Mic at Ravensdale's helm

Then Phil took control again before we entered Maryport basin and he brought Ravensdale back into the marina.

The wind speed was higher than on previous occasions and it caught Ravensdale a bit on the way in, but Phil backed her up and tried again and we had a nice smooth return to the pontoon.

I got a break from running around to throw the ropes this time as Mic kindly offered to do it for me and Andy, another member of the marina staff, was waiting to catch them when we reached the pontoon.

Andy sitting on our steps waiting to catch our ropes

A photographer friend, Jan Fialkowski, previously offered to take some photos of Ravensdale at sea for us so I let him know when we were returning to the marina and he got some lovely shots of us bringing her back in and mooring up.

Ravensdale coming back into Maryport Marina by Jan Fialkowski

Sadly, most of the photographs I took while we were at sea were considerably less clear than I would’ve liked. I’m blaming it on the fact the boat was rocking more violently than on previous outings.

A taste of Scotland

Soon after we got back from our fishing trip, we heard the sound of bagpipes drifting across the marina. We’d also heard it the previous day but hadn’t managed to work out where it was coming from.

This time, it was louder and we traced the piper to one of the camper vans staying at the marina’s campsite. We could just see the pipes sticking out from behind the van, so I went up there to say hello - and to take a few photos, of course 😊

The piper practicing next to his camper van

The skirl of the pipes took me back to when we lived in Scotland before we sold our house and bought a boat.

And, by sheer coincidence, we’d already bought a haggis for that night’s dinner, so the day took on a distinctly Scottish flavour 😊

Replacing the antifreeze in the sunshine

Last Saturday was a lovely calm sunny day and, if we hadn’t taken Ravensdale out fishing on Bank Holiday Monday, we would definitely have done so that day.

However, Phil wanted to replace the water in her port engine with a mixture of water and antifreeze before her next outing.

Phil draining the water out of the port engine

He put off replacing the antifreeze until he was happy the engine was running properly after the heat exchanger and intercooler were cleaned and refitted. He refilled it with water first in case it needed to be drained again.

As we discovered it was fine when we took Ravensdale out to sea on Bank Holiday Monday, we went to a motor parts shop on Saturday morning to buy antifreeze, which seemed a little bizarre when the sun was shining and I was wearing shorts 😊

Antifreeze sitting on Ravensdale's aft deck in the sunshine

That said, I do know antifreeze performs a number of other functions.

When mixed with water, it acts as a coolant and lubricant for the internal parts of the engine.

It also contains chemicals which help to protect the engine from corrosion.

Or at least that’s my understanding of it. I’m sure someone will let me know if I’ve got it wrong 😊

Saturday afternoon. Phil went down into the engine room to drain the water from the port engine and replaced it with the antifreeze and water. He then started the engine to circulate the mixture.

Phil pouring the antifreeze and water mixture into Ravensdale's port engine

Phil removed, cleaned and replaced the heat exchanger and intercooler on the port engine earlier this year after the same work on the starboard engine cured an overheating problem.

Skate delivery

Phil sets about gutting and filleting the skate

We had a lovely surprise on Saturday evening when one of the fisherman with a small boat in the marina delivered a good-sized thornback ray, aka skate, to our boat.

We were sat in the dinette watching TV when we were aware of someone on our aft deck.

I jumped up to see what was happening and found the fisherman leaving our boat and the large skate, laying on top of Phil’s fishing tackle box.

I called out after him to thank him for his kindness.

Return of the mullet

There were lots of grey mullet in the marina last summer and we’d been wondering when they would return this year.

And we saw them for the first time last Saturday.

A shoal of grey mullet swimming past Ravensdale

There may have been a few around before Saturday, but that was the first day we saw large shoals of them swimming around the marina.

This set me wondering where mullet go in winter, so I asked Google.

According to the British Sea Fishing website, mullet is a fish which lives in calm, still water. They are therefore often found in harbours, marinas, estuaries and sheltered natural coves and bays.

When the sea is still, they can often be seen slowly swimming just below the surface of the water in small groups.

Spawning takes place in the middle of winter and continues into spring, with the small immature mullet spending the early part of their lives living in inshore waters.

Mature mullet are seen as a summer species as they only spend the warmer months in shallow water and retreat to deeper water in winter.

So now we know why we only see them in the marina during the summer.

Heron's fishing demonstration

The heron that we’ve frequently seen around the marina was obviously pleased to see more fish around too.

And he showed us how catching them is supposed to be done (not that I have any plans to try his method of fishing 😊)

The heron waits patiently at the bottom of the marina slipway

I spotted him waiting in the shadows at the bottom of the marina slipway, which is one of his favourite hunting spots, on Sunday afternoon so I grabbed my camera and went around onto the next pontoon to get closer to him.

The heron with his catch

Thankfully, I didn’t spook him and was able to get a few half decent shots, given that I don’t have a particularly long lens.

I was really patient and watched him creep forward, stalking his prey until he dived in and came back up with a fish.

All the time, I was snapping away, convinced that at least one photo of the magnificent bird with a fish in its long, pointed beak would be clear, but sadly it was not to be. I guess my shutter speed was too slow.

Oh well, I’ll just have to learn from my mistakes and hope I can do better next time.

Photography and the death of my camera

Sadly, my camera packed up altogether while I was taking photos of the amazing sunset over the marina on Tuesday evening.

Colourful sunset over Maryport Marina (Ravensdale is at the far end of the pontoon on the right)

The same sunset looking from Ravensdale towards the marina buildings

The shutter stuck closed and no amount of switching it on and off, pushing various buttons or removing and replacing the battery would clear it.

Thankfully, I’d already taken plenty of photos of the sunset, but I was so sad that my camera appeared to have died.

Phil had a good look at it when I returned to the boat and, after much searching online, he discovered it was likely to cost almost as much to repair it as to replace it, so we ordered a replacement, which arrived today (Friday).

Meanwhile, I took photos with my phone, which is nowhere near as good as my camera was (better than it is now, of course 😊), or borrowed Phil’s camera.

Looking across Maryport Marina towards the town

Maryport pier with the Scottish hills in the distance

Looking in the opposite direction along Maryport beach

Passers-by

Yesterday (Thursday) was a busy day in the channel alongside Ravensdale with a number of boats coming and going.

Barrule undergoing work at the MPM boat yard

Barrule, the Isle of Man Fisheries boat that arrived for work at the MPM boat yard as we were leaving the marina on Monday, left yesterday (Thursday) afternoon.

Barrule heading out of the marina

And a wind farm boat, called Solway Spirit, came in immediately after Barrule left. She was moored up on the harbour wall opposite Ravensdale overnight and was lifted out of the water today (Friday).

Solway Spirit arrives at Maryport Marina

But before these boat movements could take place, Lodestone, a project boat that's permanently berthed in the marina, had to be towed off the slipway, where the owners have been carrying out work at low tide for the last few days.

Lodestone is towed along the marina wall

Hot off the press

A billboard advertising Lauren's story

Our newish harbourmaster Lauren Bambury made the front page of our local paper last week.

Lauren, 26, is Maryport’s first female harbourmaster and she believes herself to be one of the youngest in the UK.

I was really pleased she was getting the recognition she deserved but couldn’t help thinking the newspaper was a bit behind the times given that Lauren has been in post for months now.

Anyway, she’s really nice and we’re very glad she’s based here in the marina.

Lauren on the front page of the Times and Star

Spring has sprung – at long last 😊

The weather over the past week has been amazing and I’ve been comfortable wearing shorts and a T-shirt the whole time.

In fact, I’m beginning to wonder if we really are still in the north of England or if the boat mysteriously drifted to warmer climes one night while we were sleeping 😊

We’ve had sunshine every single day since I posted my blog last Friday afternoon. OK, so it rained that day and overnight, but the sun was out again on Saturday morning and it remained calm and sunny all day.

Maryport Marina from Ravensdale's aft deck on Saturday

I was enjoying the weather so much that I forgot to check the top temperature or the wind speed 😊

There was a bit more wind on Sunday when we had a top average wind speed of 10mph and the highest temperature recorded locally was 12.5C (54.5F).

Maryport Marina basking in the sunshine on Sunday

Monday was another beautiful sunny day from the very start and fairly calm first thing. The temperature went up to 12C (54F), with southerly, then south-south-easterly winds averaging up to 14mph.

Tuesday started a bit overcast, but the cloud soon burned off to give another lovely sunny day. The top temperature was 14.7C (58.5F) and it was very calm for most of the day with wind speeds starting at 1mph and increasing to 8mph.

It clouded over later in the afternoon and rained for a while before brightening up again during the evening.

This was followed by a pretty windy night of north-north-westerly winds averaging 16mph and gusting to 30mph - we certainly got rocked to sleep that night 😊

Wednesday - another sunny day at Maryport Marina

Wednesday started overcast, but the sun soon came out again. It was warm out of the wind, but most of the time the north-easterly wind averaging up to 17mph made it feel much cooler than the top temperature of 14.6C (58.5F).

Great drying weather on Wednesday

We awoke to a bright, sunny morning yesterday (Thursday) and the daytime temperature reached 12.1C (54F).

The day started fairly calm but got a little windier early afternoon when we had a north-westerly wind averaging 10mph.

And, so far, today (Friday) we've had blue skies with sunshine, a few wispy clouds and a slight wind.

The top temperature so far has been 12.8C (55F) with the average wind speed reaching 11mph.