Stern gland problems, lumpy seas and feathered friends

Our local swan family waiting for food by Ravensdale

This week Ravensdale presented us with a new problem that looked set to stop us taking her out to play on the water for the next six weeks.

When Phil went to refill the remote stern gland greaser on our Neptunus 133 cruiser, he discovered that the rubber washer on the end of the plunger was broken.

Phil checked online to see if he could order a replacement and found that it could take six weeks to arrive – not what we wanted during the summer when we were keen to get Ravensdale out onto the Solway Firth again asap.

Thankfully, he managed to make a new one that seems to have done the trick.

And we were able to take our Neptunus 133 out for a short fishing trip yesterday (Thursday).

Meanwhile, the pair of swans and their three cygnets that sometimes visit our marina at Maryport in Cumbria, UK, have spent more time here this week, especially on Tuesday when they failed to make good their escape before the sea gate closed.

We kept them supplied with food and fresh water until the gate opened again and they presumably returned to the nearby river.

Stern gland problems

The remote stern gland greaser (left of the walkway) in Ravensdale's engine room

While checking the stern glands, Phil discovered that the plunger in the remote greaser turned without putting up any real resistance, so he decided it needed refilling with white grease.

However, when he removed the plunger, he noticed that the rubber washer was perished and broken.

The broken washer from the remote stern gland greaser

He went up to MPM boatyard next to the marina to see if they had a suitable washer or knew where to get one more quickly than the six weeks quoted from the only supplier he could find online.

John, an engineer at MPM, suggested that Phil should make one and gave him a piece of rubber to cut a new washer to fit.

The next problem was that the largest hole saw cutter drill bit he had was just too small at 54mm, so I walked up to the hardware shop in Maryport and bought the next two larger sizes – 57mm and 60mm - as we weren’t sure which would be the correct size.

Phil used the largest of the two new cutters to cut the washer and, by nailing it onto a piece of wood he was able to cut a perfect circle. He also cut a slightly smaller washer and used the two together.

He then used a hole punch to make holes in the centre of them, fitted them to the plunger and it worked perfectly - or at least it seems that way.

Phil fitting the new washer on the plunger

It’s definitely pushing the grease into the stern glands rather than it coming up around the washer so that’s another job done 😊

Lumpy sea on Ravensdale’s latest outing

During a calm period in the long, dry spell in June and earlier this month, we took Ravensdale out onto the Solway Firth on alternate days and I kept all the stuff we could live without, such as ornaments, packed up for a quick getaway.

Earlier this week, the forecast was looking rather windy, so I brought them all out again to make the boat feel more homely while we were sat in the marina waiting for the weather to improve.

This meant that it all needed packing away again when the forecast changed and we decided to go out fishing yesterday (Thursday), but I’ve done it so many times that it really doesn’t take that long now.

Everything packed up ready for a trip out on Ravensdale

Our microwave and freezer strapped down in case it gets bumpy at sea

The forecast was for 4-5mph wind when the marina gate was due to open at around 9.15am yesterday morning, rising to 10mph by the time it was due to close at about 2.15pm.

The water was really calm when we left the marina and the journey out to the area we usually fish was really smooth.

Reflections in Maryport Marina as we left yesterday (Thursday) morning

Phil took the engines up to around 1,500 revs – 11.9 knots – to circulate the new water and antifreeze mixture he put in the port engine last week.

The sea was really calm when he started fishing and I was able to sit back and soak up the sun on Ravensdale’s foredeck.

Me enjoying the sunshine while we wait for the fish to bite

Sadly, our dry patch on the fishing front continued.

Phil waiting for fish

All Phil caught were two small tope and four dogfish, but at least we know it isn’t just us as the six people fishing on a local angling club boat, called Sunrise, didn’t do any better. In fact, they only caught dogfish.

One of the tiny tope Phil caught yesterday

Sunrise out fishing yesterday

We had intended to return to the marina shortly before the sea gate closed but decided to pack up earlier when the wind started to blow up causing lots of white horses on the water.

We started the engines, then brought the anchor in. As usual, Phil was on the bow operating the windlass and using hand signals to indicate which engine he wanted me to use to bring the boat in line with the anchor.

The ride home was pretty bumpy and we had to have the windscreen wipers on as water was being thrown up over the bow and superstructure.

Taken through the windscreen on the way home

Phil experimented with different speeds to see which handled the waves best in these conditions.

He discovered that 8 knots gave us the smoothest ride as the boat ploughed straight through the waves. Raising the speed, even if only by as much as 1 knot, made for a much bumpier ride.

It was still quite windy as we returned to the marina, but Phil had no problems holding Ravensdale steady in the basin while we waited for a yacht to enter the marina ahead of us or while bringing her in through the gate and returning her to the pontoon.

The yacht we followed into Maryport Marina yesterday

I thought I was going to have to use our docking sticks to moor her up and had them all set up ready to go.

However, as we approached the pontoon, I could see one of the other berth holders from our pontoon waiting to catch our ropes, so I put down my docking stick and threw him our mooring lines.

We may not have caught any worthwhile fish, but it was still good to be out on the water again.

Making Ravensdale shipshape

Ravensdale was well on the way to becoming the bearded lady again, which is not a good look for any woman 😊

The recent spell of warm weather seems to have made the weed around the waterline grow faster than usual, so Phil decided to tackle it this week.

He tied a broom head onto a telescopic paint roller handle to give him a longer reach to enable him to get to the parts that our other brushes couldn’t reach.

The brush head tied onto a telescopic paint roller handle

Phil cleaning Ravensdale's hull below the waterline

Initially, he tied the head on the pole facing downwards, then tied it on sideways to get further under Ravensdale’s hull.

He also washed the decks and superstructure again to get rid of the black dirt that blows down off the nearby road.

However, simply washing the gelcoat failed to remove orange marks that had appeared there.

Phil cleaning around Ravensdale's windscreen

We have no idea what caused them, but they had a metallic appearance liked rusty sprinkles.

Phil had to use oxalic acid to get rid of them before washing Ravensdale down again with boat wash.

The port side of her hull – the side alongside the pontoon – was looking much better.

We then had to wait for a calm day to turn her around, so he could give the starboard side of her hull the same treatment.

And the opportunity to do this arose on Tuesday morning.

It was lovely and calm first thing and it was tempting to take Ravensdale out fishing.

However, Phil wanted to finish cleaning her and the wind was forecast to blow up a bit during the time we would’ve been out on the water, so he drove her down to the end of the marina turned her around on her own length and brought her back to the pontoon facing in the opposite direction.

Ravensdale moored up the wrong way around while Phil cleans her starboard side

It was very strange being moored up back to front and every time I got back on board I headed in the wrong direction.

I wonder how long it would take me to learn that I needed to turn right instead of left to get to the door on the aft deck if we’d stayed that way around.

Thankfully I didn’t have to find that out as we turned the boat around again during the afternoon.

Phil cleaning the davits from the bathing platform

We’d done the first turn unaided and I used our docking sticks to moor up starboard side to, but we asked Reg, the marina foreman, to catch our ropes on the second turn due to the wind.

So, her two sides and the superstructure were looking lovely and white again.

That just left the transom to clean and Phil tackled that on Wednesday.

As it meant working from the bathing platform, I made sure I was nearby in case he went in.

I think I got the best end of the deal as I got to sit in the sun on the aft deck reading my book and waiting for a splash which thankfully never happened 😊

Window repairs hold up

The work Phil carried out to stop the windows leaking seems to have worked.

The problem developed when it rained for the first time after a long, hot dry spell that seemed to have affected the seals on three of Ravensdale’s windows.

It rained again last Friday and, thankfully, no water managed to find its way in.

Phil washing outside the dinette window

The windows in which he’d replaced the sealant also stood up to him pointing a hosepipe at them while cleaning the boat this week.

And the wood around the inside of the bow hatch now looks as though it has dried out properly after he removed the hatch and replaced the sealant.

I replaced the window trim around the outside of the dinette window on Saturday. 

Replacing the trim on one of the windows that had been leaking

As it was old trim that had been exposed to the weather, it had gone stiff and took much longer to ease back in with a screwdriver than softer new trim would've done, but we didn't have enough to replace the trim around the whole window.

Let there be light...

There has only been one light in Ravensdale's engine room since we moved onboard in November 2016 and Phil has had to use a torch for much of the work he has done down there.

We've made several attempts at finding LED bulbs with bayonet fittings, but have been unable to source them so far.

Ravensdale's engine room lit up by the new bulbs

At long last, we've managed to get hold of some suitable bulbs and the engine room is now a much lighter and brighter place to work.

The new bulbs are not LED but they are never on for very long so it's not really going to matter.

Phil's paddling shoes

Phil used to wear wellies to save his feet getting wet while washing Ravensdale until we spotted some “aqua shoes” in our local Lidl supermarket.

They were just £6.99 and presumably meant to be worn for paddling or swimming in the sea, which is why I call them his “paddling shoes” 😊

Phil's aqua shoes from the local Lidl store

They’re much lighter and more comfortable than his wellies, especially during warm weather.

The only problem being that they have black soles, but they haven’t left any nasty marks on the deck yet.

The growing swan family

The swan family returned to the marina on Tuesday in search of food and became stuck in the marina when the gate closed at lunchtime.

They paid regular visits to Ravensdale in search of food and water throughout the afternoon and evening until the gate opened again and they were able to escape.

Two of the cygnets eating hungrily

Each time, they ate a good cup full of floating duck and swan food and we set up a hosepipe that was running very slowly to provide a source of fresh water.

The adult swans immediately came to drink from it and appeared to be taking a bit of a shower under it as well.

A thirsty swan drinking from the hosepipe

The three cygnets were less keen at first.

They seemed a bit confused by the hosepipe and spent some time watching their parents before trying it out for themselves.

The cygnets watch one of their parents drink from the hosepipe

The swans paid us another visit when the gate opened yesterday (Thursday), just as we were planning to go out on Ravensdale.

I didn’t want them too close to the boat when Phil started the engines in case it frightened them, so I enticed them further along the pontoon and gave them plenty of food to keep them busy while we left the marina. They'd gone before we returned.

But they were back again this morning (Friday) looking for food.

The swan family leaving after a feed

We’re pleased to see that the youngsters seem to be growing rapidly so it’s now looking very likely that they will reach maturity.

Last year’s brood were not so fortunate ☹

Weather watch

While parts of the UK have enjoyed the highest temperatures of this year over the past few days, it has been pleasantly warm, but definitely not boiling hot here in Maryport.

And sea breezes have ensured that we've stayed comfortable even when it was warm and sunny.

Saturday was dry but cloudy with sunny periods. The highest temperature recorded locally was 16.1C (61F), with a top average wind speed of 13mph.

Cloudy weather on a walk along the coastal path towards Flimby on Saturday afternoon

It was dry and cloudy, but still fairly bright on Sunday with a top temperature of 18.1C (65F). The highest average wind speed recorded was 14mph, but it seemed higher than that here.

Monday started overcast before it started to rain. This was followed by showers. However, it was still quite warm when the sun managed to break through taking the temperature up to 17.5C (64F). The top average daytime wind speed was 16mph.

A cloudy but calm start to the day on Tuesday was followed by slightly windier conditions. The wind got up to 10mph by lunchtime and the sun came out during the afternoon when we had a top average temperature of 17.8C (64F).

Sunshine on Tuesday evening at Maryport Marina

Wednesday started sunny with light cloud developing as the day went on. Once again, the day started calm with the wind getting up by late morning. The highest temperature recorded locally was 18.7C (66F) and the highest average wind speed was 16mph.

Yesterday (Thursday) also started bright, sunny and calm. It stayed sunny and warm, with the mercury rising to 21.8C (71F) but the wind blew up around lunchtime reaching a top average wind speed of 17mph. It dropped again later and there was a bit more cloud during the evening.

A sunny start to the day in Maryport Basin yesterday (Thursday) morning

So far today (Friday) the weather has been warm and sunny with a top temperature of 22C (72F), but it started to cloud over early afternoon and the wind got up a bit.

The forecast for the next few days is less good with high winds, rain and possibly thunder and lightning.