Freezing temperatures followed by three days of stormy weather

Extra mooring ropes on Ravensdale in preparation for Storm Diana

Freezing temperatures followed by high winds and torrential rain have made for an interesting week on Ravensdale - our 43ft motor cruiser home.

At the start of this week, we had a period of cold, sunny weather during which we awoke to temperatures of 6C (43F) and 7C (44.5F) inside our boat and frost on the pontoons here at Maryport Marina in Cumbria, UK.

Then the weather turned really wild as Storm Diana – described as a “double vortex super tempest” - swept in from the Atlantic bringing severe gales and torrential rain.

Unsurprisingly, we haven’t been out on the water on Ravensdale this week. Instead, we've been trying to sort out a few storage problems.

Other than the wild weather, which is always quite exciting, the highlights of my week were an unexpected ride on a horse and cart and finding my favourite hat that has been missing for months 😊

Falling temperatures and Storm Diana

Phil returning to Ravensdale during Storm Diana

It was very cold when we awoke on Monday morning with the thermometer in the saloon showing that the temperature had fallen to 6C (43F).

We put our Webasto 5 diesel heater on then climbed back into bed for a cup of tea while waiting for the boat to warm up.

When we got up, we realised that the sun shining on Ravensdale’s port side had warmed the curtains so opening them earlier would’ve helped to warm up the boat.

The following morning the temperature in the boat was 7C (44.5C) so we repeated the process, but this time we opened the port side curtains as well, leaving the starboard side closed and it warmed up much more quickly.

Ravensdale's curtains remain closed on the starboard side to prevent heat loss

Next time it gets that cold, I think we’re going to have to leave the heating on the economy setting overnight to keep the temperature up a bit.

We’ve been putting off doing this because it’s quite noisy when it kicks in and tends to wake us up, but I think the time has come that it has to be done.

The marina pontoons were frosty first thing on both mornings and were pretty slippery, but the ramp up to the facilities had been salted so that wasn’t a problem this time.

The weather changed dramatically during the day on Tuesday.

It warmed up a lot but, as usual, warmer temperatures meant heavy cloud and rain.

And we were well aware what was coming as the Met Office had issued yellow “be aware” warnings for strong winds.

The Met Office warned that Storm Diana would batter large parts of the UK with 70mph winds and torrential rain.

The warning period started at midnight on Tuesday, but it was very obvious that the weather was revving up to it from mid-afternoon on Tuesday.

So, we put on extra mooring ropes and made sure everything outside that could possibly get blown about was either stowed away or tied down.

Ravensdale with extra mooring ropes ready for the storm

The forecast was for the bad weather to continue throughout the day on Wednesday, with more wind and rain for yesterday (Thursday).

And it wasn’t wrong 😊

The wind got up and it started raining heavily from about 2.30pm on Tuesday and kept it up until just before sunset.

The highest average wind speed recorded locally during the day on Tuesday was 40mph, gusting 59mph.

But Storm Diana didn’t really hit this part of the UK until Wednesday.

The wind and rain got worse during the morning, peaking around lunchtime and continuing during the afternoon when the top average wind speed was 45mph, gusting 64mph.

Ravensdale was rocking wildly as she was buffeted by the wind but, thankfully, the wind direction meant she was being blown away from the pontoon, which is so much better than when she's blown up against it.

Surprisingly, our mooring ropes didn't creak anywhere near as much as they have done in far less severe conditions.  

The view from Ravensdale's port side window during the storm

We often go over to the Aquarium on the harbourside for our lunch on a Wednesday and we decided we might as well go despite the weather, especially as I wanted to get out there with my camera.

Getting off the boat was interesting as there was a huge gap between the boat and our steps on the pontoon, but we managed to cross it without falling in.

And we walked down the right-hand side of the pontoon because the wind was gusting across from right to left. The idea being that, if we got hit by a big gust, we had a better chance of not ending up in the water.

When the wind is that strong, we wear our lifejackets when we go out and tend to leave the boat together so that if anything happens to one of us the other is there to assist.

If, for any reason, we need to go out separately the other one watches from the boat so they can raise the alarm if anything untoward happens.

Marina staff putting extra mooring ropes on one of the boats in preparation for the storm

We usually walk to the Aquarium as it’s very close to the marina, but this time we drove there so we could take the car round to the beach to get some photos of the big waves after we’d eaten.

At times, it was difficult staying upright to take photos, especially when I tried to stand at the entrance to the pier to capture the water being thrown up over it.

Spray being blown across Maryport Pier by the strong wind

I got absolutely soaked and annoyingly the photos weren’t great because I got salt spray on my lens.

Giant waves breaking on the shore and pier at Maryport

The wind and rain continued throughout the evening.

The wind speed dropped a little overnight. It went down to 19mph, gusting 30mph, at the quietest point.

The wind picked up again early yesterday (Thursday) morning and continued blowing a gale throughout the day, peaking at around 10am, when it was 41mph, gusting 57mph.

Storm Diana, which was named by Portuguese weather service, was dubbed a “double vortex super tempest” when it merged with another low-pressure system from the Atlantic, which led to high wind and heavy rain continuing into today (Friday).

New china

I was convinced crockery in a cupboard by the galley had been smashed to bits in rough conditions during our last trip out on Ravensdale.

New plates and cardboard dividers in the storage drawer 

Fortunately, nothing had been broken on that occasion, but our everyday china had become increasingly chipped and cracked since we moved on board two years ago.

This was mainly caused by the various items sliding around in the drawers in which they’re stored.

We’ve tried putting packing material between them but don’t always remember to replace it when we put them away after using them.

This week we bought a new set of cheap china from a local supermarket and cut up the cardboard box it came in to make spacers for the drawer in which it’s stored.

We’re really hoping that the cardboard will do the job.

However, if it doesn’t, at least the china is nothing special so we can just replace it as and when necessary.

We do realise that plastic crockery would make more sense but neither of us likes using it so we'll just have to do our best to make sure our china lasts as long as possible.

Storage wars and the return of my favourite hat 😊

We decided to have a bit of a sort out of the stuff we have in the marina storage unit this week as it was looking a bit higgledy-piggledy.

We pulled everything off our shelf in the container and put it back tidily.

And, while doing so, we found my favourite woolly hat.

Me happy to have my favourite hat back

It was hiding in the bottom of my rucksack where it had been since our holiday in the Scottish Highlands in April.

I am so pleased to have it back as it’s really warm, has flaps over my ears and I can tie it up under my chin to stop it blowing away in high winds - and we’ve had a few of those this week 😊

Horse and cart ride

I totally love the random stuff that happens to me here in Maryport, Cumbria UK.

On Saturday morning, I walked up to town to post a card and was taking photos on my way back when I got chatting to a man, called Dave, with a horse and cart.

I took some photos of him and his horse, Blue, and asked him if he would take a photo of me with Blue.

Me with Blue on South Quay at Maryport

He then offered to take me back to the marina on his cart.

I’d intended to take photos around the harbour on the way back, but I couldn’t turn down an opportunity like that.

He asked whether I would rather make the short journey via the main road or the harbour and I opted to go around the harbour.

It was great fun and, whereas I’m usually the one taking photos of other people, several people snapped away as we passed them but, sadly, no photos of us have turned up on any of the local Facebook groups.

My lift back to Maryport Marina

I snapped a few shots of Dave and Blue when they dropped me off at the marina.

After he’d gone, I walked back over to the harbour to take the photos I wanted.

Maryport Christmas lights switch-on

Maryport’s Christmas lights were switched on at a special festive event in the town centre on Saturday.

The main street was closed to traffic and a mobile stage was set up at one end of the closed section. 

There were also children’s fairground rides and food stalls and no Christmas event would be complete without a visit from Santa 😊

One of the fairground rides at Maryport Christmas lights event

One of the food stalls at the Christmas lights event

I didn’t go to the whole event that went on throughout the afternoon.

Instead, I walked up to town shortly before the lights were due to be switched on at 5pm.

Santa on his sleigh

I was amazed by the number of people who had turned out for the event. 

The area around the stage was packed solid with adults and children watching and listening to school children singing Christmas carols before the countdown to the big switch on.

Local children singing carols before the Christmas lights were switched on

It was the first time I’d attended this event since we moved to Maryport two years ago and I totally loved it.

Christmas lights on the main street in Maryport

I will definitely be going again next year, assuming we’re still in Maryport…

Photography

My main photo opportunities this week were provided by the wild weather during Storm Diana on Tuesday, Wednesday and yesterday (Thursday).

Spray being blown across the pier at Maryport

A large wave practically obliterates Maryport lighthouse

Oystercatchers flying above the waves on the shore at Maryport

Sunset on the shore at Maryport

I also took my camera for a walk around the harbour on Saturday and again on Monday.

Fishing boats in Maryport Harbour on Saturday

More fishing boats in Maryport Harbour

Another view of the harbour

Reflections in the still water at Maryport Harbour on Monday

More fishing boats in Maryport Harbour

The entrance to Maryport Harbour with the Scottish hills in the distance

And, this week, I discovered my phone camera is nowhere near as bad as I thought.

I couldn’t understand why selfies came out much clearer than photos of anything else. Then I realised that the front-facing lens is always protected when the cover on my phone is closed whereas the one on the back is not.

I tried cleaning it with the lens cleaner and cloth I use for my camera lenses and, hey presto, the photos I took with it were much clearer.

I feel a total prat now and feel as though I owe Huawei an apology.

I’ve been moaning about the camera on my phone and trying to get EE - my mobile service provider - to let me change it early for more than a year and all I needed to do was clean the lens 😊

A photo taken with my phone last month before I discovered the lens was dirty

However, it had taken really poor-quality photos from the day I got it so I’m a little bit puzzled as to why the lens was dirty when I first took out the contract.

The counter in the Aquarium cafe. The first photo I took with my phone after cleaning the lens

The images I’m getting now are a hundred times better than they were but still nowhere near as good as my camera, so I don’t think I’ll be relying on it too much.

But it will mean that I can still take passable photos if I forget my camera or just choose not to take it out with me for whatever reason, which doesn’t happen often 😊

Swan family

The swans and cygents waiting for food by Ravensdale

The two adult swans and their three cygnets continue to pay regular visits to Ravensdale in search of food.

And they seem to have developed a knack of turning up at the worst times – usually when it’s dark, pouring with rain and/or blowing a gale.

After getting soaking wet while going out to feed them on several occasions during the storm, we brought their feed container indoors so I could throw food out of the window for them without having to go outside to do it.

Weather watch

The weather has been the main focus of the past week, thanks to Storm Diana.

Last Friday was dry, cloudy and bright with the sun coming out mid-morning before it clouded over during the afternoon. The top temperature was 7.5C (45.5F). and the average wind speed reached just 9mph.

Sunny weather in Maryport on Saturday

Saturday was dry and sunny with more wind than on Friday, but it was still fairly calm. The temperature peaked at 7.5C (45.5F) and the top average wind speed was 11mph.

The temperature plummeted overnight Saturday into Sunday going down to 2.8C (37F).

It was dry, bright and sunny on Sunday morning with an increasing amount of cloud from around lunchtime onwards. The temperature reached 6.8C (44F) and the top average wind speed was 13mph, but the northeasterly wind made it feel much cooler.

Maryport Marina gate under a cloudy sky on Sunday

Overnight Sunday into Monday was even colder with the temperature falling to 0.8C (33F).

We had a bright, sunny start to the day on Monday and it stayed dry and bright throughout the day.

The top temperature was 7.6C (45.5F) and the top average wind speed recorded at St. Bees Head was 7mph, but it seemed higher than that here.

Another cold night was followed by clouds and sunshine first thing on Tuesday, but the wind got up and it started raining heavily from about 2.30pm as Storm Diana started to make her presence felt.

However, it cleared up for a while in the afternoon and the sky coloured up at sunset.

Sunset over Ravensdale at Maryport Marina on Tuesday

The top temperature was 5.5C (42F) and the average wind speed reached 40mph, gusting 59mph.

Wednesday was wet and windy from first thing getting more so as the day went on. It was considerably warmer than the previous few days with the daytime temperature peaking at 12C (54F). The top average wind speed was 45mph, gusting 64mph.

Rain at Maryport Marina during Storm Diana on Wednesday

The wind speeds dropped a little overnight then picked up again early yesterday (Thursday) morning.

It continued to rain during the morning but dried up for a period during the afternoon before raining again in the evening.

Waves whipped up by high winds on the shore at Maryport yesterday (Thursday) 

The temperature reached 11.6C (53F) and the wind speed peaked at 41mph, gusting 57mph.

And today (Friday) has been another very windy day, with sunshine and periods of heavy rain followed by hailstones just after sunset. The top temperature was 8C (46F) and the top average wind speed was 30mph, gusting 43mph.