A stunning sunset and an unexpected fishing trip

A beautiful sunset over the Solway Firth in Cumbria, UK

A brief weather window allowed us to take Ravensdale out to play on the water at the weekend.

Both Phil and I were convinced we’d been stuck in the marina at Maryport in Cumbria, UK, for at least two weeks, possibly three.

However, when I checked, I discovered we were wrong – it was only 10 days, but it really did feel much longer.

And it was looking unlikely that we would be able to get out for at least another week, so it was brilliant to be able to go on Sunday.

Another highlight of the past week was the amazing sunset on Tuesday evening.

I will never tire of the beautiful sunsets that light up the sky over the Solway Firth.

Unexpected fishing trip

It was looking as though this week was going to be one of those really annoying times when the wind speeds were too high to leave the marina whenever the gate was open.

Ravensdale waiting for the weather to improve so she could go out to play

According to the forecast, the only times when the wind speed was going to be in low single figures was either during the night or while the gate was closed.

And there would have been no chance to go out early in the morning and stay out over two tides because we would’ve been stuck out on the water when the wind blew up.

But the forecast changed.

When I checked the Met Office app on my phone first thing on Sunday, I discovered that the wind was supposed to drop to 10mph at around 4pm, which was just after the marina gate was due to open.

It was then supposed to drop further while we would be out on the Solway Firth to around 6mph at the time we would need to return before the gate closed again at around 8.45pm.

There didn’t appear to be another time that we’d be able to go for the rest of the week, so we decided to go for it.

During the morning, we walked over to The Aquarium by Maryport Harbour to get some more fishing bait.

And, while out, we realised that the higher winds that had been forecast for that day hadn’t really materialised and we kicked ourselves for not going out on the morning tide and staying out until the evening.

A surprisingly calm start to the day on Sunday

We bumped into a fisherman friend by the harbour, who said he was thinking exactly the same thing, so at least we knew it wasn’t just us being over cautious.

The worst thing about the gate opening so late in the day is waiting around for it to happen.

We were ready a good two hours beforehand. Thankfully, the weather was good, so we were able to sit out on Ravensdale’s aft deck and enjoy the sunshine while we waited.

The gate opened later than we’d hoped at around 4.15pm.

Ravensdale heading for the gate on our way out of Maryport Marina

We headed out of the gate into Maryport Basin, then out between the twin piers into the Solway Firth at the first opportunity, waving to the people standing watching by the lighthouse as we went.

The opening between Maryport's twin piers that provides access to the Solway Firth

It felt good to be out on the water again.

I’m convinced that Ravensdale is happier when she’s travelling or even just bobbing around on the waves at anchor than when she’s tied up in the marina, but I guess I’m just projecting my own feelings onto her 😊

Ravensdale heading out of the basin at Maryport

Soon after we’d left Maryport to go to one of our usual fishing spots, Phil’s tablet died and the markers for our fishing locations are on Navionics on his tablet.

He was trying to get it to work while at the helm, so I offered to take over steering, so he could concentrate on sorting the problem, which unfortunately he was unable to do.

I ended up driving all the way to the area in which we normally drop anchor and turned the boat around to face into the tide at what looked like the right sort of place to stop.

Phil went out onto the bow and dropped the anchor before setting up two fishing rods.

Phil baiting a hook on Ravensdale's aft deck

He had another look at his tablet to see if there was anything obvious wrong, but it refused to restart.

We’ve always said that one of the good things about taking our home fishing was that we couldn’t forget anything.

Well, this time we proved ourselves wrong.

One of the dogfish Phil caught on this trip

We forgot to take the live crabs that we’d caught in our prawn pot. We left them in a submerged container that hangs from one of the cleats by our boat.

However, it didn’t matter too much as we had plenty of other bait.

This trip was much like our last few outings with very few fish showing any interest in our bait.

Phil only managed to catch a small huss and four dogfish (sadly, I didn't manage to get a photo of the huss before he threw it back).

My phone lies about the weather!

The weather didn’t do what the forecasters had promised either. It was supposed to be hot and sunny, but it really wasn’t.

The weather app on my phone was telling me it was 20C in my current location when it was cool enough for us to both put on long-sleeved fleece tops.

And the wind, which was supposed to subside while we were out, did the opposite and it started to blow up around the time the tide turned.

As we weren’t catching any worthwhile fish and the weather wasn’t particularly special, we decided to head back to the marina a bit earlier than planned.

We usually use the Navionics chart to follow the same route back, but it didn’t matter that it was out of action as visibility was good and it's an area we now know well.

If we’d needed to use a navigational aid, we still had the small Standard Horizon plotter that was on our Neptunus 133 when we bought her and we always carry the relevant charts.

We were unable to reach the marina on the VHF radio on the way back to let them know we were coming in so, after a couple of failed attempts, we headed back in anyway keeping a careful lookout for any other traffic.

Ravensdale returning to Maryport

We arrived back at the pontoon just before 7.30pm and I had no problem securing mooring ropes without assistance by using our docking sticks. 

They really are some of the best gadgets we’ve bought for our boat as the height from Ravensdale’s deck to the pontoon makes it impossible for me to jump off with our mooring ropes. This means that, without the docking sticks, I would need help every time we wanted to moor up.

Maryport Marina gate

Maryport Marina gate holding water in the marina at low tide

The sea gate here at Maryport Marina in Cumbria, UK, means we can only get in or out of the marina for around two and half hours either side of high tide.

When I write about the impact the gate has on our ability to take Ravensdale out to play on the water, I frequently get asked what I mean and how it works so I thought I’d try to give you a bit of an explanation.

There’s a big difference between high and low tide here, particularly during spring tides which can vary by nearly nine metres (almost 30 feet), and the basin outside the marina gate dries out when the tide goes out.

Maryport Basin at low tide showing the position of the marina gate

So, the gate is closed when there’s 2.4m (almost eight feet) of water over the sill to make sure there’s enough water in the marina to keep the boats afloat.

Marina staff open it as the tide comes in and close it as the tide goes out. They have to wait for the water level outside the gate to be the same as that inside the marina before operating the gate which is lifted and dropped by a cable.

Maryport Marina gate being lowered when the water levels are the same on both sides

Berth holders and visitors to the marina plan their comings and goings around this in the knowledge that the gate is usually open for around two and a half hours either side of high tide.

However, the timing can vary depending on the tides, the swell and the atmospheric pressure so we never know exactly what time the gate will open or close.

It’s sometimes left closed during stormy conditions when there’s a big swell.

Water pouring over the marina gate when it was left closed during Storm Hector in June

And it’s sometimes closed when there’s 3m (almost 10ft) of water over the sill if the marina is planning boat movements while the gate is shut or when weather conditions mean staff feel the gate needs closing earlier than usual.

Shower room leak

Phil has been trying to discover the cause of the water that has started leaking into the en-suite shower room in the aft cabin when it rains.

It appears to be coming through at the starboard side of the bottom of the window and sliding door that provides access to the saloon from the aft deck.

We thought he might have fixed it when he drilled extra drainage holes at the lowest point in the metal channel in which the door runs.

Just in case this hadn’t done the trick, he also sealed along the bottom of the window/door frame where it meets the superstructure.

Phil applying sealant around the door frame

We really hoped this belt and braces tactic had cured the leak until we had more heavy rain on Tuesday and discovered that water was still getting in.

The next step is to lift the corner of the teak deck in front of the door to see if we can find a problem there.

As I said in my last blog post, it really isn’t the most serious place to have a leak as any water than comes in ends up on the tiled floor of the shower and runs away down the drain.

The problem is also fairly minor with very little water coming in, but we really don’t want any leaks on Ravensdale, so the cause will be found and put right, however long it takes to get to the bottom of the problem.

Facebook vocabulary quiz

I never do the various quizzes that Facebook suggests for me because I’d always thought them a bit silly and a waste of time.

However, a friend did one the other day and the results were so funny that I just couldn’t resist having a go.

This one was supposed to tell you what the vocabulary you use on Facebook says about you and I just couldn’t believe what it came up with for me.

My Facebook vocabulary quiz results

Apparently, I have Thai ancestry (I mean, do I look like I come from Thai stock?), I enjoy vampire hunting (I don’t even like vampire films) and my nickname is “Loco Legs” (what’s that all about?) 😊

I quite like the bit about being 33 though, or at least I would if others I know who are older than I am hadn’t come out with younger ages

I can only think it’s because I use much more grown-up language on Facebook 😊

I guess I’ve just proved that I was correct in my assumption that such quizzes are silly and a waste of time.

Would I do another one?

I’d like to say “no”, but I’m not so sure as I laughed myself silly at the results I got this time 😊

Photo opportunities

Most of the photos I’ve taken this week, other than recording the weather, have been of our trip out on Ravensdale on Sunday and the beautiful sunset on Tuesday evening.

I still have problems getting clear photos while out on the water.

I use a higher shutter speed to hopefully make up for the rocking motion of the boat and for shots of other boats, which are often also moving, but am still rarely happy with the results.

Photography friends have tried to help me rectify this problem but, so far, without success. I’m beginning to think it’s just me ☹

Fishing from Ravensdale on the Solway Firth

One of the other boats on the Solway Firth on Sunday

A mackerel sky over the Scottish hills on the other side of the Solway Firth

Meanwhile, Tuesday evening on the beach watching the sun go down was an absolute delight.

I saw the sky starting to colour up in good time and headed out with my camera well before sunset.

I was out for well over an hour wandering along the coastal walk above the beach and then down on the shore, where I very nearly got my feet wet a couple of times.

I’m becoming an expert at looking through the viewfinder on my camera with one eye and checking what the water’s doing with the other one while taking photos and I usually notice when the waves are getting dangerously close to my feet, but I still get caught out from time to time 😊

Tuesday evening's sunset on the shore at Maryport in Cumbria, UK

A closer view of the sun setting over Scotland

Sunset reflections on Maryport Pier

Impressive cloud formations during Tuesday evening's sunset

And, on Wednesday, I just had to take my camera for a walk around the harbour and along the river when the rain stopped and the sun came out.

Both the harbour and the river look better at high tide but, even without water, I couldn’t resist the blue sky and fluffy white clouds.

Maryport Harbour at low tide

Another view of Maryport Harbour at low tide

Fishing boats sitting on the mud in Maryport Harbour

The River Ellen in Maryport at low tide

Another view of the River Ellen at Maryport

We had to go to Cockermouth on Thursday for an appointment and I meant to take my camera but totally forgot it and didn’t have time to go back.

My camera takes really poor quality photos, so I borrowed Phil’s to take a couple of snaps of the bustling market town on the edge of the Lake District National Park.

Floral displays in Main Street, Cockermouth

Looking in the opposite direction along Main Street, Cockermouth

The River Cocker at Cockermouth

Weather watch

We’ve had a pretty mixed bag of weather in Maryport over the past week - sun, rain and plenty of wind.

It rained during the morning last Friday, stopping just before lunchtime and we awoke to a dry and bright day on Saturday.

Last Saturday at Maryport Marina - the first rain-free day for more than a week

Amazingly, there was no rain all day after the rainiest week we'd had in a long time. In fact, I was so surprised by the lack of rain that I totally forgot to check the wind and temperature information 😊

Sunday also started dry and bright.

It was very calm first thing, while the gate was closed but it started to increase during the afternoon and blew up later while we were out at sea.

The top temperature was 19.1C (66F) and the top average wind speed recorded locally was 11mph. It was supposedly 8mph while we were out, but it was definitely more than that where we were.

Monday started dry and a bit breezy, but the wind got up and it started raining just before 10am when it literally tipped it down. There were further periods of heavy rain until it cleared up later in the day.

Ravensdale's aft deck after a torrential downpour on Monday

The top temperature was 15.7C (60F) and the top average wind speed was 17mph.

We had rain first thing on Tuesday, but it dried up during the morning and was much brighter during the afternoon with the temperature peaking at 16.2C (61F).

The windiest part of the day was early afternoon when the average wind speed reached 13mph. And the day ended with a beautiful sunset.

Wednesday started wet again and there were heavy showers throughout the morning. The sun came out during the afternoon making way for blue skies and fluffy white clouds, with a top temperature of 16.8C (62F).

Blue sky and fluffy white clouds over Maryport Marina on Wednesday

It remained quite breezy with a top average wind speed of 16mph.

Thursday was dry and sunny but felt cooler than the top temperature of 16C (61F) as there was a stiff breeze and a top average wind speed of 15mph.

And the weather so far today (Friday) has been a combination of sunshine and very heavy showers.