Moving Ravensdale to improve our Wi-Fi signal and fitting Ruby’s new lifejacket

Ruby modelling her new lifejacket on Ravensdale

Our broadband speed – both on the marina Wi-Fi and Vodafone mobile Wi-Fi - became a real problem this week so we started looking for possible causes.

Phil pointed out that it seemed to coincide with our friend’s motorsailer being moored alongside us last week as it’s higher than any boat that’s been moored there previously.

So, we decided to move Ravensdale further along the hammerhead in the hope that we could improve our Wi-Fi connection and it seems to have worked.

Ravensdale moved back by about 12 feet to improve our Wi-Fi connection

Meanwhile, Ruby’s new lifejacket has arrived so she’s all set for our next trip out on the water.

And Phil has been preparing some stronger fishing tackle in the hope he can catch one of the big tope - members of the shark family - that have arrived in the Solway Firth.

All we need now is some good weather to go out looking for them.


Broadband problems

Speed test on the marina Wi-Fi on Saturday evening

We’ve had real problems with our Wi-Fi connections here at Maryport Marina in Cumbria, UK, this week.

We’ve both had to switch to our Vodafone mobile Wi-Fi on a number of occasions due to a really poor connection on the marina network and often there was no signal at all.

And, at times, we found that the Vodafone Wi-Fi wasn’t working as well as usual either.

I carried out an internet speed test on the marina Wi-Fi on Saturday evening and it was too low to register.

We weren’t sure whether the poor connection was because all 10 pitches on the harbourside caravan site were full for the Bank Holiday weekend so there may have been more people trying to use the marina Wi-Fi or whether the signal was particularly low at that time.

As our Vodafone Wi-Fi was also worse than it had been, we wondered if our connection problems could be due to Margarita being moored alongside us as they started around the same time as she arrived.

Ravensdale in her original position with Margarita moored alongside her

We thought this could be a possibility as the Nauticat is a much higher boat than the yacht that was previously moored in that position and she blocks the line of sight between Ravensdale's dinette, where I use my laptop, and the marina's Wi-Fi aerial on the end wall of the customer lounge.

And we thought she could also be blocking the Vodafone signal.

So, we tried moving Ravensdale back along the pontoon about 12 feet in the hope it would improve our Wi-Fi connections.

Ravensdale moved back along the hammerhead in an attempt to improve the Wi-Fi

Speed test after we moved Ravensdale

I then carried out another broadband speed test on the marina connection and found I had a better signal.

Both the marina Wi-Fi and our mobile Wi-Fi have been working better since we moved.

And subsequent tests on the marina connection have been much the same as they were before the arrival of Margarita so we’re staying in our new location, at least for the time being.

However, we still don’t know if this will be affected by the number of people using the marina Wi-Fi at the same time so we've decided to leave Ravensdale in the new position until we’ve checked the connection speed over a period of time as the caravan site has not been full since we moved.








The “ones that got away”

Phil making wire traces in Ravensdale's saloon with the seat cushions tipped up

Three times on our most recent fishing trips, Phil has hooked what appeared to be very large fish and every time they bit through the line and got away.

Another local fishing boat had a similar experience and we were all convinced that there were big tope out in the Solway Firth that were managing to escape being caught.

And we were right as some large tope have been caught in this area this week.

An angler on Venture West charter boat caught a tope weighing over 28lb on Tuesday and one of the angling club members on Sunrise caught one weighing 23lb the same evening. 

So, Phil has been making wire traces to make sure the next big fish he catches won’t be able to bite through the line.

Phil with one of his finished wire traces

All we need now is some good weather so we can go out on a big fish hunt.

We were planning to go on Tuesday evening as the forecast was for single figure wind.

However, as the time our marina’s sea gate was due to open just before 6pm approached, the wind was showing no signs of dropping so we decided not to bother.

Although we missed out on the big tope caught by fishermen on Venture West and Sunrise, we were still glad we hadn’t gone as they said it was a lot bumpier than the forecast had promised.

The weather data for our nearest weather station at St Bees Head showed the wind speed to have been up to 21mph, gusting 29mph, while we would have been out on the water so definitely too high for our liking! 😊


Ruby of Ravensdale

Ruby giving me a grumpy look for pointing a camera at her again 😊 

Ruby is now seven months old and already weighs 18.2kg so she’s definitely going to be more than the 14-15kg the vet told us to expect as her adult weight when we took her for her “new puppy check” at eight weeks 😊

She has fully recovered from her tummy upset but is still in season, which means we’re still having to be very careful to avoid other dogs when we take her out for walks.

It also means we’re still living in a shed as the saloon carpet won’t be going back down and the seat cushions will stay tipped up until after her season. However, we've covered one of the seats in the dinette so she can still sit or lay between us in comfort.

Ruby has a really cute way of begging for food or attracting my attention if she thinks I’ve spent too long on my laptop.

Ruby watching Phil eat a sandwich

If we’re sat at the table and Phil’s eating something she wants and I’m using my laptop, she always puts her paw on top of my mouse hand, which is so funny given that she’s trying to attract Phil’s attention, not mine.

She also does this when she wants me to stop typing and play with her, but then she looks at me, of course 😊

Ruby with her paw on my mouse hand

I’m afraid the photos aren’t great quality. I had to use my phone as I couldn’t get up and get my camera without taking my hand away and spoiling the pose 😊

She has also started giving us a paw in the hope it will get her a treat 😊

Ruby giving Phil her paw

And she becomes very focused on which toy she wants from her toy box, carefully sorting through it until she finds what she's looking for. If she can't find it, we're expected to go and help her out.

Ruby sorting through her toy box

Ruby asking for help when she can't find the toy she wants

Meanwhile, Ruby’s new lifejacket arrived this week and she was so good when I tried it on her. It was totally different to my first attempt at putting her first lifejacket on her when she was just three months old.

Archive photo of Ruby in her first lifejacket at three months old

Then she fought my efforts to do it up and tried to bite it, then made it very clear that she was not impressed once she was wearing it.

This time, she stayed calm while I slid it over her head and stood still while I did up the straps under her stomach and then adjusted the straps to fit her properly.

Ruby wearing her new lifejacket

She's not very keen on wearing it yet but will soon get used to it and at least we know she’ll be safe next time we go out on the water.

Ruby has become a lot calmer lately, but we don’t know whether it’s a temporary thing while she’s in season or if it’s just because she’s getting a bit older now.

Ruby having a laugh 😊

Ruby fast asleep on her blanket on the seating in the dinette

And she still loves lots of cuddles, which is fine by me because I love cuddling her too 😊


Prawn hunt

Phil fishing for prawns in the marina

Phil and I went on a prawn hunt around the marina on Tuesday afternoon in preparation for our planned fishing trip on Tuesday evening.

Phil carries the blue kiddie fishing net while I hold the bucket and I’m sure we must look hilarious wandering around the marina fishing for prawns to use as bait 😊

He runs the net up through the weed growing on the sides of the pontoon floats then transfers any prawns he catches into the bucket.

Some of the prawns caught on our prawn hunt

And we caught many more this time than on our last attempt a couple of months ago.

As we didn’t go fishing on Tuesday evening, we let them go again.

A couple of tiny prawns that I put into a glass of seawater to photograph them

Wildlife

The swan and cygnet feeding by Ravensdale

The lone swan that appeared to have teamed up with one of the three local cygnets arrived in the marina on Friday afternoon.

They were here again on Saturday and Sunday, or maybe they stayed in the marina during this period, but they didn’t visit Ravensdale looking for food until Sunday.

I wondered if it was the cygnet that was taken to the local animal sanctuary after it was found injured in the marina a few weeks ago so I contacted the sanctuary asking if it had been released.

A closer view of the cygnet

I received a reply saying it definitely wasn’t that cygnet as she’d settled down with the swans at the sanctuary, so I’m guessing she won’t be coming back to the marina again.

The pair of adult swans on the River Ellen at Maryport

Meanwhile, I saw the pair of adult swans on the River Ellen and it definitely looks as though they have a nest there so maybe we’ll be seeing some new cygnets visiting the marina very soon.

I couldn’t get close enough to have a proper look for a nest, but that’s a good thing as it hopefully means no one else can get close enough to disturb them.

A pair of rock pipits have started paying regular visits to Ravensdale and frequently land on her guard rails, davits and bimini frame.

A rock pipit on one of Ravensdale's davits

Whenever we leave the boat, they follow us around the pontoons landing on boats and electricity bollards next to us making a lot of noise, but we have no idea what they want.

A rock pipit on an electricity bollard

And the pigeons, whose nest was washed out of the drainage hole in the harbour wall near Ravensdale on a number of occasions last year, are back there again.

The male pigeon sitting in the entrance to the drainage hole

The male is often sitting in the opening to the hole, but we haven’t seen the female for a while so we’re thinking she may have young in a nest in there.

There was water pouring out of the hole during the heavy rain yesterday (Thursday) so the chances are that their nest has been washed out again, which is really sad ☹


Photography

I noticed that there were some nice clouds in the sky just before sunset on Sunday evening, so I took a walk around to the beach expecting a spectacular Solway Firth sunset.

Light breaking through the clouds over the Solway Firth

A wider view of the sun setting over the Solway Firth

Golden-edged clouds over the Solway

Unfortunately, there was a lot of low cloud that I couldn’t see from the marina, so I didn’t get the sunset I’d been hoping for, but it was still worth the trip.

Reflections in Maryport Harbour

Colourful fishing boats at Maryport Harbour

Another view of Maryport Harbour

A wider view of the harbour

Reflections in Maryport Harbour

I also took my camera with me when I walked over to the local supermarket for some shopping on Tuesday and took photos around the harbour and along the River Ellen.

The blue bridge over the River Ellen at Maryport

The River Ellen and Mote Hill

Reflections in the River Ellen

Weather watch

We were very glad we decided to come back from Scotland in calm conditions on Monday of last week as the wind speed was higher than we would have liked out on the water for a good week after our return.

The past week has been windier and felt considerably cooler than the previous week.

Heavy rain on Saturday afternoon at Maryport Marina

There was a cloudy start to the day on Saturday and it started spitting with rain around midday with more persistent rain during the afternoon. The top temperature was 11C (52F) and the top average wind speed at St Bees Head – our nearest weather station - was 13mph, but it was windier in Maryport.

We had heavy rain overnight followed by an overcast and very blustery start to the day on Sunday. The weather brightened up, but it remained pretty windy throughout the day. The top temperature was 14C (57F) and the top average wind speed was 24mph.

Bank Holiday Monday evening at Maryport Marina

Bank Holiday Monday started dry, bright and breezy with a good bit of cloud around. There were light rain showers late afternoon which cleared up during the evening. The top temperature was 12C (54F) and the top average wind speed was 17mph, gusting 29mph.

Reflections in the calm water at Maryport Marina on Tuesday morning

Tuesday started dry, calm and cloudy. The wind got up during the afternoon, the cloud cleared and the sun came out as the day went on. The top temperature was 13C (55F) and the top average wind speed was 21mph.

It was overcast but dry when we got up on Wednesday morning with light showers and spitting from late morning. It started raining properly late afternoon and kept it up all evening. The top temperature was 11C (52F) and the top average wind speed was 25mph, gusting 33mph.

Rain yesterday (Thursday) afternoon at Maryport Marina

Yesterday (Thursday) we awoke to cloudy but dry weather. However, it didn’t stay dry for long. It started spitting at around 10am. This was followed by heavy rain by late morning which continued throughout the day and into the evening. The top temperature was 13C (55F) and the top wind speed was 19mph, gusting 31mph.

And, so far, today (Friday) the weather has been very wet and windy. The top temperature was 13C (55F) and the top average wind speed was 23mph, gusting 36mph.

Cruising to Scotland for our first proper holiday on Ravensdale

Me taking a turn at the helm of Ravensdale on the way home

This week we returned from our first proper holiday on our 43ft Neptunus 133 motor cruiser.

It was also Ruby’s first trip away on Ravensdale.

And we’ve discovered the joys of taking our home with us when we go away.

There’s no need to pack anything as everything we want is already on board.

In fact, the only preparation needed is exactly the same as going out for a short fishing trip.

We just throw off our mooring ropes and we’re away.

There are no traffic jams to get stuck in, no hold-ups at the airport to delay the start of our holiday or return home and no chance of leaving anything important behind at either end.

What’s not to like? 😊


Over the sea to Scotland

Ravensdale leaving Maryport Marina

After a few days of lovely warm, sunny weather in Maryport, we could see that it was due to continue for at least the next three or four days.

It seemed too good an opportunity to miss so we decided to head off across the Solway Firth from our home port at Maryport in Cumbria, North West England, to Kirkcudbright in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.

We took Ravensdale over to Kirkcudbright intending to stay for a few days last September but had to return home after just two nights because the weather forecast changed.

Since then, we’d been planning to return and hopefully stay a bit longer and this looked like the opportunity for which we'd been waiting.

We travelled over to Kirkcudbright on Tuesday of last week (May 14) hoping to stay for a week but planning to return home on Thursday or Friday if the forecast took a turn for the worse.

Ravensdale leaving Maryport

The weather was bright and sunny as we left Maryport at around 9.15am and the water was fairly calm although Ravensdale rocked around a bit due to the fact we were crossing the tide much of the way across the Solway Firth.

Ruby stayed quiet and apparently happy in her cage for the two-and-a-half-hour crossing to Little Ross Island.

Ravensdale approaching Little Ross Island

We dropped anchor off the island but found it was particularly bumpy in the spot we’d chosen so we brought in the anchor and moved over to the other side of the bay but that was also bumpier than we’d hoped.

We returned to the island and anchored closer to the shore, which was a bit more sheltered and much more comfortable.

Phil set up his fishing rods, while I took Ruby out on deck. I thought she would want to get out of her cage as soon as possible as she’d been in there for considerably longer than on any previous trip out on Ravensdale.

She was fine and had a good look around at her new surroundings. I took her up on the flybridge for the first time so she could get a better view from the boat.

Ruby checking out the view from Ravensdale's flybridge

Ruby sympathising with Phil over the lack of fish 😊 

Soon after we arrived, a yacht turned up and anchored nearby.

Ruby quickly discovered they had a dog on board and barked back when she heard it barking but quickly lost interest and settled down to do a bit of sunbathing on the aft deck.

Ruby sunbathing on the aft deck at Little Ross Island

The people on the yacht took their dog onto the island in their dinghy but we were unable to do this as Ruby’s new life jacket hadn’t arrived by the time we left for Kirkcudbright.

The yacht anchored next to us off Little Ross Island

We also hadn’t tried taking her in the dinghy so need to try that in our marina before attempting it on the open water, so we’ll know she’s OK with travelling in this way.

Meanwhile, I called Kirkcudbright Marina to check they had room for us and said we’d arrive around high tide.

Phil enjoying the sun on the flybridge while waiting for a fish to bite

We had lunch and Phil carried on trying to fish for a while but was only catching dogfish so he gave up and we just sat in the sunshine enjoying the views until it was time to head up the five-mile buoyed channel up the river from Little Ross Island to Kirkcudbright.

The river is navigable for about two and half hours either side of high tide, so we set off a bit earlier than planned and went up the river with the tide.

We entered the channel behind a yacht and followed it at the speed it was doing for a while before it pulled over and waved us past.

Ravensdale following a yacht up the channel to Kirkcudbright

Making our way up the buoyed channel towards Kirkcudbright

We arrived in Kirkcudbright at 7.30pm after just over 10 hours at sea during which time we travelled 26 nautical miles.

Our arrival at Kirkcudbright

We moored Ravensdale without any problems and were very pleased to have arrived in time to get a takeaway fish and chip supper from the local chippy by the harbour.


Our Scottish holiday

Ravensdale in Kirkcudbright

We’d enjoyed our visit to Kirkcudbright in September, so we were happy to be able to stay for longer this time.

Kirkcudbright Harbour is the fifth busiest fishing port in Scotland and the ninth busiest in the UK with 24 fishing boats landing shellfish, mainly scallops and queenies.

Kirkcudbright Harbour

One of the best things about our holiday, other than having a new place to explore, was the beautiful view from our boat…and not needing to drop the blinds in the saloon to stop people looking in 😊

Bridge over the River Dee at Kirkcudbright from Ravensdale's aft deck

Sunset from Ravensdale's foredeck

View across the River Dee from Ravensdale's starboard side at high tide

Kirkcudbright Marina is on the River Dee, which is a tidal river, so the view changes dramatically as the tide goes in and out.

At high water, on a spring tide, the river is very wide with the water coming up to the top of the harbour slipway and across the fields on the opposite side from the marina.

When the tide goes out, much of the marina dries out and some of the boats end up sitting on mountains of mud.

Mountains of mud at Kirkcudbright Marina at low tide

Thankfully, there was still a good depth of water alongside the main pontoon where we were moored and there was more than two metres under Ravensdale’s keel at low tide. At high tide, our depth sounder was showing nine metres under her keel.

It was strange to experience the full extent of the tidal range as, while in Maryport, the sea gate is closed as the tide goes out to keep water in the marina so we only experience the change over the period two and half hours either side of high tide.

Ravensdale at sunset on our first night in Kirkcudbright

On our first visit to Kirkcudbright last year, we were also surprised at the speed with which the tide goes in and out there and it was interesting to see it rushing past our boat.

The Polar Bites sign

The weather was amazing for our stay – dry, sunny and warm – up until Saturday when there was more cloud and it was a bit cooler, but still dry by day and warm enough for shorts and a vest top or T-shirt.

We were a bit late for going out on the first night, so we went to Polar Bites for a takeaway fish and chip supper.

I was amused by a sign inside the shop warning that anyone caught picking off the lettering would be deep fried in their own fat.

One of the letters had been partially picked off so I couldn’t help wondering if the culprit was caught and, if so, whether they really were deep fried 😊

We had a lovely holiday taking Ruby for walks along the river, wandering around the town and harbour and being able to eat out in a different place.

Fishing boat Osprey at Kirkcudbright Harbour at high tide

The start of the riverside walk from Kirkcudbright

The River Dee at Kirkcudbright

A Kirkcudbright street

Colourful beach huts by the harbour car park

We had a delicious lunch in the beer garden at The Selkirk Arms, a local hotel that had been recommended to us by several people we met. We arrived at 1.55pm to discover they stopped serving at 2pm so we were just in time 😊

The beer garden at The Selkirk Arms

We had another takeaway from the award-winning Polar Bites chippy.

And we enjoyed several lunches and visits for coffee and cake at the café at Kirkcudbright Galleries.

We also visited the Japanese exhibition at Kirkcudbright Galleries, which includes prints on loan from the National Museums Scotland.

Part of the Japanese exhibition at Kirkcudbright Galleries

Another area of the Japanese exhibition

I love Japanese art so was really pleased to discover this exhibition was on while we were there, and I think Phil enjoyed this one too.

We also visited some of the independent galleries and workshops in the town known as “Kirkcudbright artists town” because of its artistic heritage.

We admired the remains of MacLellan’s Castle, which was built in the 16^th century and is currently being restored, the impressive Kirkcudbright Parish Church, which was completed in 1838, and some of the attractive gardens around the town.

MacLellan's Castle in Kirkcudbright

Kirkcudbright Parish Church

An attractive garden near Kirkcudbright Parish Church

And I visited an exhibition of work by local artists at the Harbourside Cottage Gallery while Phil was looking after Ruby when she was unwell.

Harbourside Cottage Gallery at Kirkcudbright

After I visited the gallery, I popped into town for some shopping and came across a lone piper playing by the church grounds.

The lone piper by Kirkcudbright Parish Church

We’d seen a banner advertising a car show in the harbour car park on Sunday so decided to go along to take a look.

We were expecting an interesting array of classic cars, so were disappointed to discover that it was difficult to tell which cars were supposed to be part of the event.

Most of the vehicles on show were modern cars, so it just looked like any other car park ☹

Kirkcudbright Car Show

One of the more interesting cars on display at the show

But the car show and poor Ruby being unwell were the only downsides to our holiday.

Otherwise, it was a brilliant break and we will definitely be returning to Kirkcudbright.


Heading home to Maryport

After deciding not to return home last Thursday, we planned to stay until Tuesday or Wednesday of this week.

And, when we got up on Monday morning, we agreed to delay our departure for at least one more day and carried on as if we were staying.

We knew MV River Trader – a 58.27m (191ft) cargo ship with a gross tonnage of 794 – was due to travel up the channel to Kirkcudbright around high tide that day.

The local range boat was acting as pilot boat for the large vessel. We were asked if we were planning to go out that day and we said we were not.

A digger piling up queenie shells on the dock ready to be collected by MV River Trader

In fact, I was looking forward to seeing it dock in Kirkcudbright to collect queenie (queen scallop) shells and leave again at high tide the following day.

However, mid-morning Ruby took a turn for the worse.

Entrance to Kircudbright Marina from the land

Welcome sign at Kirkcudbright Marina

I then checked the weather forecast to discover that it had changed, and the wind was going to get up at the time we would be able to make the crossing due to the tide on both Tuesday and Wednesday…and the higher wind speeds were expected to continue for at least the next seven days.

At that point, we decided it was best to go there and then.

We prepared Ravensdale for the off and I dived up to leave a cheque for our mooring fees in the honesty box. While I was doing this, I bumped into the harbour master and told him of our plans.

He asked if we could delay leaving until after MV River Trader had passed us.

I explained that it would mean the sea gate at Maryport would be closed before we got back, and we’d have to sit at anchor for up to seven hours waiting for it to open for the next tide – not a great plan with a sick dog.

The harbour master agreed and said he’d let the range boat know we were heading down the channel. He told us to listen on VHF channels 12 and 16 for information on the large vessel’s progress up the river, which we would've done anyway.

Ravensdale leaving the channel and heading towards MV River Trader

We set off at around 11.15am and had reached the last but one buoy when we got a call from the range vessel informing us that there was plenty of water outside the channel for our boat. They asked us to leave the channel, head straight towards them and go around their stern.

A closer view of MV River Trader

Ravensdale's autopilot

We acknowledged the message and confirmed that we’d do as requested which, of course, is exactly what we did.

After that, the journey back was pretty uneventful, which is always a good thing.

And I’ve discovered that taking my turn at the helm is a lot easier when autopilot is operating 😊

I just had to stand there, make sure Ravensdale stayed on the track Phil had set the autopilot to follow and keep an eye out for anything that we needed to avoid.

He showed me how to switch off the autopilot if we needed to change course for any reason, but we didn't so I feel a bit of a fraud for even posting a photo of me at the helm - let alone two 😊

Me taking a turn at the helm of Ravensdale with the help of the autopilot

On the way back, we saw a wind farm boat heading across from Robin Rigg Wind Farm, which is about half-way across the firth.

It was approaching from our port side, so we knew we had the right of way but were ready to take evasive action if necessary.

The wind farm boat approaching from our port side

It quickly became obvious that it was travelling faster than us so it crossed in front of us before we reached it.

Ravensdale heading home to Maryport

We got back to Maryport at around 2pm after travelling the 26-mile journey home in two hours and 45 minutes.

And, having seen what the weather was like over the following days, we were very glad we came home when we did.

It remained dry and sunny, but the wind was higher while the marina gate was open than it was on Monday when we returned from Kirkcudbright.

We still remember and live by the excellent advice we were given by a seasoned sailor who told us: “Better to be in the marina wishing you were out than out of the marina wishing you were in it.”


Ruby of Ravensdale

Ruby helping Phil clean Ravensdale

Before we went away, Ruby was determined to help Phil with the spring cleaning but, as usual, she wasn’t really much of a help at all – quite the opposite 😊

Unfortunately, she started her first season overnight Saturday/Sunday, just before our trip to Kirkcudbright, but we decided to go anyway as the weather was too good to miss.

Ruby watching the sunset at Maryport Marina the night before her first holiday

She seemed fine in herself and it made little difference whether we were dealing with her season at home or away.

It was the first time she'd spent a full day out on the water and she seemed totally unfazed by the experience. She ate her meals as usual, spent time outside sunbathing and went indoors from time to time to cool off.

She also enjoyed being allowed to explore the flybridge for the first time.

Ruby exploring the flybridge while we were at anchor off Little Ross island

Ruby giving herself a manicure on the flybridge

Ruby on look-out duty on the flybridge

Ruby seemed surprised when she first went up on deck when we arrived in Kirkcudbright and discovered the view from her home had changed again.

Ruby checking out the view from Ravensdale's foredeck

She walked around on deck checking the views in all directions and, as usual spent a good bit of time sitting on the deck watching people and dogs walking past.

Ruby and I enjoying the sunshine on the foredeck

She also enjoyed sunbathing on the aft deck.

But she wasn’t so sure about the cows that came down to the river at low tide, but then they were the first cows she’d ever seen so I guess it’s not surprising that she was very interested in them.

Ruby watching the cows from Ravensdale

Ruby helping Phil clean the windscreen

And, as usual, she was keen to get involved in cleaning the windows 😊

We took Ruby for walks along the river in Kirkcudbright every day until Saturday when we got up to discover she’d been unwell in the night ☹

Ruby looking for treats from Phil during one of our river walks

Ruby rolling in the grass

Ruby and Phil sitting on the banks of the River Dee

At this point, Phil got out the carpet cleaner and shampooed the carpet in the saloon. We then took it up, rolled it and put it on the flybridge until Ruby has finished her season.

It looks a bit like a shed inside Ravensdale at the moment, but cleaning the wooden floor is so much easier than trying to keep the carpet clean.

We had to throw away her bed and I walked into town to get her a new one while Phil stayed on board to look after her as we didn’t want to leave her alone.

She got worse during the day on Saturday and by the evening seemed very unwell. She didn’t really respond to us much, showed no interest in our food and just kept sleeping.

I called the vet for advice and was told she should be OK until the morning but to call her again at 8am to let her know how Ruby was doing.

Ruby slept peacefully in her cage on the way back to Maryport. The carpet was still on the flybridge

She seemed a bit brighter in the morning, so I informed the vet that she seemed to be on the mend.

We did as the vet recommended and starved her for 24 hours then started feeding her chicken and rice or scrambled egg and she seemed to be improving, but the tummy upset returned on Monday morning.

This coupled with a weather forecast showing that the wind was due to increase over the next couple of days made us decide to get back home to Maryport.

She seemed much better on Tuesday, so we tried feeding her a small quantity of her normal food and the tummy upset returned overnight so she was back on chicken rice and scrambled egg on Wednesday.

Ruby wanted to be back out on deck yesterday but had to be on her lead for a while to stop her trying to eat the boat wash

Thankfully, she was much better yesterday (Thursday) so we were able to start reintroducing her normal food and she seems to be OK on it.

Ruby has spent a lot of time sleeping and has been very clingy over the past week, but we don’t know whether this was due to her being in season or because she was feeling unwell.

She’s very needy at the moment. She wants lots of love and cuddles and is getting plenty of both.

Ruby sunbathing in the saloon yesterday (Thursday)

Spring cleaning continues

The big spring clean on Ravensdale continued until we decided to go away to Kirkcudbright.

We started cleaning her stainless-steel guard rails together on Saturday afternoon (May 11) but there is, of course, no photographic evidence of my involvement simply because I’m the one who thinks to grab the camera 😊

Phil polishing Ravensdale's guard rails while Ruby watches him

I put the chrome cleaner on and started the cleaning process and Phil followed behind me polishing it off and making the rails look all nice and shiny.

Unfortunately, we ran out of chrome cleaner before we finished the job so only managed to do forward of the aft deck.

We then decided on our trip to Kirkcudbright before we’d had a chance to get any more chrome cleaner so the stainless steel around the aft deck will have to be cleaned at a later date.

Phil also washed Ravensdale and started waxing and polishing the superstructure.

Phil cleaning Ravensdale yesterday (Thursday)

This was another job that was unfinished when we decided to go away but he ordered some new boat wash and polish as soon as we returned and was back to cleaning again yesterday (Thursday).


Edging the saloon carpet

After Ruby tried to eat the carpet in the saloon a couple of weeks ago, I bought some matching wool to oversew the raw edges.

The saloon carpet was already on Ravensdale when we bought her.

Most of the edges had been professionally finished – presumably when it was first fitted, but the more intricately cut corners had not been overstitched.

And the area I attempted to darn after Ruby started pulling it to bits was desperately in need of edging in the hope it would discourage her from having another go at it.

Phil cleaned the carpet while we were in Kirkcudbright and we draped it over the flybridge while it was drying. This seemed the perfect opportunity to bind the edges, so I was able to do it in the sunshine. It was also much easier working on it at that height than it would've been on the floor.

I’m afraid there are no photos of me doing this as I didn’t think to ask Phil to take one ☹


New neighbour

Ravensdale and Margarita at Maryport Marina

Before we went away, I commented that everyone had deserted us along one side of the pontoon on which Ravensdale is currently moored.

But we now have a new neighbour.

Our friend’s Nauticat 33, Margarita, came back into the water on Wednesday after spending the winter on the hardstanding and is now on the inside of the hammerhead that we're moored on.

We're really looking forward to them coming to stay on the boat for a while as it will be lovely to have Jim and Angie on this pontoon again, although I'm not sure if Margarita is staying next to us or whether it's just a temporary thing.


Photography

Most of the photos I’ve taken over the past fortnight were taken while we were at sea or during our holiday in Kirkcudbright.

A fishing boat that we followed out of Maryport on our way to Kirkcudbright

A Kirkcudbright fishing boat that passed us at Little Ross Island

Kirkcudbright lifeboat crew training session

Kirkcudbright at high tide

Sunset at Kircudbright Marina

 

Kirkcudbright Harbour at low tide

Clouds reflected in the River Dee

A fishing boat leaving Kirkcudbright Marina

Another fishing boat arriving at Kirkcudbright Marina

Wellspring - a former Maryport boat now derelict on the banks of the River Dee

A close up of a blocked-up window in MacLellan Castle

More windows in MacLellan Castle

View through to the River Dee between two buildings on the harbourside

A fishing boat at Kirkcudbright Harbour

Little Ross Island lighthouse

Maryport from the Solway Firth

A closer view of Maryport from the Solway Firth

There have been some lovely calm evenings here at Maryport Marina producing come beautiful reflections. These were taken on the evening of Friday, May 10 and on Monday evening of this week.

Reflections at Maryport Marina

Yachts at Maryport Marina

A calm evening at Maryport Marina

More reflections at Maryport Marina

I also took my camera for a walk around Maryport harbour and up to town on Saturday.

A fishing boat in Maryport Harbour at low tide

View from Maryport out towards the Solway Firth

An impressive building in Maryport

The River Ellen in Maryport at low tide

Market Steps at Maryport, which feature in a painting by L S Lowry

Looking out over the Solway Firth to Scotland from the top of Market Steps

Weather watch

We’ve had some lovely spring weather over the past fortnight, which is why we decided it was a good time to go away for a holiday.

Sunshine at Maryport Marina on Saturday, May 11

Saturday, May 11 was dry, sunny and relatively warm. It was calm during the morning with more wind during the afternoon. The temperature reached 12C (54F) at St Bees Head – our nearest weather station - with a top average wind speed of 19mph but it seemed warmer and calmer here.

Wall-to-wall sunshine and flat calm conditions at Maryport Marina on Sunday, May 12

Sunday, May 12 was dry, sunny and calm feeling warm in the sun during the morning but cooler when the wind got up a bit in the afternoon.

The top temperature was 12C (54F) and the top average wind speed at St Bees Head was 8mph, but it was a bit higher than that in Maryport.

Monday, May 13 was dry, bright and sunny with a cool wind. The top temperature was 14C (57F) and the top average wind speed was 16mph.

Sunset at Maryport Marina on Monday, May 13

Tuesday, May 14 was another dry, bright and sunny day with the temperature peaking at 17C (63F) and a top average wind speed of 10mph.

It was very calm overnight with an average wind speed of just 3mph.

A bright, sunny day at Kirkcudbright Marina on Wednesday, May 15

Wednesday, May 15 started warm, dry and sunny, but it clouded over during the late afternoon. The temperature reached 17C (63F) with an average wind speed of up to 10mph.

Thursday, May 16 was yet another dry, bright and sunny day with a little more cloud during the afternoon. The top temperature was 16C (61F) and the top average wind speed was 11mph.

Sunshine and clouds at Kirkcudbright Marina on Friday, May 17

We had rain first thing in Kirkcudbright on Friday, May 17, but the sun soon came out and it was dry, bright and sunny with a bit more wind than on previous days. It was still warm out of the wind with a top temperature of 18C (64F) and a top average wind speed of 16mph.

A heavy sky over Kirkcudbright on Saturday

It rained overnight Friday into Saturday and light rain continued into the morning, but the weather brightened up as the day went on. The top temperature was 13C (55F) and the top average wind speed was 9mph.

There was more rain overnight and Sunday started cloudy but calm with increasing cloud during the morning. We had light rain around lunchtime and on and off during the afternoon. The temperature reached 13C (55F) and the top average wind speed was 11mph.

Blue sky and white clouds over the River Dee on Monday

The wind speed reached 13mph overnight and Monday started cloudy but dry. The sun came out as the day went on giving a top temperature of 13C (55F). The top average wind speed was 17mph, but only 9-11mph while we were crossing the Solway Firth.

Dry and sunny weather at Maryport Marina on Tuesday

Tuesday was dry, bright, sunny and breezy becoming windier as the day went on. The top temperature was 13C (55F) and the top average wind speed was 18mph.

Wednesday started dry, bright, sunny and calm with the wind speed increasing during the day.

The temperature reached 13C (55F) and the top average wind speed was 15mph.

Another bright and sunny day at Maryport Marina yesterday (Thursday)

Yesterday (Thursday) started cloudy but bright with the clouds clearing as the morning went on and staying dry. Again, it was fairly calm in the morning with the wind speed picking up late morning.

The top temperature was 13C (55F) and the top average wind speed was 11mph at St Bees Head but it seemed windier than that here.

And, today (Friday), the weather has been bright and breezy with a top temperature of 14 C (57F) and a top average wind speed of 21mph.