Problems in Ravensdale's engine room…and our car is off the road

Phil disconnecting the old calorifier in Ravensdale's engine room after it developed a fault

This week has been one of those weeks that leaves us wondering what’s next as one thing after another has gone wrong.

First, Phil noticed we had diesel leaking from one of the taps on Ravensdale's diesel tank.

Then he discovered water apparently leaking from the bottom of the starboard engine on our Neptunus 133 motor cruiser.

As if that wasn’t enough, our car started making a horrible noise while we were out on a shopping trip on Tuesday and is now in the garage for repair so we’re carless until we get it back, hopefully on Monday.

And the cover that normally protects our dinghy’s outboard motor from the weather has disappeared – presumably blown away.

But we’re still smiling, honest 😊

Engine room problems        

Ravensdale's engine room

The first time we realised there was a problem was when the automatic bilge pump went off for no apparent reason just before we went to bed on Saturday night.

Phil went down into Ravensdale’s engine room to find out what was happening and had a nasty shock when he discovered water dripping from the bottom of her starboard engine, well, not just dripping, more of a slow but steady flow.

We had no idea what was causing it and thought it could be something fairly serious.

We knew the automatic bilge pump was well able to deal with the amount of water that was going into the bilges so decided to go to bed and investigate it properly in the morning.

We also noticed that the domestic water pump was going off when there was no water running from any of the taps on the boat.

Water leaking around the heat exchanger cap after the overflow pipe had been reattached

When Phil took a closer look, he discovered that the water was coming from the overflow by the heat exchanger cap, only the overflow pipe had come off, so the water was pouring over the side of the engine.

He put the pipe back on, but we had no idea why the water was overflowing all the time.

The old calorifier fixed to the inside of the hull alongside the starboard engine

Further investigations revealed that the problem was the calorifier – the heat exchanger which heats our domestic hot water indirectly by circulating it over a heating coil.

It turned out that there was a hole in the coil, which contains hot water from the engine. This meant that, when the engine was stopped and pressure was released, the domestic water, which was under pressure, was being forced into the engine's cooling system.

And we think this must have been happening over many months.

For a long time now, I’ve been questioning why the water wasn’t staying hot for as long as it used to after we’ve had the immersion heater switched on and also why the water wasn’t as hot as it used to be after we’d had the engines running.

I’d also been commenting on the amount of electricity we’ve been using over recent months, which has been more like our usual winter consumption than the amount we normally use in the summer.

All these things made sense when we discovered that our hot water had been flowing away, which meant the hot water tank was being topped up with cold water, so we were needing to heat it up more often.

It became obvious that we had no choice but to replace the calorifier, so we ordered a new one at a cost of almost £500.

We agreed that we shouldn’t take Ravensdale out again until the calorifier had been replaced.

Phil switching the pipes over as a temporary measure

The new calorifier

Meanwhile, Phil switched the water pipes to isolate the calorifier and the engine so no water was passing between them and this solved the problem so we were sure that the calorifier was the cause.

At least this meant the water was no longer overflowing from the starboard engine and we weren’t losing our hot water.

The new calorifier arrived on Tuesday and a friend offered to help fit it as Phil had hurt his back and thought climbing down into the narrow space to attempt the job on his own could make it worse.

When they went to fit it yesterday (Thursday), they discovered that the new tank was a good bit bigger than the old one despite Phil having measured the old tank and given the company the dimensions when he ordered it.

They decided that, although at 55 litres it was about 15 litres larger than the one they took out, it would still fit in the available space – thank goodness!

It wasn’t easy to get at but, between them, they managed to get the old tank out and the new one was fixed in place and connected up.

Phil removing the old calorifier

Phil about to take the old calorifier out onto the deck before fitting the new one

Phil and friend fitting the new, larger calorifier

So, our hot water system is now up and running properly again and Ravensdale is ready to take out on the water as soon as the weather permits.

The new calorifier fitted and ready for use

Phil now wants to drain the water out of the starboard engine and replace it with a new mixture of water and antifreeze as the antifreeze that was in it will have been very diluted by the water running into it from the calorifier – if there’s still any antifreeze left at all.

Meanwhile, I’m hoping the new larger tank will mean we’ll have more hot water and the fact it’s no longer overflowing and being topped up with cold water will mean it will stay hotter for longer.

The only downside could be that the larger tank will take longer to heat up.


Diesel leak

Diesel was leaking from the tap in the centre of this image

The day before Phil discovered the water coming from the engine, he'd seen a small amount of diesel leaking from the tap on the fuel tank and put a plastic tray underneath, as a temporary measure, to prevent the diesel running into the bilges.

He then tightened the nut on the tap, cleaned out the tray that had been underneath it and put it back so he could check whether the leak had stopped.

Phil cleaning up the tap after he had fixed the leak

He left it for a few hours then went down to check again and it was dry.

There was no sign of diesel leaking when he carried out further checks later the same day and over subsequent days so hopefully that leak has also been sorted.


Car brake problems

Our car started making a horrible noise while braking on the way back from a trip from our marina at Maryport in Cumbria, UK, to nearby Workington to get antifreeze for Ravensdale’s starboard engine and some food shopping on Tuesday afternoon.

Phil looked at the rear wheels when we stopped and discovered that a chunk of the surface on the disk on the offside rear brake had apparently dropped off.

The following day, we walked to a local garage to see when they’d be able to fix it for us and we were told to bring it in on Monday.

However, when Phil said we wouldn’t be driving it again until the work was done, the owner told us to drop it off at the garage that day and they would do it asap.

So, we’re hoping we may get it back today (Friday) or tomorrow (Saturday) morning but it’s more likely that it won’t get done until Monday as he told us they were very busy.

We’ve also asked them to MOT the car while it’s at the garage as it was due to go in for the test next week anyway.


Missing outboard cover

Ravensdale's outboard cover in place during the trawler race. Photo by Lee Wise

The cover was definitely on our outboard when we took Ravensdale out during the trawler race on August 3 and when Phil used the dinghy to retrieve a deck brush he dropped in the marina a few days later.

However, it has now disappeared so we can only think it must have come loose and blown away.

We’ve yet to decide whether to order another ready-made cover or get some Sunbrella fabric and make one to match the cover I made for Ravensdale’s windlass.

The cover I made for Ravensdale's windlass

Ruby of Ravensdale

Phil throwing a ball for Ruby to fetch

I’m never sure whether Ruby’s favourite part of the day is going out for walks, playing with her toys, especially when she can persuade one of us to play with her, when she’s cuddling up with us or when she’s eating because she certainly likes her food 😊

The scary drink carton that made Ruby bark 😊

But she seems to dislike littering as much as we do.

On Wednesday evening, I heard her barking on the aft deck and went outside to see what she was barking at.

It wasn’t dogs or people walking along the road alongside the marina or even someone hoisting the sails on their yacht, which always makes her bark, but not this time.

It was nothing as obvious as that. This time she was barking at a really scary empty KFC drink container floating past our boat 😊

She really does crack me up at times 😊

But then she probably thinks I’m a bit crazy too, especially when I try to take selfies with her as I did on our last trip out on Ravensdale.

Ruby and I in our matching life jackets

Me cuddling up to Ruby on the seating in Ravensdale's saloon

Earlier this week, I was thinking that I call her by so many different names that it must be really hard for her to know when I’m talking to her.

Ruby waiting for Phil to throw her ball

So, I decided to list them and discovered that she has at least 20 other names as there are probably more that I forgot while writing them down.

These are the ones that sprang to mind – Roo, Rooby Roo, Rooby Doo, Little Roo, Little Red Roobster, The Roobster, Ruby Shark, Baby, Baby Girl, Pretty Girl, Puppy Girl, Puppy Pig, Piglet, Pretty Puppy, Pretty Face, Sweetheart, Sweetiepie, Cutiepie, Beauty and Little One.

But if I really want her to do something and she appears to be ignoring me she’s called “Oi! Ruby!” in the sternest voice I can manage 😊

As usual, she’s enjoyed her walks over the past week, especially when she gets to play fetch or meet and play with other dogs.

She particularly enjoyed playing with a nine-month-old cocker spaniel, called Jerry, that she met while I was walking her yesterday (Thursday).

Ruby and Jerry

Surprisingly, she also seemed keen to play with Tom, the first cat she’d ever seen, when we met him and his owner near the marina yesterday. Tom didn’t run away, but he didn't look over impressed when Ruby tried to play with him.

And, yes, it did amuse me that Ruby got to play with Tom and Jerry on the same outing 😊

Ruby tries to play with Tom

She also had a great time with Rio, an eight-month-old staffie, she met when Phil and I took her out for another walk yesterday afternoon.

Ruby meets Rio

Ruby was able to sit and watch while Phil was swapping the pipes on the calorifier in Ravensdale's engine room.

Ruby checking out the engine room from the saloon

However, we had to put her in her cage while he and our friend were taking out the old one and fitting the new one as there would have been no room for her and she could've fallen down the hole into the engine room.

I took her out half-way through so she could stretch her legs then she went back in her cage until the job was done and all we heard from her were a few quiet whines to let us know that she wasn't very impressed 😊

Ruby watching from her cage while the new calorifier was being fitted

Swans

This year's cygnets visiting the marina for the first time

The pair of swans that used to be regular visitors to the marina turned up with their new family for the first time on Monday.

The cygnets eating the food I gave them

They returned in search of food on Tuesday, Wednesday and yesterday (Thursday), so it looks as though they have made visiting the marina part of their routine.

Meanwhile, the cygnet from last year's brood that has been a regular visitor at the marina in recent weeks became stuck in the mud in the harbour on Monday.

A member of one of our local Facebook groups posted that four girls had been seen throwing stones at it while it was trapped by the mud, stating that police had been informed. Locals were horrified to hear of such cruelty.

Ruby was due to go out so I took her for a walk around to the harbour to see if I could find the cygnet as I wanted to see if it had been injured and to try to get it help if necessary.

The swan trapped in the mud at the harbour

We found the bird behind a boat at the far end of the harbour and it seemed to be OK. We later heard that it was swimming around quite happily when the tide came in but it hasn't been back in the marina since then.


(EDIT -  I've just heard that the girls were trying to throw stones into the mud near the swan to help it get out rather than throwing them at the bird and that they stopped when an adult told them this would not help it. Apparently, they were devastated to see the comments about their stone-throwing efforts on Facebook)


Amusing boat name 😊

Good Dog at Maryport Marina

The boat name that had me puzzled - for a while 😊

I was amused by the name of a motorsailer that visited Maryport Marina on Sunday and stayed overnight.

When I saw it was called “Good Dog”, I thought it a really strange name for a boat and wondered why anyone would give their boat such a name.

The visiting vessel stayed overnight Sunday and left again on Monday morning by which time the penny had dropped.

It was a Nauticat and I guess whoever named her had a sense of humour when they came up with the idea of calling a Nauticat “Good Dog”.

It took me a while to work it out, but I got there in the end 😊


Fire alarm

Fire alarm sign at Maryport Marina

I’ve been meaning to share this for some time now because it makes me laugh every time I go in or out of the outside door to the toilet and shower block here at Maryport Marina in Cumbria, UK.

The sign above the fire alarm button just inside the door says: “This is a FIRE ALARM. Please do not press. Thank you.”

So, if we discover a fire in the toilet and shower block, what are we supposed to do?

OK, I know the answer to that one really, just thought it amusing that we’re being told not to press it 😊

I also know why the sign was put there. It appeared after someone pressed it because they thought they needed to do so to open the door from the inside. Instead, they set off the fire alarm.

In fairness to the person responsible, we have to push buttons to get out of the marina’s main gate and out of the ladies and gents toilet and shower areas into the corridor to the outside door.

So, I guess, it would be an easy mistake to make - if you didn’t notice that it was red and had a little picture of a house on fire on it 😊


Photography

My camera seems to be working again – at least for the time being.

It’s only let me down a couple of times and, on both occasions, taking the battery out and putting it back in again has done the trick.

I took it with me when I took Ruby for a walk around the harbour and basin on Monday evening.

Heavy clouds over Maryport Harbour

Colourful fishing nets at Maryport Harbour

Maryport Harbour at low tide

Maryport Basin at low tide

And I took a few photos, including some of a couple of lads riding their motorbikes along the shore, while we were out walking Ruby on Tuesday afternoon.

Motorcyclists on the shore at Maryport with Iggesund paperboard mill in the background

Maryport Pier with the Scottish hills in the distance

Maryport Lighthouse from the path on the landward side of the sea wall

A closer view of one of the motorcyclists on the wet sand

And I couldn't resist taking a couple of snaps of the heavy clouds over the marina on Tuesday evening.

Threatening clouds over Maryport Marina

Another image of the dark clouds on Tuesday evening

Lights reflected in the water at Maryport Marina

Weather watch

The weekend weather was atrocious and made me very glad that I’m now retired 😊

We had heavy rain and fairly strong winds overnight Friday into Saturday with a top average wind speed of 24mph, gusting 37mph.

This was followed by a very wet day on Saturday with brief breaks in the rain.

The top temperature was 17C (63F) and the top average wind speed was 23mph, gusting 34mph.

Rain clouds over Maryport Marina on Sunday

On Sunday, we had heavy rain and high winds averaging up to 26mph and gusting up to 39mph overnight followed by light rain during the morning.

It dried up a bit during the afternoon, although the showers were never far away.

The temperature only reached 14C (57F) with a top average wind speed of 29mph, gusting 38mph.

It was fairly windy overnight Sunday in Monday with average wind speeds of up to 25mph, gusting 32mph.

And, on Monday, we awoke to a bright sunny day with very little wind for the first time in days.

Blue sky and white clouds over Maryport Marina on Monday

Rain was forecast for the afternoon, but we only got a few light showers and the top temperature was 16C (61F) with a top average wind speed of 14mph.

Tuesday started dry, bright and sunny and stayed dry and sunny with a little more cloud later in the afternoon. The top temperature was 16C (61F) and the top average wind speed was 15mph.

Maryport Marina on Tuesday morning

We had rain during the night and first thing on Wednesday. It then dried up for the rest of the morning followed by light rain during the afternoon. The top temperature was 16C (61F) and the top average wind speed was 22mph.

Yesterday (Thursday) we awoke to a nice morning after a wet and windy night with an average wind speed of up to 32mph, gusting 41mph. The day was mainly dry and bright with a little light rain late morning and a good wind.

Dry, bright weather at Maryport Marina yesterday (Thursday) afternoon 

The top temperature was 17C (63F) and the average wind speed was 36mph, gusting 46mph, first thing, dropping to 22mph, gusting 31mph, during the afternoon.

And, so far today (Friday) the weather has been wet and miserable.

It poured with rain from the time we got up until early afternoon and still looks as though it could start again at any time.

It has also been a very windy day. The top temperature was 16C (61F) and the top average wind speed was 33mph, gusting 47mph.

Wet and windy weather this morning (Friday) at Maryport Marina