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Ravensdale returning to Maryport after our fishing trip last Friday. Photo by Terry Little |
There’s no doubt about it, good weather is when our liveaboard lifestyle is at it’s very best.
After almost two and half years living on Ravensdale – our 43ft Neptunus motor cruiser – I still love boat life whatever the weather.
But it’s even better when it’s warm, dry and sunny outside so we can leave the windows and door wide open and wander around in shorts and a T-shirt. Ruby loves the warmer weather too 😊
We only took Ravensdale out on the water once in the past week, but that was the fourth time in seven days so I’m certainly not complaining, and the poor fishing lately has made us less keen to go out again at the moment.
Meanwhile, we had a lovely visit from my son, daughter-in-law and beautiful granddaughters last weekend.
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Our dinghy hanging from Ravensdale's davits |
Since then, Phil has checked our dinghy over and fixed the lifting rings needed to suspend her from Ravensdale’s davits and I’ve been repairing the flybridge cover.
And our marina here at Maryport in Cumbria, UK, refloated the boat that sank in the marina last week. She has since been lifted out of the water and is being demolished.
Fishing trip on Friday
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Ravensdale leaving Maryport Marina in Cumbria, UK, last Friday afternoon |
As last Friday was another calm day, we decided to take Ravensdale out fishing to give her bottom a wash after the marina was drained down for a second time.
This meant that we had taken her out on the water on four days out of seven, which was a record for us.
Before we made up our minds to go, we took a quick trip around to the pier to see whether the Solway Firth was really as calm as the water in the marina would suggest and, unlike the previous day when we went out without checking, it looked fine.
I’d left all the loose stuff inside packed up from the previous day’s trip out, so it was very easy to get ready.
From my point of view, it simply meant making a flask of tea and strapping down the microwave and freezer.
Phil did his usual preparations in the engine room and with the mooring ropes and we left the marina at around 3.20pm.
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Looking back at the marina gate from the basin as we headed out onto the Solway Firth |
The sea was a lot less choppy than the previous day but not as calm as we’d expected.
We headed up to Allonby Bay again and anchored in a different spot in the hope Phil would have more luck fishing there, but it was not to be.
He put out three rods and it turned out to be another “dog day”. To say Phil is fed up with catching dogfish would be the understatement of the century.
The only other fish he caught that day was a small dab.
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The small dab Phil caught on this trip |
Ruby was less keen to stay out on deck than she had been when the weather was warmer and the sun was shining the previous Saturday.
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Ruby enjoying a cuddle with Phil on Ravensdale's aft deck |
After a short time wandering around the aft deck and trying to get to Phil’s fishing bait, she obviously wanted to go back inside so I went in with her.
I tried taking her out a couple more times but each time she seemed keen to go back indoors. I wouldn’t dream of making her stay outside if she didn’t want to, so we stayed inside until Phil decided he’d had enough of fishing.
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Ruby on Ravensdale's aft deck |
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Ravensdale heading for home |
We got back to the marina at around 6.10pm after two hours and 50 minutes out on the water during which time we travelled 6.4 nautical miles.
And I was delighted to discover that two people had taken photos of Ravensdale out on the water.
Steve Jolly, who owns the fishing boat Sunrise, snapped us from the pier on the way out and another man, Terry Little, who I don’t know, got us on the way back in and posted his photos on a local Facebook group. Both kindly agreed to me downloading them and using them for my blog.
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Ravensdale leaving Maryport and heading out onto the Solway Firth. Photo by Steve Jolly |
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Ravensdale returning to Maryport. Photo by Terry Little |
After so many unsuccessful fishing trips, I have a feeling we’re going to find it very hard to convince ourselves that it’s worth going out in search of fish again for a long time ☹
Phil packed away his fishing rods last weekend saying he may wait until the smooth-hounds, tope and spurdogs arrive before we go again.
Having said that, he's changed his mind and we’re planning a trip out tomorrow (Saturday) as the forecast is for more lovely, calm, sunny weather 😊
Death of the sunken boat
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Floriage submerged in Maryport Marina last week |
Floriage - the boat that sank in our marina here in Maryport, Cumbria, UK, last week causing the marina to be drained down – twice - stayed afloat after the work carried out during the drain down last Friday.
Marina staff then checked on her hourly and pumped out her bilges on a regular basis to keep her afloat over the weekend.
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Floriage being pulled along the marina wall |
They used ropes to move her around the marina to the wall opposite the end of the slipway on Monday morning.
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Floriage on the boat hoist ready to be lifted out of the water |
She was lifted out of the water on the boatyard hoist on Tuesday and a demolition firm started breaking her up on Wednesday.
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Floriage being demolished on Wednesday |
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This is all that was left of Floriage at close of play yesterday (Thursday) |
It was sad to see a boat being torn apart, but it had to be done as she was obviously beyond repair.
Ravensdale’s mini-me
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Phil drilling holes in the dinghy transom for the lifting rings |
Phil decided to get our dinghy out and check it as we hadn’t looked at it for at least a year.
It was also taking up a lot of space on the flybridge, so he inflated it, fitted the lifting rings that were supplied with the dinghy to its transom and tied ropes onto them to hang it from the davits.
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The lifting rings fixed to the dinghy transom |
He also greased the winches on the davits and wire brushed and greased the wires and hooks to make sure they were working properly.
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Our dinghy hanging from Ravensdale's davits |
Flybridge cover
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Me repairing Ravensdale's flybridge cover whil Ruby stands guard |
The vinyl trim around the edges of Ravensdale’s flybridge cover was coming unstitched so I dug out the strong, rot-proof thread I bought when I sewed a patch on the cover to mend it last year.
I knew my domestic sewing machine was not going to be strong enough to sew through two layers of the vinyl trim and two layers of the Sunbrella fabric of which the cover is made so it had to be sewn by hand.
I selected a strong needle and put on the sailmaker’s palm that we bought for whipping ropes. I also got out my thimble in the hope that these two things would enable me to push the needle through the fabric without hurting myself.
I thought there was only one length of stitching needed but kept finding more sections that needed sewing and wasn’t able to do them all in one go.
I eventually had to stop because, despite my best efforts to protect my hand, the thumb and index finger on my right hand became really sore just from gripping the needle and pulling it through the fabric.
I completed the stitching I’d set out to do and a few other lengths that needed attention but will have to have another look when my thumb and finger have recovered enough to do it again.
Ruby of Ravensdale
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Ruby on lookout duty on the foredeck |
Ruby takes her lookout duties very seriously and is always out on deck to check any strange noises she hears.
She sits right in the middle of the walkway to the aft deck, so we can only get in if she stands back and lets us through 😊
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Ruby sitting in the entrance to Ravensdale's aft deck |
She also likes to watch anyone walking past Ravensdale on the road alongside the marina that leads to the lighthouse, pier and beach.
But she hasn’t been down to run on the beach this week.
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Phil stops to talk to another dog walker while out walking Ruby |
We suddenly realised that all the time she spent running free on the beach could have been causing her to keep stopping in the hope we’d let her off her lead.
We still take her out for regular walks, but she stays on the lead and it seems to be working.
We’re managing to stop her pulling and she stops much less frequently. And, when she does stop, it’s easier to get her moving again.
She’s met a lot of people and dogs on her walks this week and always gets on well with any dogs when their owners are happy for them to stop and meet each other.
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Ruby playing with Tess |
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Ruby playing with Sandy |
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Ruby meets Molly |
Once, we feel she’s got the hang of walking on the lead, we’ll go back to letting her off again.
Meanwhile, she seems to have got all her teeth through now.
I noticed that there didn’t seem to be any spaces now while trying to clean her teeth and got an even better look at them while holding a bone for her to chew on it on the aft deck on Tuesday.
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Ruby chewing the bone she brought me to hold for her |
She is so funny. Rather than sit and chew a bone quietly on her own, she brings it to us and wants us to hold it while she chews on it. Talk about lazy! 😊
A closer look at Ruby's shiny new adult teeth |
And she really doesn’t like the dinghy hanging from the davits. She can be really funny about anything that she thinks is in the wrong place and keeps barking at it. Hopefully, she’ll soon accept it as it’s staying put.
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The view of the dinghy from Ravensdale's aft deck that seems to annoy Ruby so much |
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Ruby sitting at the top of the steps to the galley on Ravensdale |
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Ruby relaxing in the saloon but still watching what's going on in the galley |
Family visit
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Me with Ed, Sarah, Holly and Isla at Maryport Marina |
My oldest son, Ed, his wife, Sarah, and my two beautiful granddaughters came to visit us on Sunday.
They live in west Wales and were staying in the Lake District
I was so pleased when they said they were coming to Maryport for the day and thankfully the weather was dry and bright, which helped a lot.
It was the first time they’d been on Ravensdale and the first time they’d met Ruby, who got rather over excited at having so many people on the boat 😊
After coffee and a catch-up, we all had lunch on Ravensdale before walking over to The Aquarium on the harbourside here in Maryport.
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Ed, Holly, Phil, Isla and Sarah at the Aquarium's touch pool |
We were very fortunate that, although I hadn’t thought to check on feeding times, we were there when the fish in the touch pool were being fed.
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Holly touching one of the Thornback rays |
The girls seemed to enjoy seeing the sea creatures on display and particularly liked being able to touch the rays in the touch pool.
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Isla and her Dad trying to identify the fish in one of the tanks |
We then went into the café at the Aquarium for a drink before the girls got to play in the Shiver me Timbers adventure playpark there.
When we got back to the marina, it was getting late so they set off back to the Lakes, but not until after I’d got Phil to take a photo of me with them as I’d completely forgotten to ask him to take one when we were on Ravensdale.
It was lovely to see them all. I’m so glad they enjoyed the day and very grateful for the lovely flowers they brought me as an early birthday present 😊
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My early birthday flowers 😊 |
The Aquarium
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Strange-looking sea creatures at the Aquarium |
I’ve been meaning to go over to The Aquarium to take photos of some of the fascinating sea creatures on display since I was given a year’s free membership as a thank you for letting them use some of my photos on their postcards and greetings cards.
But there always seemed to be something else that I needed or wanted to do, and I was still saying that I’d do it next week.
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A seahorse at the Aquarium |
So, my granddaughters coming to visit on Sunday provided the spur I needed to get me over there and I totally loved it.
I’m sure having the grandkids with us made it even better, but it really is a fantastic tourist attraction.
I took lots of photos, mainly of the girls, but also of the fish and other sea creatures, and I discovered that I really do need to work on my low light photography.
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Sea anemones |
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One of the many tanks of fish |
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Starfish at the Aquarium |
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A conger eel hiding in the rocks |
Most were taken with flash, but flash photography is not allowed for some tanks, including those containing the octopus and the cuttlefish. I tried taking photos of them without the flash, but they're not as clear as I would’ve liked.
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A cuttlefish taken without the use of flash |
So, I have every intention of getting over there again soon to see if I can improve on the images I took this time.
I’ve lost the plot 😊
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Even Ruby thinks I've gone totally bonkers 😊 |
While we were shopping in Lidl this week, Phil and I had the following conversation, if you can even call it a conversation 😊
Me (with feeling): “Oh no! That is so annoying!”
Phil: “What is?”
Me (with confused expression): “I don’t know. I’ve forgotten.”
I then laughed so much I thought I was going to burst, and shopping became almost impossible.
I’m assuming it’s an age thing so there really isn’t much hope as I’ll be another year older on Sunday.
I dread to think what I'll be like this time next week 😊
Wildlife
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The grey mullet that swam past Ravensdale yesterday (Thursday) |
The grey mullet were visible in the marina this week for the first time this year.
Earlier this week, I saw a single grey mullet and we've seen a few larger fish jumping but hadn't seen them clearly until yesterday (Thursday) when a small shoal of them swam past Ravensdale.
We didn't see many mullet in the water in the marina last summer whereas the previous year there were large shoals of 40-50 fish so it will be interesting to see how many are around this year.
I hadn't seen the lone cygnet that was a regular visitor to Ravensdale for a few days and thought it had found another source of food but it was back this morning and is looking much whiter than the last time it was here.
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The lone cygnet well on the way to getting its adult plummage |
Photography
Another trip out onto the Solway Firth on Ravensdale last Friday gave me the opportunity to take more photos from the water.
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Maryport from the basin |
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The entrance to Maryport Basin from the Solway Firth |
I always enjoy taking photos of the shore from the firth as they give me a chance to get views of Maryport and the surrounding area that other people are less likely to take.
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Skiddaw and Ullock Pike from the Solway Firth |
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Yellow rape fields from the Solway Firth |
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Maryport from the Solway Firth |
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Another view of Maryport from the Solway Firth |
I also took my camera for a walk around the harbour and up to town on Wednesday.
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Fishing boats in Maryport Harbour |
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Colourful fishing boats in the harbour |
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Another view of Maryport Harbour |
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Looking out towards the Solway Firth from Shipping Brow in Maryport |
Weather Watch
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Ravensdale basking in the sunshine on Saturday (taken with my phone) |
It seems that spring has sprung at long last 😊
We’ve had some lovely dry, sunny weather here in Maryport over the past week with the temperature going up into the low 20s over the past couple of days.
And more good weather is promised for the Easter weekend.
Saturday was dry and sunny with a good breeze, but it was still quite cool with the temperature only reaching 8C (46F) and a top average wind speed of 14mph.
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Sunny Saturday at Maryport Marina |
After a cold night, with temperatures down to 1C (34F), Sunday started sunny with more cloud developing as the day went on. It stayed dry all day with a top temperature of 10C (50F) and a top average wind speed of 23mph.
Monday was a dry and sunny with a good breeze. The temperature rose to 14C (57F) and the highest average wind speed recorded locally was 19mph.
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Another sunny day at Maryport Marina on Monday |
Tuesday started grey but still fairly bright. We had a little bit of light rain for a short while during the morning, followed by a brighter spell and light rain again during the afternoon. The top temperature was 11C (52F) and the top average wind speed was 8mph.
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Ravensdale on a grey day at Maryport Marina on Tuesday |
Wednesday was another dry and sunny day and became lovely and warm after a cool start of 6C (43F) at 8am. I dug out my shorts and a T-shirt for the first time this year as the temperature rose to 19C (66F). The top average wind speed during the day was 11mph.
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Bright sunshine at Maryport Marina on Wednesday |
And, so far today (Friday), is another beautiful day with wall-to-wall sunshine and very little wind. The top temperature, so far, is 19C (66F) and the top average wind speed is recorded as 14mph.
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Paddleboarders making the most of the sunny weather at Maryport marina this morning (Friday) |
