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.

Our boat bequest dilemma and the return of the missing brush

An early morning shot of Ravensdale at Maryport Marina, Cumbria, UK

We’ve spent a lot of time thinking this week – about where we want to be for the next few years and what happens to our boat when we die.

Phil and I are trying to sort out our wills and are struggling to work out how to deal with our 43ft seagoing cruiser Ravensdale.

We’ve also been missing the Scottish mountains, having lived in the Highlands for 16 years before selling our house and moving onto our boat 17 months ago.

We’ve been based at Maryport Marina in Cumbria, UK, ever since, but we’re now looking at marinas in Scotland with a view to heading up that way.

We’re also considering a move to Wales, where we’d be closer to our families.

Meanwhile, we’ve been totally amazed by the reappearance of a deck brush that Phil lost overboard while cleaning Ravensdale in the marina last week.

Our will dilemma

The death of a fellow liveaboard has left us trying to decide what happens to our boat when we die.

For some time, Phil and I have been thinking that our wills needed revising as they were written 18 years ago.

There have been many changes in our lives since then, the biggest of which was probably selling our house and buying the boat that is now our home. If one of us went first, the boat would go to the other one. Our concern is what happens if we both go together. 

Our Neptunus 133 at Maryport Marina

We can’t help thinking that leaving someone a boat, or even a part share in a boat, is very different to leaving them a house.

For a start, selling a house is usually considerably easier than selling a boat.

Also, a boat costs a small fortune in mooring fees, insurance and maintenance that would have to be financed until she was sold, which could take months or even years.

I’ve heard it said that you only leave a boat to your worst enemy. Thankfully, we don’t have any of those (as far as we’re aware 😊) and we certainly wouldn’t want Ravensdale to become a millstone around the necks of any of our family.

I posted a question on a couple of Facebook liveaboard groups in the hope that someone had found a good solution to this problem and got a wide variety of answers.

As always, I was amazed at how helpful other folk are when we ask for help and advice and amused, but not in the least bit surprised, by the number of people who offered to solve our problem by taking Ravensdale off our hands when we go 😊

Some even offered to take ownership of her now, but I pointed out that we’re hoping to spend many more happy years living aboard before she needs to be rehomed. 

Phil and I enjoying some winter sunshine on Ravensdale's foredeck while at anchor

And a few people recommended a Viking funeral, which could be appropriate given my husband's Norwegian roots 😊

The sensible suggestions included asking our families whether they would want her, which we’d intended to do anyway, but we were trying to get a clearer picture of how it could work before asking them.

Others put forward the idea of leaving her to charity, which is a definite possibility if none of the family wants to take her on.

Another option was to set up some sort of trust fund to pay her expenses until she could be sold and the money raised could then be divided as stipulated in our wills.

We’ve now spoken to our relatives about this and are planning to take legal advice on the best way to ensure things go smoothly when we're gone.

Having written this, I’m feeling a little bit guilty talking about Ravensdale in this way. I sort of feel I should be covering her ears, so she doesn’t hear our discussions about her future 😊

The Swan Man

It was the death of Phil Lee, who became known locally as the Swan Man because he fed the pair of swans that were regular visitors to our marina, that set us thinking about our own wills.

The Swan Man with the swans at Maryport Marina

I attended his funeral last month and we offered to scatter his ashes at sea if that was what the family wanted.

We got to know his sister, who’s his only surviving relative, while she and her husband were here removing his belongings from his boat.

They’re not boating people and are having to deal with things like mooring fees, insurance and selling the boat, which is now on the market.

And they’ve left an urn containing his ashes with us to take out to sea next time we go.

Meanwhile, the swans have still not returned since he died and I volunteered to feed them, but I’m sure they’ll be back once the nesting season is over.

A cygnet hitching a ride on Mum's back

And, when they return, I’m hoping they’ll bring their cygnets with them as they did last year.

Marina thoughts – do we stay, or do we go?

Every time I see photos of the Scottish mountains, I have a hankering to return.

Phil and I at the summit of 3,274ft Ben More Assynt in April 2007

This week, I asked Phil if he felt the same way and he said he did.

We first moved to Scotland in 2000 because we loved the mountains and the stunning landscapes. And we spent a lot our free time while living there out in the hills.

During that time, we lived in Sutherland, Easter Ross and latterly near Fort William in Lochaber, where I never got tired of seeing Ben Nevis on my way to work every day.

This conversation set us thinking about whether we should consider moving our boat up to Scotland, so we’ve been researching suitable marinas that would give us easy access to the hills, including the possibility of Tarbert in Argyll, where we have friends with boats.

Tarbert Marina on the west coast of Scotland

We’re also looking at marinas in Wales – north Wales would mean we’d still be close to mountains, but west or south Wales would mean we’d be closer to my children and grandchildren and Phil’s brother.

Or we might just stay put as we like it here too.

Decisions! decisions!

But at least living on a boat, we can move our home anywhere we want without having to go through the palaver of selling one house and buying another 😊

Creatures of habit

Is it only me or do other people who regularly use the toilet and shower facilities at their marina tend to use the same one and consider it “their toilet” or "their shower"?

I know it’s unreasonable to even think this way.

The toilet and shower block at Maryport Marina

However, if I walk into the toilet and shower block and somebody is in the shower I use, even if I’m not planning to have a shower at that time, I can’t help thinking: “There’s somebody in my shower!”

And it’s happening more often since the marina caravan site reopened at Easter.

Actually, I know it isn’t only me as I was speaking to a liveaboard from another marina recently who told me she’s exactly the same, which was a huge relief as I thought I was the only one 😊

Return of the missing brush

After two tides had come in and gone out again, the deck brush that fell overboard while Phil was cleaning Ravensdale Friday lunchtime, turned up at the far end of the marina on Saturday morning.

Phil washing Ravensdale with the brush that went missing

That would have been amazing enough, but even more so was its location and the way in which it had come to rest.

It was upright, leaning against the wall at the bottom of a flight of stone steps down into the water next to an old trawler, called the Sara Maria, which is more than 100 yards from our boat and right next to the marina gate.

View from Ravensdale's aft deck showing the Sara Maria at the far end of the marina

We can only think that the wooden handle was lighter than the head causing it to float in an upright position and it came to rest on a ledge at the bottom of the steps, where the head was tangled up in the seaweed.

Phil retrieving the brush from the other end of the marina

As the handle had been out of the water for some time, it had almost dried out. Phil rinsed out the head in the marina water and it’s as good as new – well, not quite as it wasn’t that good when he lost it, but it’s no worse than it was.

And, as it was his favourite soft deck brush, which holds water, we were very happy to get it back.

We just couldn’t believe how and where it was when we found it.

How lucky was that? 😊

Pelican of London

I’ve been wanting to take a trip to Whitehaven Marina, which is about 15 miles from Maryport, ever since a tall ship, called Pelican of London, arrived there Easter weekend.

However, since then, most of the time the weather wasn’t good for photographs and, when it was, we were busy doing other things.

The light still wasn’t great on Monday, but we decided to go anyway as we also needed some cleaning materials from the chandlery at the marina as we don't have one here.

Pelican of London at Whitehaven Marina in Cumbria

The 34.6m long, 21.2m high square rigger is a sail training ship based in Weymouth, Dorset, in the UK.

Built in 1948 as Pelican, she served as an Arctic trawler and then a coastal trading vessel named Kadett until 1995.

She is now used as a sail training ship. She has seven crew members and can take up to 32 trainees - Pelican of London

Other photographic opportunities

I haven’t been out for as many walks with my camera, as usual, this week but, when I did, I more than made up for it with the number of photos I took – more deleting required 😊

There was a lovely golden light during the evening on Sunday and some great reflections on the water in Maryport harbour around the time of the high tide.

A calm evening at Maryport harbour

Rippled reflections of some of the fishing boats in Maryport harbour

More colourful fishing boats in Maryport harbour

A fishing boat leaving Maryport harbour

I also used the trip to Whitehaven as an opportunity to take photos of the marina, as well as Pelican of London. The light wasn’t great, but there was no way I could resist taking a few (OK, more than a few 😊) snaps while there.

Whitehaven Marina in the sunshine

Another view of Whitehaven Marina

The sea lock at Whitehaven Marina

A wider view of Whitehaven Marina

Marina wildlife

Although we haven’t seen the swans in the marina for about a month, a pair of mallards turn up from time to time looking for food and I feed them if they come near our boat.

Meanwhile, I’ve spent ages sitting on Ravensdale’s foredeck with my camera trying to get photos of the pigeons coming and going from the drainage hole in the harbour wall near our boat.

One of the pigeons sitting in the drainage hole

They've been nesting in there even though water pours through it from the road above whenever it rains and, up until now, it seemed to be working out fine for them.

Sadly, last night, after very heavy rain, the nest was washed down into the entrance of the hole. We have no idea whether there are eggs or babies in it, but there was nothing we could do to help.

Sadder still, it seems that they're planning to rebuild in the same place as we've seen them carrying nesting material into the hole this morning (Friday).

The pigeons' nest washed out of the drainage pipe

We’re also still keeping an eye out for the pair of otters that we saw playing in the water in the marina recently, especially in the evening, but we haven’t seen them again since.

Unseasonal weather

The weather here in Maryport hasn’t been very spring-like this week.

Even when the sun has come out, there has still been a cool wind, and there hasn’t been a particularly good sunset all week or, if there has, I’ve missed it, which is probably nearer the truth given my track record 😊

I took a couple of photos of a so, so sunset on Friday, but that was as good as it got.

Sunset over Maryport Marina and caravan site

View from Ravensdale's aft deck at sunset on Friday evening

Saturday promised to be the best day of the week, which was good as we had friends coming to visit from Scotland. It started calm, dry and reasonably sunny, but started raining late morning.

Sunday morning was sunny first thing, then the mist rolled in from the sea. It lifted late morning and the sun came out again. The daytime temperature peaked at 8.6C (47F), with a light southerly wind during the day, however, it moved around to northerly by 8pm.

It was fairly cool overnight Sunday/Monday with a low of 2.8C (37F).

On Monday, we had sun, then mist, then sun again, with very little wind, and the highest temperature recorded locally during the day was 10.4C (51F).

Monday morning mist at Maryport Marina

Monday night into Tuesday was one of the warmest nights yet, with temperatures ranging from 7C to 10C (44-50F).

Tuesday started calm, but the wind picked up during the day. We had north and east-northeasterly winds averaging up to 31mph and gusting up to 41mph. It rained most of the day with temperatures from about 6C to 8C (43-46F).

The temperature didn’t drop much overnight with a low of 5.1C (41F) recorded locally.

Wednesday was overcast and not particularly pleasant despite being the warmest day of the week, with the temperature hitting 12.3C (54F) at 5pm. It felt a lot colder in the north and northeasterly winds with a top average speed of 22mph, gusting 34mph.

Overnight Wednesday into yesterday (Thursday) was another mild night. Northeasterly winds up to 18mph were recorded during the night, which is not particularly high, but the boat was still rocking well due to the wind direction. The water was also making a lot of noise slapping again Ravensdale’s hull – lapping is good, slapping is not so good 😊

Phil wrapped up against the wind while filling Ravensdale's freshwater tank yesterday

Yesterday was another mainly overcast and windy day, although the sun did attempt to come out a few times. with temperatures up to 10.9C (51F) but still feeling cool in the north and northeasterly wind. Last night was mild again and today (Friday) we woke up to rain, which stopped mid-morning.