Our first trip out on the water this year after almost two months stuck in the marina

Ravensdale leaving Maryport early yesterday (Friday) morning

A brief weather window provided an opportunity to take Ravensdale out on the water yesterday (Friday) for the first time this year.

High winds have plagued this part of the UK for much of the past eight weeks and we had very high winds here in Maryport, Cumbria, again today (Saturday).

But yesterday was much calmer so I took the day off work and we headed out onto the Solway Firth for a fishing trip.

Meanwhile, I checked our records to discover that we took Ravensdale out on the water 37 times during 2019 – an average of once every 9.8 days – not quite the once a week we aim for but not too far off either 😊


First fishing trip of the year

Calm conditions at Maryport Marina when we got up yesterday (Friday) morning

The weather has been either wet or windy – usually both - most of the time for weeks, which has stopped us getting out on the water on our 43ft Neptunus 133 motor cruiser since November 18.

Over the past week, I could see that the only chance of weather calm enough for a trip out looked likely to be on Friday, but I’m currently working five days a week.

By Thursday, it became obvious that it was probably our only opportunity for at least another week, so I asked my boss for the day off.

When I first started my seasonal job at the factory she said she didn’t mind if I wanted to go out on the boat instead of going to work so I said we’d check the weather in the morning and let her know whether I’d be in or not.

I packed up all the movable stuff inside the boat on Thursday evening, so we’d be ready for a quick getaway if we decided to go.

Yesterday (Friday) morning, we got up at the same time I usually get up for work and I started getting ready while Phil went around to the pier to check the sea state. It was still dark, but he thought it looked OK.

We ate breakfast, fed Ruby and took her out then both went to check the sea in daylight. It wasn’t as calm as we’d hoped but not too bad, so we decided to go anyway.

I messaged my boss to say I was going fishing instead of going to work and she said she hoped we had a good time.

I really can’t believe I have a job, albeit temporary, that allows me to take the day off to go out on the boat if the weather is nice 😊

Ravensdale leaving Maryport Marina yesterday (Friday) morning

We left the marina at around 9.20am and headed up the coast towards Allonby Bay.

Ravensdale leaving Maryport Basin and heading out onto the Solway Firth

As we hadn’t run the engines for a while, Phil took the speed a little higher than our usual cruising speed of 8-9 knots and ran the engines at speeds of up to 11.4kn on the way there.

Phil at the helm of Ravensdale

Ravensdale on her way to Phil's favourite fishing spot in Allonby Bay

Ravensdale's wake with Maryport in the distance

We dropped anchor and Phil set up three fishing rods in the hope of catching one of the larger cod that we’ve seen fishermen catching from the shore in this area in recent weeks.

Sadly, it was not to be.

Phil setting up his fishing rods

The water was bumpier than we’d hoped, but I guess it wasn’t really surprising given that it had been very windy on Thursday

Strong winds were also forecast for later yesterday afternoon, throughout the night and into today (Saturday), when the winds were expected to gust up to around 60mph.

The wind started to get up soon after we’d dropped anchor, but Phil persevered with the fishing for a while.

Phil with the codling he caught on this trip

Me enjoying being back out on the water

It seemed like ages before he even got a bite and the only fish he caught on this trip was one codling, which was thankfully big enough to keep and we ate it for supper with chips, peas and tartare sauce 😊

Ruby seemed quite happy in her cage so we left her there as she wouldn’t really have enjoyed staggering around the deck.

I always set an alarm on my phone for an hour before the marina gate is due to close, as it’s only open for about two and half hours either side of high tide.

However, we didn’t wait until the alarm went off to start packing up.

Ravensdale became stuck across the tide when it turned as the wind was too strong to allow her to swing around to face into the tide.

Phil's last cast before we packed up to go home

She was rolling a good bit and the wind was forecast to get stronger still, so we decided to stop fishing, lift the anchor and head for home.

Phil at the helm of Ravensdale on the way home

Ravensdale returning to Maryport

And we were back in the marina at around midday after just over two and a half hours out on the Solway Firth.

As we’d been meaning to top up Ravensdale’s diesel tank for some time, but the weather hadn’t been good, we decided to fill her up on the way back to our mooring.

Ravensdale heading back into Maryport Marina

Phil stopped her in the basin on the way back to the marina so I could put mooring ropes on her starboard side and move some of the fenders across as we usually moor up on the port side, but the fuel filling cap is on the opposite side.

Reg filling up Ravensdale's diesel tank while Phil chats to Evan

Reg, the marina foreman, met us on the fuel pontoon and put 370 litres of diesel into the tank which topped her 1,200-litre tank back up to full again.

Phil then drove Ravensdale back down to the end of the marina by the sea gate and turned her around there so we could return to our current mooring and tie up on the port side, facing into the prevailing wind.

While he was doing this, I moved the mooring ropes and fenders back across and Reg met us on the pontoon to catch the ropes for us.

It may not have been the most successful fishing trip ever, but it was good to get out on the water again after so long, it gave Ravensdale’s two 300hp Volvo Penta engines a run and it provided our supper 😊


Missed opportunity

Ravensdale (left) at Maryport Marina on New Year's Eve. Photo by Fred Bell

New Year’s Eve was a beautiful, calm and cold day and one of the few days in the past couple of months that we could’ve taken a trip out.

Many of the boats in the marina went out for a sail or to fish, but Ravensdale was stuck in the marina because I was at work.

When I saw the forecast, I considered asking my boss for the day off as she’d always said she didn’t mind it I wanted to go fishing instead of going to work.

However, I decided to work as I didn’t know how much longer my seasonal job would last and I wanted to put in as much time as I could while I had the chance.

I’m still glad I made the decision I made.

However, it was harder to believe I’d made the right choice when I saw a Facebook post of our boat in the marina with a clear blue sky and flat calm water while I was sat in a factory with no windows eating my packed lunch ☹ 


Our fourth New Year on Ravensdale

Ravensdale's Christmas decorations stayed up until Saturday, January 4

We saw in the New Year on Ravensdale with a bottle of wine, a box of chocolates and Netflix.

I’m sure it’s not everyone’s idea of celebrating the start of a new year and, in this case, a new decade, but it suited us just fine.

It also meant I got to see in the New Year with Ruby even if she did fall asleep long before the big event.

At the end of each year, I always wonder what we’ll be doing this time next year.

When I asked myself that question on New Year’s Eve 2015, I had no idea we’d be selling our house and buying a boat, which enabled me to retire from my job as a daily journalist in October of the following year.

On each subsequent New Year’s Eve, I’ve wondered if we’ll still be living on Ravensdale next year and, if so, where she’ll be moored.

I certainly never imagined that we’d still be at Maryport Marina more than four years after we bought our boat here and decided to “stay for a while before moving on”.

And, this time last year, I never even considered that I’d be working in a local factory and loving every minute of it.

Now I’m wondering if we’ll still be in Maryport this time next year.

I guess we’ll just have to wait and see…


Ruby of Ravensdale

Ruby in her favourite spot in Ravensdale's saloon

One of the highlights of last year for me was watching Ruby grow from the timid little puppy we brought home with us just before Christmas 2018 into the beautiful, loving, friendly dog she is today.

I really can’t imagine life without her now. She’s great company, so much fun and I love her to bits.

She’s been having some lovely walks and runs on the beach with Phil while I’ve been at work and I’ve enjoyed joining them on walks at the weekend.

Ruby playing with Ted, a cocker spaniel, we met while out walking

Swan family

The two adult swans and one cygnet on a recent visit to the marina

The swan family appear to have lost a cygnet.

There were two adults and two young ones but there has only been one cygnet with its parents on recent visits to the marina.

Phil tells me he saw the cygnets with their parents on the Solway Firth shortly before Christmas, but there hasn’t been any sign of it since, which is very sad.


In the news

The newspaper cutting about my fund-raising effort for Maryport Inshore Rescue

My fund-raising effort for Maryport Inshore Rescue made it into our local newspaper - the Times and and Star.

The photo of me handing over the £1,120 cheque to the team was printed along with an article stating that it had helped to pay for repairs to the rescue boat after it was damaged while rescuing a fishing boat in the Solway Firth last month.

I have to say, it seemed really weird appearing in a newspaper rather than writing it 😊 


Photography

Looking back at Maryport as we headed out onto the Solway Firth yesterday (Friday)

I haven’t had a lot of chance to take photos again, partly due to work but also due to the horrible weather when I have been at home.

I took a few photos around the harbour with my mobile phone on the Friday afternoon after Christmas.

Fishing boats in Maryport Harbour at high tide

Maryport Harbour

Another view of Maryport Harbour

Fishing boats reflected in the still water at Maryport Harbour

I grabbed a quick shot of the beautiful sunrise that I spotted out of the window while getting ready for work on Friday, January 3.

Sunrise over Maryport Marina on Friday, January 3

As usual, I took some quite a few photos while we were out on the Solway Firth yesterday (Friday).

Maryport Lighthouse

Sun breaking through stormy clouds

Maryport Basin

Maryport from the Solway Firth

Sun reflected in the Solway Firth

And I took my camera around to the shore around high tide today (Saturday) to capture the big waves whipped up by the high winds.

Big waves smashing against South Pier at Maryport

Wild water on the shore at Maryport

A huge wave crashing onto the shore at Maryport

Another big wave rolls along the pier

Weather watch

The windswept view from Maryport's South Pier at high tide today (Saturday)

Wind and rain have definitely been the predominant features of the weather over the past fortnight - followed by more wind and more rain.

I’m told there were occasional breaks in the clouds when the sun put in a brief appearance, but I didn’t get to witness these ☹

The worst of the weather was over the weekend of December 27-28 and Thursday, January 2 when the wind was gusting up to 44mph. There was also a lot of heavy rain.

On Monday, January 6 and Tuesday, January 7, we had high winds with gusts of up to 50mph with torrential rain at times.

Overnight Tuesday, January 7 into Wednesday, January 8 was a windy night with average wind speeds of up to 25mph, gusting 34mph.

One of the best days was New Year’s Eve when temperatures dropped to 0C (32F) in the early morning and there was frost on the pontoons first thing.

This was followed by a dry, bright, calm and cold day.

The top temperature was 7C (45F) and the top average wind speed was 16mph at St Bees Head – our nearest weather station - but it was definitely much calmer than that here.

And yesterday (Friday) it was dry, cloudy and calm first thing.

The wind got up as the morning went on and the sun came out for a while around lunchtime.

The wind continued to build during the afternoon and evening with heavy rain after dark.

The top temperature was 7C (45F) and the top average wind speed during the day was 24mph, gusting 33mph.

Overnight last night, the wind speed reached 34mph with gusts of up to 49mph and today (Saturday) was even windier with average wind speeds up to 40mph, gusting 56mph.

Me wearing my lifejacket on the pontoons during a period of high wind today (Saturday)

It was so windy that we put on our lifejackets every time we left Ravensdale and went out onto the pontoons.

As the wind began to subside late afternoon, we had a downpour of heavy rain.

Our third New Year afloat and our new puppy is becoming a sea dog

Ruby exploring Ravensdale's foredeck

New Year is one of those times when we tend to look back over the previous 12 months and consider where we might be this time next year.

This time last year, when we were wondering what the next 12 months would bring, we didn’t really think we would still be in Maryport, Cumbria, UK.

And we had absolutely no idea that we would be starting 2019 with a gorgeous, new Staffordshire bull terrier puppy.

But I’m very happy on both counts and Ruby is adapting to boat life really well 😊

I wonder where we’ll be and what we’ll be doing this time next year…



Happy New Year!

Ravensdale on New Year's Day

Firstly, I would like to wish everyone that I haven’t already spoken to - either in person or on social media 😊 – a very Happy New Year!

We had a very quiet New Year on Ravensdale.

In many ways, it was like any other night of the year.

However, we stayed up until midnight to welcome 2019 and had a drink (or two 😊) to celebrate the occasion.

We went to bed soon after midnight and awoke to a lovely, bright, sunny, calm morning – what a great start to the New Year!

Flat calm conditions at Maryport Marina on New Year's Day

January 2 was another beautiful day, and, for a brief moment, I tried to convince myself that the rest of the year was going to be the same.

I like to think of myself as an optimist – a diesel tank half full rather than half empty kind of person – but even I couldn’t get myself to believe that one 😊

The weather remained calm yesterday (Thursday) but the sunshine had been replaced by thick cloud making it a very grey day.

Never mind, we have a whole new year to look forward to and a super cute puppy to share it with so life is looking good 😊


Ruby seems at home on the boat

Ruby fast asleep on the seating in the dinette

Our new staffie pup, Ruby, will be 10 weeks old on Sunday, by which time she will have been with us for a fortnight, and she has already settled in well.

She seems to be happy and is very comfortable in her new surroundings.

Thankfully, we’ve had fairly calm weather since we brought her home, so she hasn’t really seen the boat rocking as it can do, but it has been moving at times and it doesn’t seem to bother her at all.

Hopefully, by the time, the weather is less calm Ruby will be so used to the boat moving that she will hardly notice the difference.

And I’m very pleased to say that I’m no longer having to spend half the night sleeping on the sofa with her.

Ruby with her bone

Phil started getting up to take her out to do what she needed to do when she woke in the night and started crying.

He then put her back in her cage and she settled back down until morning.

He did this for a couple of nights, getting up at around 3.30am – 4.30am to take her out.

And we were amazed when we awoke on Wednesday morning to discover she’d happily stayed in her cage all night without making a sound.

Phil got up to take her out when she started whining quietly at around 7.30am, which we considered a real achievement after such a short time.

And she has done the same every night since.

Ruby cuddled up asleep with one of her toys 

I was a bit concerned that she might be scared by the fireworks on New Year’s Eve, but I needn’t have worried. There were very few fireworks around here and those that did go off were so pathetic that I couldn’t even hear them. Ruby slept through the whole thing.

On New Year’s Day, she went and sat in her bed in her cage on her own for a short while in the morning and, a bit later in the day, she went back in, laid down and went to sleep.

Ruby wakes up in her cage

She seems to like going in her cage more since I dug out an old cushion for her.

She always puts her head on a cushion when she goes to sleep on the seating on Ravensdale, so we thought she might like one of her own and it seems to have worked.

Ruby happily laying in her cage with the cushion that seems to have made her like being there

Ruby in her cage watching the door to the boat waiting for Phil to return

We were about to go out for a walk when she went into her cage and fell asleep.

Ruby cuddled up to Phil's side

I didn’t want to lock her in and disappear the first time she did that in case it put her off doing it again. So, we put off our walk until later in the day and waited until she woke up and came out when she was ready.

But she still likes to fall asleep cuddled up to either Phil or I when she gets the chance.

Her toilet training is also going well.

We take Ruby out onto the pontoons every few hours and always when she wakes up, after food and after play sessions. And she’s had very few accidents in the boat.

She’s very confident walking on the pontoons now. Phil even took her out onto one of the narrow fingers and made it wobble and she didn't seem to mind at all.

She also enjoys meeting people and the few dogs that have come into the marina over the past week.

Phil and Ruby leaving Ravensdale for a walk on the pontoons at Maryport Marina

Phil walking Ruby on one of the narrow finger pontoons

We always check other dogs are fully vaccinated and good with puppies before letting her go near them and she definitely isn’t nervous around them. In fact, quite the opposite, she goes straight up to them and tries to get them to play.

Meanwhile, the swan family still don’t like her very much.

Phil protecting Ruby from the swan family

Ruby gets a closer look at one of the swans

The swans and cygnets hiss at her and she very sensibly keeps her distance but seems a lot less frightened of them than she was during their first encounter.

Ruby discovers her home is floating on the water

Ruby has been for a couple of walks around Ravensdale’s decks and is very interested in everything.

My battle scars from playing with Ruby

But one thing she wasn’t very keen on this week was when we took the cover off the windscreen for the first time since we brought her home.

On Wednesday, Phil removed the cover to let the sunshine warm up the boat.

At first, she was really nervous of all the extra light it allowed in.

She ran down to the opposite end of the saloon and started shaking but she soon got used to it and carried on as normal.

We were surprised at her reaction, but I guess it’s equivalent to someone taking away one of the walls in a house 😊

And yesterday (Thursday) I discovered just how sharp her little teeth and claws are when she caught my nose while we were playing.

I now have two little scratches to show for it – one on each side of my nose.



Christmas is over ☹

Phil removing the Christmas lights from Ravensdale's bimini frame

Ravensdale's Christmas tree before it was knocked over

We took the decorations down on Wednesday, including the 1,900 fairy lights on the outside of the boat and the Christmas tree and other decorations inside.

I’m usually fairly happy to get rid of the indoor decorations when the time comes but I don’t like taking the lights down outside as they make it look so pretty on cold, dark evenings.

We usually leave the decorations up until twelfth night (January 5), but Ruby knocked the Christmas tree over and half the baubles fell off.

I really couldn’t see the point in putting them back on again when it would be coming down in a few days so decided to pack the decorations away earlier than planned.

And it gave me a chance to give the boat a proper clean.

It was Ruby’s first encounter with our main vacuum cleaner as I’d only used the small rechargeable one over the Christmas period.

I thought she might be scared of it as it is much more powerful and noisier than the little hand-held one, but she wasn’t too upset by it.

She went into her cage while I was vacuuming the saloon and sat and watched from the top of the nearest set of steps when I was cleaning the galley/dinette area and the aft cabin.

Ruby making friends with the vacuum cleaner

And, as soon as I switched it off, she went straight up to it and started trying to bite it so that’s another thing she doesn’t seem to mind.


Ravensdale is still out of action

The exhaust elbow on Ravensdale's port engine that has gone away for welding

It’s been so frustrating watching other people take advantage of the calm conditions we’ve had over the past week to go out fishing while we’re stuck in the marina.

The weather was so lovely and sunny and calm on New Year’s Day and a couple of other days this week that we would probably have taken Ravensdale out on the water at some stage.

But the exhaust elbow that came away from the flange on the turbocharger last month is still away being repaired.

I guess if she had to be out of action, the festive season was as good a time as any for it to happen as it would’ve been difficult to take her out when she was covered in Christmas lights.

But they’re off now so hopefully we’ll get the exhaust pipe back and Phil will be able to refit it very soon, so we can take Ravensdale out to play on the water 😊


Swan family

One of the cygnets trying to get food out of the beaker I use to feed them

The swans have made regular visits for food again this week, especially during the cold spell on Tuesday and Wednesday.

On Wednesday, the water in the marina was covered by a thin layer of ice and the swans had to work hard to break their way through the ice to get to us.

The swans approaching Ravensdale through the ice

A not very clear photo of one of the cygnets fighting its way through the ice

I also saw a couple feeding them from the road above the marina at one stage, but they aren’t totally reliant on humans for their food.

The cygnets eating weed off the harbour wall

On a number of occasions, I've seen them eating the weed that grows along the harbour wall near our boat.


Photography

Unsurprisingly, I've taken loads of photos of Ruby again this week and I’m pretty sure she's already getting fed up with me pointing a camera at her.

I’m sure she gives me a dirty look when she spots me approaching camera in hand as much as to say: “Oh no! Not again!” 😊

Ruby giving me the look that I'm convinced means she's sick of having her photo taken

I’ve also taken lots more photos of the swans and cygnets.

And I took my camera for a walk along the shore at sunset on Saturday and Sunday.

Fishermen on the shore at Maryport at sunset on Saturday

Walkers on the coastal path at Maryport at sunset on Saturday

Sunset on the shore at Maryport on Sunday

Another view of  Sunday evening's sunset

A fisherman on the shore at Maryport on Sunday evening

On Monday, I took a walk over to the harbour around sunset.

Fishing boats in Maryport Harbour at sunset on Monday

Another view of the harbour at sunset

View across the entrance to Maryport Harbour and the River Ellen

Sunset over Maryport Basin

Maryport Coastguard station at sunset

And, on Tuesday and Wednesday, I wandered around the pontoons in the marina photographing the boats reflected in the still water.

Calm water at Maryport Marina on Tuesday

Reflections at Maryport Marina

The sea gate at Maryport Marina

Reflections at Maryport Marina on Wednesday

An old trawler that is being restored in Maryport Marina

Ravensdale at sunset with ice on the water

An attractive yacht at Maryport Marina

Weather watch

The past week has been predominantly dry and calm after a breezy weekend.

Saturday was dry and cloudy with sunny intervals and a top temperature of 10C (50F). The average wind speed reached 26mph, gusting 38mph.

Maryport Marina on Saturday afternoon

Sunday was also dry and cloudy with sunny intervals, but with less wind than the previous day. The temperature peaked at 9.6C (49F) and the top average wind speed was 16mph.

Waves on the beach at Maryport on Sunday

New Year’s Eve (Monday night) was very mild for the time of year with the night-time temperature much the same as it had been during the previous day.

It was dry and bright first thing. It then clouded over but stayed dry. The top temperature was 8.7C (48F) and the top average wind speed was 17mph.

A cloudy sky over Maryport Marina on New Year's Eve (Monday)

New Year’s Eve into New Year’s Day was a very mild night with a top temperature of 8.9C (48F).

We awoke on New Year’s Day (Tuesday) to a lovely, bright, sunny, calm morning and it stayed that way all day.

It got cooler as the day went on from 6.8C (44F) at 8am to 3.9C (39F) at 6pm and continued to fall into the evening.

Sunset at Maryport Marina on New Year's Day (Tuesday)

The top average wind speed was 13mph, gusting 30mph, first thing in the morning, but we had single-figure average wind speeds for most of the day.

Overnight Tuesday into Wednesday was a very cold night. The temperature went down to 0.7C (33F) at St Bees Head – our nearest weather station - but it was definitely colder here.

A local later told us his thermometer was reading -2C (28F) early in the morning.

We awoke to thin ice on the water in the marina.

Thin ice covered the water in the marina on Wednesday morning

Thankfully Phil had salted the pontoon from Ravensdale to the marina ramp on Tuesday evening, so it wasn’t slippery when we left the boat on Wednesday morning.

It was a bright, sunny and calm morning with the cloud cover increasing as the day went on.

The top temperature was 5.3C (42F) and the top average wind speed was 6mph first thing, then 1-3mph for the rest of the day. We would probably have taken the boat out if it hadn’t been out of action due to an exhaust problem.

Calm conditions at Maryport Marina on Wednesday afternoon

Yesterday (Thursday) was dry and calm but cloudy and dull all day. The top temperature was 2.9C (37F) and the highest average wind speed recorded at St Bees Head was 15mph, but it was considerably less than that here.

And, today (Friday), the weather has been overcast but dry. The temperature peaked at 4.9C (41F) and the average wind speed reached 9mph.