Coldest night of the winter so far and Ravensdale is stuck in the marina again

Ravensdale and snow on the iced-over water at Maryport Marina in Cumbria, UK

Freezing temperatures and a dusting of snow this morning (Friday) made us very grateful for our super efficient heating system on Ravensdale.

However cold it gets outside, we’re always lovely and warm on board our 43ft Neptunus 133.

People who haven’t stayed on a boat in cold weather always ask how we manage to keep warm when the temperature plummets.

They seem to think us liveaboards are all going to freeze to death during the winter, but thankfully that hasn’t happened to us yet 😊

And it will never happen, as long as our heating doesn’t pack up as happened in January 2016 when we were without heat for a whole month. Now, that was cold!

Meanwhile, we’ve been unable to take the boat out on the water this week and this time it was not due to the weather as we’ve had a couple of lovely calm days.

It was because the timing of the high tides meant the sea gate was not open at times we would’ve wanted to go out on the Solway Firth in Cumbria, UK.


Freezing outside but lovely and warm inside

Frost on the pontoon and Ravensdale's mooring ropes yesterday (Thursday) morning

Wednesday night into yesterday (Thursday) morning was the coldest night so far this winter with the temperature falling to -3.2C (26F).

The untreated pontoons were very slippery first thing on Thursday morning but, we’d seen the forecast for ice, so Phil salted the one leading from Ravensdale to the ramp the previous night, which meant it was safe to use in the morning.

The frosty pontoon from Ravensdale to the ramp to the marina facilities

And last night it was bitterly cold again with the mercury falling to -2.1C (28F).

We awoke this morning to a light dusting of snow, which had turned the pontoons white and settled on the patches of ice on the surface of the marina water.

It all looked very pretty. So much so that I just had to take my camera for a little walk around the marina before I went up for my shower in the marina’s toilet and shower block.

Snow and ice on the water by the marina slipway

I was going to wait until afterwards but thought the snow and ice could’ve disappeared, or at least been less impressive, by the time I had finished showering.

Having said that, the snow could hardly be classed as impressive, given that it was just a sprinkling, but we don’t get a lot of snow here in Maryport, Cumbria, so I just had to get some photographs of it 😊

Patches of snow and ice at Maryport Marina (Ravensdale is on the far end of the second pontoon)

I love the cold, bright conditions this type of weather brings but, whenever the temperature drops, we’re always very thankful for our Webasto 5 diesel heater that keeps us toasty inside our floating home.

The Webasto 5 diesel heater that keeps us warm on board Ravensdale

We also run a small fan heater in the aft cabin for a short while before going to bed and before we get up in the morning.

A dehumidifier used for about an hour night and morning keeps the cabin dry and aired.

And our electric blanket is worth its weight in gold.

Happiness is a warm, dry bed 😊


No chance to take Ravensdale out on the water

Ravensdale on the Solway Firth last month

We've only been able to take Ravensdale out onto the Solway Firth once so far this year.

Initially, we were waiting for the exhaust elbow for her port engine to be welded.

Phil refitted it as soon as we got it back, then we had to wait for calm weather.

We went out fishing on January 20, then waited for the wind to drop sufficiently for our next outing.

There was one day last week when we considered going but thankfully decided against due to the marina being iced over and, as it happens, we couldn’t have gone anyway as the marina gate remained closed while a fault was fixed.

Since then, it has either been too windy or the gate has been closed at the times we would’ve wanted to go out.

The sea gate at Maryport Marina that keeps water in the marina when the tide is out

Wednesday of this week was a lovely calm day, but the tide times meant we would’ve either had to go out very early, very late or stay out all day, which we don’t want to do until our staffie pup, Ruby, has become more used to going out on the boat.

The gate is only open for about two and a half hours either side of high tide and the high tides on Wednesday were at 07:13 and 19:47.

Oh well, at least Ravensdale is seaworthy and ready to go as soon as we get an opportunity to cast off our mooring ropes and head out of the gate.


Testing generator

Our portable generator

Phil decided to test our portable generator this week as it hadn’t been used since the last time Ravensdale was out of the marina over two tides in mid-November.

And we were very pleased to discover that it was still working well.

He let it run for a while then topped it up with petrol so it’s ready to go when we need it again.


Ruby’s new lifejacket

Ruby in her lifejacket on Ravensdale's foredeck

Our Staffordshire Bull Terrier puppy, Ruby, is also ready for our next trip out on Ravensdale.

Her new K9 Pursuits high visibility lifejacket arrived and she’s getting used to wearing it.

The first time I tried to put it on her, she fought like crazy and seemed really annoyed with me for making her wear it – or it could’ve been that she just didn’t want to have her photo taken again 😊

She hid under the table and refused to come out when she saw my camera.

If looks could kill, I wouldn’t be here anymore 😊

I left it on her for a short while on the boat, then took it off as she obviously wasn’t enjoying wearing it, so I put it away for a couple of days then tried again.

Ruby out on the pontoons in her lifejacket

This time, I managed to get it on her without too much of a struggle and she seemed happier wearing it, so I took her out for a little walk around the marina.

I then let her walk around the boat in it and she seemed to forget she was wearing it, which was good.

The plan is to put it on her from time to time so she gets used to it before we take the boat out again when she will be wearing it whenever she is up on deck.

Ruby running around Ravensdale in her new lifejacket

Ruby also had her first visit to the beach this week and totally loved it.

We let her run off the lead, and she was very happy clambering over the rocks and running on the wet sand.

Ruby and Phil on the beach at Maryport

Ruby picks up a piece of seaweed on the beach

She also met a few other dogs, including a black Labrador, called Molly, who I know to be a calm, well-behaved dog.

Her owner said he wouldn’t let Molly have her ball in case Ruby tried to go for it as Molly would let her know what she thought of that.

We said to give her ball and let Ruby get a telling off as she needed to learn how to behave around other dogs.

Ruby went for it and Molly warned her off in no uncertain terms. The next time Molly’s ball came near Ruby she gave it a wide berth so that was one lesson learnt 😊

When Ruby met Molly

When Molly wasn’t around, Ruby enjoyed playing with her own ball.

Phil and Ruby playing ball on the beach

We really want Ruby to be well socialised so we’re very pleased that she’s met lots of dogs and people this week.

Ruby sitting on the top step watching the rain

She’s getting more confident on the steps up to the door onto Ravensdale’s aft deck and has managed to get out onto the aft deck when we haven’t intended her to a couple of times so we’re going to have to be more careful about leaving the door open in the future.

She’s less happy coming down them and asks to be lifted down if either of us is close but will do them herself if not.

She’s still sleeping really well – going to bed without the slightest objection when we go to bed and not making a sound until we get up the following morning.

Saturday night into Sunday was a very windy night with lots of rocking, creaking mooring ropes and fenders slapping against the side of Ravensdale’s hull.

Phil got up in the early hours to investigate a metallic clanging sound but couldn’t see the cause. We think it may have been the guardrail hitting our metal boarding steps, which is right next to Ruby’s bed in her cage, but she slept right through all the noise.



Photography

Cold, bright weather has encouraged me to get out with my camera even more than usual over the past week.

On Sunday, I took my camera around to the shore here in Maryport in the morning and again in the afternoon.

Maryport shore at low tide with Robin Rigg wind farm in the distance

Marport's south pier at low tide

Maryport's north pier in a choppy sea

Maryport from across the basin at high tide

I also took photos of the boats in the marina on the way back from our afternoon walk.

Maryport Marina

Another view of Maryport Marina

Ravensdale at Maryport Marina

I took more photos along the shore on Monday and Tuesday.

Looking back along south pier at Maryport towards the town

Maryport shore with the Scottish hills on the far side of the Solway Firth

Maryport's south pier and the Scottish hills

A gull perching on a post on Maryport pier

And, on Tuesday, the sky over the marina coloured up in lovely shades of pink and mauve at sunset so I just had to pop out onto the pontoons and grab a few shots.

Sunset over Maryport Marina

Maryport Marina building at sunset

On Wednesday morning, I persuaded Phil to stop the car so I could take a few photos of snow on the distant hills when we drove over to our storage unit near Cockermouth to put our festive decorations away until next Christmas.

Snow on the hills in north Cumbria

Sheep grazing in a field with snowy hills in the distance

Another view of snow on the hills

The A66 Workington to Keswick road with snow on the hills beyond

During Wednesday afternoon and yesterday (Thursday) afternoon, I took more photos along

Maryport shore and pier at low tide

Maryport shore looking towards Iggesund paperboard mill at Workington

Reflections at Maryport Marina

More reflections at Maryport Marina

An unusual yellow cloud over the Solway Firth at Maryport

And today (Friday) I took my camera over to the harbour here in Maryport to get some shots of the fishing boats with a light dusting of snow around the tops of the harbour walls.

A sprinkling of snow at Maryport Harbour

Snow at Maryport Harbour

Another view of snow at Maryport Harbour

Weather watch

Last weekend was very windy with gusts of up to 60mph, but the weather became a lot calmer when the temperature dropped on Monday.

Saturday was a grey and windy day. It stayed dry during the morning with heavy rain during the afternoon. The temperature reached 7.7C (46F) and the top average wind speed was 28mph, gusting 37mph.

Overnight Saturday into Sunday was very windy with a top average wind speed of 39mph, gusting 55mph.

Waves whipped up by high winds breaking on the shore at Maryport on Sunday

It continued very windy during Sunday with the average wind speed reaching 40mph, gusting 60mph, at 8am. It was a dry and bright day but feeling cold in the northerly and north westerly wind.

Monday was dry and cold with a clear blue sky. The daytime temperature reached 4C (39F) and the top average wind speed was 13mph.

Sunshine at Maryport Marina on Monday

There was a heavy downpour during the evening.

I don’t know whether it continued throughout the night but it was raining first thing on Tuesday and carried on until lunchtime.

The same view of Maryport Marina in grey cloud on Tuesday afternoon

The weather then brightened up a little but there was still a lot of cloud around.

The top daytime temperature was 3.7C (39F) at 8am and it got colder as the day went on. The top average wind speed was 17mph.

Overnight Tuesday into Wednesday was a very cold night and we woke up to frost-covered pontoons, which Phil salted to make them safer. The temperature overnight dropped to -0.5C (31F).

It was dry, sunny, calm and cold all day on Wednesday with a top temperature of 3.5C (38F) and the top average wind speed was 8mph.

Reflections in the calm water at Maryport Marina on Wednesday

Wednesday night into yesterday (Thursday) was even colder than previous nights.

In fact, it was the coldest night of the winter so far with the temperature registering below zero all night and plummeting to -3.2C (26F) at 8am.

Yesterday was another cold, bright, sunny day. The temperature only reached 2.5C (36.5F) and was back below zero by 5pm. The top average wind speed was 15mph.

Last night (Thursday/Friday) the temperature fell to -2.1C (28F) and the average wind speed reached 16mph.

We awoke this morning to icy patches on the surface of the marina water and a light dusting of snow.

Cold and bright conditions at Maryport Marina this morning (Friday)

Today (Friday) the weather was bright, sunny and very cold with a top temperature of 1.9C (35F) and a top average wind speed of 21mph.

Why I’m very glad our boat stays in the water over winter

Phil fishing from Ravensdale's aft deck as the sun goes down

We’ve taken Ravensdale out on the water in beautiful, sunny conditions twice during the past week.

And, despite the low temperatures and lack of any decent fish, I’ve still loved every minute of it.

I sometimes think taking Ravensdale out on the Solway Firth in Cumbria, UK, on a nice, calm day during the winter is even better than on a hot, sunny day.

It somehow feels like more of a treat when it’s slotted in between periods of miserable, wet and windy weather – not that we don’t get them in the summer too 😊

And it makes it difficult to understand why some folk take their boats out of the water to store them for the winter (unless they have to, of course) as it means they then miss out on some of the pleasures of boating.

The other reason we keep Ravensdale in the water is that it's so much nicer living on her when she's floating than when she's chocked up on the hard-standing.

Gone fishing 😊

Much colder, calmer weather at the start of this week provided the opportunity to take Ravensdale out fishing - twice.

Ravensdale leaving Maryport in bright sunshine on Monday afternoon

We’d only intended to go on Monday, but the weather was even better the following day, so we made a last-minute decision to go again.

And we were very glad we did as we had torrential rain for most of the day on Wednesday, which meant we hardly left the boat.

Monday’s fishing trip

The forecast had looked good for Monday for several days beforehand, but we always wait until we see the weather on the day before making the final decision.

We got up on Monday to a beautiful, bright, calm, sunny morning and decided we would head out as soon as the marina gate opened.

As the gate wasn’t due to open until around midday, we had time to pop to the Aquarium for more bait and to do a bit of shopping before preparing Ravensdale for the trip out.

Taken while Ravensdale was heading out of Maryport Marina

We set off out into the basin and followed the channel along the side of the pier and, despite a notice warning fishermen on the pier to reel in their lines for passing boats, one of them failed to do so again.

I was sat on the bow as we went out and could see the rod next to a parked van but there was no fisherman to be seen so I assumed he'd reeled it in and was sat in his van.

Phil baiting a hook on Ravensdale's aft deck

As we got closer, I could see he did have a line out and, when we were almost level with him, he dived out of his van and grabbed his rod just as the line tightened as it caught under our boat and snapped.

It's so annoying that he had a line out and didn’t even bother watching to see if there were any boats coming.

The last time this happened was just before we had Ravensdale lifted out for antifouling and we found that fisherman’s line wrapped around her port prop shaft.

We then headed down to Allonby Bay close to where the charter boat Venture West was fishing, and Phil set up two rods on the aft deck.

This was the first time he’d fished off the aft deck since removing the bimini canvas and dropping the frame that supports it and it certainly made for a more comfortable fishing experience.

Phil fishing from Ravensdale's aft deck

And we discovered that we could even watch the rods from the comfort of Ravensdale’s saloon while eating our lunch, which was previously eaten outside on the foredeck.

Phil watching his rods from Ravensdale's saloon

The only problem with fishing off the aft deck may come when I have to get the landing net under a big fish as it is about 18 inches higher than the foredeck, but we have a long-handled net now so hopefully it will be fine.

Sadly, we didn’t get to find out on Monday as the only fish he caught were dogfish.

As Phil wasn’t catching anything, we decided to move on at about 3.15pm and, while he was bringing in his lines, one of the hooks caught in a rope attached to our outboard motor so Phil had to climb down the ladder to the bathing platform to unhook it.

We then dropped anchor near Maryport pier where he had caught his best cod on a previous fishing trip but still had no luck.

While we were in Allonby Bay, we saw local fishing boat Sunrise out on the Solway Firth for the first time since her skipper Steve was involved in a nasty car accident in July.

Sunrise out on the Solway Firth

It was lovely to see him out on the water again and we really hope he’ll be able to start taking fishing club members out fishing again soon.

We left the marina at 12.05pm returning at 4.20pm having been out for four hours 15 minutes and travelled eight nautical miles.

Fishing trip on Tuesday

Another lovely calm, sunny day tempted us to go back out to see if we could have better luck with fishing the following day.

I had a hair appointment late morning, so we’d written the day off.

However, as I was walking up to town to the hairdresser’s shop, I realised that it would be possible to do both.

I called Phil and said that, if he wanted to go out fishing, he could get everything ready and I’d call him, so he could pick me up when my hair was done so we could make a quick getaway.

We decided to go for it, even though it would mean we’d be a little later leaving the marina than we would’ve liked.

Phil drove me home and I managed to get all the inside stuff that I pack away stowed in just 10 minutes – that must be a record for me 😊

And we left the pontoon within 20 minutes of leaving the hairdressers.

Ravensdale going out of the marina gate in glorious sunshine

This time Phil sounded Ravensdale’s horn in the basin to warn fishermen on the pier that we were coming out and they needed to reel their lines in and they all did.

There’s no way of knowing whether sounding his horn worked or whether they would’ve done it anyway, but it seems like a good plan for the future.

We headed out to Three Fathom Bank, which is about five nautical miles out from Maryport.

Leaving Maryport on our way out to Three Fathom Bank

The water was so calm it was like a mill pond and we were able to watch a seal near the boat for a while but I couldn't get a very good photo of it as it was a bit too far away from us.

A seal watching us from the Solway Firth

Thankfully, it wasn't too cold so I didn't even have to spoil my hair by wearing a woolly hat 😊

Me enjoying the sunshine on Ravensdale's aft deck - without a hat 😊

Sadly, Phil only caught dogfish and one small dab, but it was beautiful out on the Solway Firth.

The small dab Phil caught on this fishing trip

We considered staying out until the next tide as the wind wasn’t supposed to get up until after the marina gate was due to open at around 1.15am the following morning.

Phil waiting for the fish to bite as the sun goes down

If the fishing had been going better, we might have decided to give it a go, but we also realised that we hadn’t gone prepared to fish over two tides so didn’t really have enough bait with us.

So, we left our fishing spot around sunset and headed home with our navigation lights on and got back in good time for the gate.

Ravensdale's starboard navigation light on the way back to Maryport

We left the marina at 1.20pm and were back at 5.10pm so were out for just under four hours and travelled slightly less than 10 nautical miles.

Aquarium cards

My photos are now on some of the postcards and greetings cards on sale in the Lake District Coast Aquarium on the harbourside at Maryport.

I was so proud to see my images on their card racks and I’m told they’re selling well.

They've also printed my name and a link to my blog on the back of the cards.

Me with some of the Aquarium greetings cards bearing my photographs

This week we picked up the membership card I was given as a thank-you gesture for letting them use some of my photos of the local area and wildlife for this purpose.

And apparently it doesn’t just give us unlimited access to the Aquarium, it also gives us 10% off our purchases in the coffee shop, gift shop and, most importantly, the fishing bait and tackle shop 😊

I really must go over and make use of free admission to the Aquarium very soon to take photos of the fish and other sea creatures on display there.

Swan family

The two adult swans and their three cygnets, which are now as big as their parents, turned up for food on Sunday for the first time since one cygnet was left in the marina on its own last week.

Thankfully, that experience hasn’t put them off coming to visit us.

The swan family returned to the marina for food on Sunday

We don’t know if they came into the marina on Monday or Tuesday while the gate was open as we weren’t here.

Phil saw them in the marina first thing on Wednesday morning, but they’d gone by the time I got there, and I didn’t hang about outside looking for them because it was pouring with rain.

I figured that, if they were hungry, they'd come back and, I was right. A short time later they were back crying for food, so I had to put on a waterproof jacket and go out to feed them – as you do 😊

One of the cygnets pecking at the food beaker

They’ve only been back a couple of times since so they’re hopefully finding plenty of food elsewhere.

And I spotted them in the harbour pestering a fisherman for food yesterday (Thursday) evening.

The swans and cygnets visiting a fishing boat in Maryport Harbour yesterday (Thursday) evening

Photography

Two trips out on Ravensdale over the past week means a lot of my photos were taken while out on the water again.

Maryport from the basin as we returned just before sunset on Monday

Venture West charter fishing boat on the Solway Firth with Maryport in the background

Maryport from the Solway Firth

Sunset on the Solway Firth on Tuesday

Another view of sunset on the Solway Firth

Maryport taken on our way out onto the Solway Firth on Tuesday

Part of Robin Rigg Wind Farm on the Solway Firth

I’ve also been out and about in the local area with my camera quite a bit at other times

I took it out to photograph the sunset on the beach on Friday evening.

A dog walker on Maryport beach at sunset

The sun setting on the shore at Maryport

Maryport pier with the Scottish hills in the distance just after sunset

And I was back in the harbour with my camera on Saturday to capture the fishing boats at high tide in the winter sunshine.

A fishing boat in Maryport Harbour

Colourful fishing boats in Maryport Harbour

More fishing boats in Maryport Harbour

And, on Saturday evening, I grabbed a few shots of a beautiful sunset over the marina. I really wish I’d gone around to the shore again but didn’t notice just how good the sunset was until it was too late to get there in time ☹

Sunset over Maryport Marina

Maryport Marina slipway at sunset

Sunday was another cold and sunny day, so I took my camera for a walk along the shore, where the local angling club was holding a fishing competition.

Fishermen taking part in an angling competition on the shore at Maryport

Some of the fishermen taking part in the competition

Fishermen measuring their catch

Maryport pier

Ellenfoot Bridge at Maryport Harbour

Yesterday (Thursday) I took my camera for a walk around the harbour during the afternoon and went back again in the evening for the sunset.

A fishing boat in Maryport Harbour

Another fishing boat in Maryport Harbour

And, I rarely manage to walk back from the beach without taking a few shots of the marina as well.

Maryport Marina

I really do need to try to cut down on the number of photos I take or be far more disciplined at deleting all but the best of them as I’ve had to move another year’s worth of photos off my laptop onto an external hard drive to make room for my new images.

I’ve just been trying to delete some of the thousands of images I’ve taken in the past month and discovered that there were only three days on which I didn’t take a single photo.

I think I could be addicted to photography 😊

Passers-by

A fishing boat called Laura Ann arrived at Maryport Marina on Thursday, October 25 and went up onto the slipway for work on October 26. It left again on Sunday, October 28.

Laura Ann passing Ravensdale as she leaves Maryport Marina

 A number of smaller fishing boats have also passed Ravensdale this week.

A fishing boat passing Ravensdale on Monday

A group of fishermen setting off from Maryport Marina

Another fisherman setting off to fish on the Solway Firth

I missed those that went out on Sunday but managed to snap the boats that left the marina before us on Monday.


Freezing temperatures

This week, the temperature dropped to 0C (32F) for the first time this winter.

We awoke on Monday morning to discover that the pontoons were white with frost.

I discovered that they were pretty slippery on my way up to the marina facilities for my morning shower.

Ravensdale's Webasto diesel heater

Sadly, I wasn’t able to get a photograph of the frost as it had started to thaw by the time I got back to the boat to get my camera, but I’m sure there will be plenty of other opportunities to get photos of frost and ice on the pontoons over the coming months.

Despite the freezing temperatures outside, we’ve been lovely and warm on the boat thanks to our super-efficient Webasto 5 diesel heater.

And, on the coldest nights, we’ve left the heater on the economy setting overnight to keep the chill off.

Overnight Friday into Saturday was another night of creaking ropes thanks to average wind speeds of up to 24mph, gusting to 37mph. It was also pretty chilly with temperatures falling to 3.7C (39F) during the night.

We awoke to a dry, bright morning on Saturday, but it was still very cold and windy. The temperature only went up to a high of 5.6C (42F) during the day and the top average wind speed was 25mph with gusts up to 41mph.

Sunshine on Saturday morning at Maryport Marina

This was followed by another very cold night with temperatures down to 1.8C (35F).

At 8am on Sunday morning the temperature was just 2.2C (36F).

It was dry, bright and sunny with considerably less wind than the previous day. The daytime temperature peaked at 7.3C (45F) and the highest average wind speed recorded locally was 14mph.

Tangaroa, our marina neighbour, out on the Solway Firth on Sunday

Sunday night into Monday was the coldest night so far this winter as the temperature plummeted to 0.0C (32F) - even if it isn't officially winter yet, it certainly felt like winter to me 😊 

Monday started dry, bright and calm, but it was still only 0.3C (32.5C) at 8am. During the day, the temperature reached 7.6C (46F) and the top average wind speed was 14mph.

Overnight Monday into Tuesday was another cold night with the temperature going down to 0.6C (33F).

Calm conditions at Maryport Marina on Tuesday

Tuesday started dry, bright, calm and still pretty cold. The highest temperature recorded locally during the day was 6.8C (44F) and the top average wind speed was 9mph.

The weather changed overnight Tuesday/Wednesday. It rained during the night and we woke up to a grey, wet, warmer and much windier morning.

Wet Wednesday at Maryport Marina

It continued to rain for the rest of the day becoming heavier and more persistent during the afternoon. The top average wind speed was 24mph, gusting 34mph, and the top temperature was 8.8C (48F).

Yesterday (Thursday) we were back to fine, dry weather. We had a sunny start to the day with very little wind. The wind speed increased a bit during the day and there was more cloud later in the afternoon. The temperature reached 8C (46F) and the average wind speed peaked at 16mph.

A calm, sunny start to the day yesterday (Thursday)

And, so far, today (Friday) the weather has been a mixture of sunshine and cloud. The top temperature so far is 10.3C and the highest wind speed recorded locally is 10mph (50.5F).