Life onboard under Covid-19 restrictions and our heater breaks down

Phil working on Ravensdale's broken down Webasto heater

The current situation due to the Covid-19 pandemic is just so weird and I’m still not sure if going through lockdown on a boat is any different to being told to stay at home in a house.

Our 43ft motor cruiser Ravensdale is certainly a more confined space than most houses and having a garden must make staying home a lot more bearable, but many land-dwellers don’t have the luxury of a garden either.

However, I think we can count ourselves lucky as we’re so much better off than people who are confined to high rise flats, with nowhere to go except their trips out for essential supplies or their daily exercise.

At least we can get out around the marina so I guess I shouldn’t really complain, and we have some lovely pathways around us here in Maryport, Cumbria, UK, for our daily walks 😊

But one thing we could really have done without was our diesel heater breaking down last month on one of the coldest nights we'd had in a long time.

Almost six weeks in lockdown

Ravensdale on a beautiful, calm, sunny day at Maryport Marina in Cumbria, UK

It will be six weeks ago on Tuesday (May 5) since the partial lockdown was imposed in the UK to slow down the spread of the deadly Covid-19 virus.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced it on the evening of Monday, March 23, with effect from the following morning.

Mr Johnson has since been treated in hospital for the virus before recovering at home and returning to work last week.

Our life at the marina continues much the same as usual except for not being able to go out when we want – either on the boat or on foot/by car.

We’re still taking our daily walks separately. Phil usually takes Ruby out in the morning and I take my exercise in the afternoon.

I like to wait until later in the day, so I have something to look forward to. I’m pretty sure I’d go stir crazy if I went out in the morning as, when I came home, I would know I couldn’t go out again until the following day.

I also think it’s good to go separately so that we both get a bit of time alone as being locked up on a boat together could otherwise be pretty claustrophobic.

Police checking on a vehicle parked on the road alongside the marina

It seems strange to see police stopping people in cars on the road that runs alongside the marina to the lighthouse and asking them what they're doing but it's good that they are keeping a close watch to ensure people are adhering to the restrictions.

It’s also strange that we’re being encouraged not to use cash in shops anymore. Who would’ve ever thought it? And, to discourage people from using notes and coins, contactless card payments have gone up from £30-£45.

I reckon shopping is the weirdest experience of the lot starting with queuing two metres (6ft 6ins) apart outside the store and only being allowed in on a "one out, one in" basis.

Shoppers queuing 2m apart outside the Lidl store in Maryport, Cumbria, UK

I always wear disposable gloves to shop, putting them on before I get a shopping trolley and removing them when it has been returned. I've only seen a few people wearing masks so far.

Moving around the supermarket isn’t easy as you’re constantly trying to be aware of where everyone else is so you can ensure you don’t get too close to anyone.

Most people are happy to observe the 2m social distancing rule, but a few just don’t seem to care and pass close by before you’re even aware that they’re there, which is really annoying.

It’s also odd to see the queue for the checkouts stretching to the far end of the store and it’s a fairly big supermarket.

The length of the queue is due to the 2m spacing between customers and when you get to the front of the queue the checkout operators, who are behind plastic screens, shout for the next customer to be served.

I have to confess that I’m beginning to struggle a bit with the restrictions.

I totally understand why they must remain in place and I observe them to the letter as I really don’t want to get the virus or to be the cause of anyone else getting it.

However, being stuck in a confined space for so many hours of the day is beginning to make me understand how wild animals feel when they’re caged up in zoos ☹  

The good news for me is that tomorrow (Monday) I'm going back to work at Chimney Sheep - the factory I was working at before the lockdown - so my life will be a lot more normal than it has been over the past six weeks 😊

Running Ravensdale's engines

Ravensdale's engine room

We've been unable to take Ravensdale out on the water since March 22 - the day before the partial lockdown was announced.

As she hadn't been out of the marina for six week, we decided we should run up her two 300hp Volvo Penta engines to keep them running properly.

They were run under load for about 15 minutes yesterday morning (Saturday) and they seemed to be just fine. They sounded sweet, the temperature rose evenly on both engines and there was very little smoke.

This is something that we will be doing on a regular basis until we can move her again.


Our heater breaks down

Phil removing one of the fuses from the heater to check it

The heater packed up on the evening of Tuesday, April 14, which was one of the coldest nights we’d had in a good while.

The heat didn’t come up when I turned the heater on.

I went to turn it up a bit more and noticed that the green light that’s constantly illuminated when it’s switched on was flashing and we were both pretty sure that was what happened last time the filter needed changing.

Phil went down into the engine room to check the fuses, but they seemed OK.

Thankfully, I had ordered a service kit a couple of months previously so it would be here ready to service the heater when the weather warmed up, but it seems the heater wasn’t willing to wait that long.

It was getting late for starting on servicing the heater, so Phil said we’d just have to live without it for one night and he’d get on with it the following day.

I put on a body warmer that I wouldn’t usually wear indoors and dug out a fan heater, which took the chill off a bit during the evening. The electric blanket and dehumidifier warmed our cabin up a bit too.

I was more worried about poor Ruby sleeping in the saloon without any heating.

I was pleased to discover that, although she felt a little bit cooler than usual in the morning, her ears weren’t really cold, which is always a good indication of her temperature.

I checked the thermometer in the dinette, and it was reading 10.5C (51F) so cooler than it would normally be but still bearable.

Ravensdale's Webasto fitted to the side of the hull alongside her port engine

Phil looked out the servicing kit and set about the task of removing the Webasto Air Top Evo 55 heater.

He’s changed a filter on this heater before but not done a full service, so it was a bit of a steep learning curve.

I photographed the heater from various angles before he took it apart in case he needed the images to help with reassembly.

The dirty glow plug that came out of our heater

Phil dismantling the heater

When he removed the glow plug, it was obvious that it could’ve done with changing sooner so we were hoping that was what had caused the heater to stop working.

Sadly, despite his best efforts and attempts to reset the heater by following the advice of a more knowledgeable friend, it still refused to work so we had to send it away for repair.

We tried to get by with the small fan heater, but it wasn’t really making much of an impact on the temperature on the boat.

Thankfully, the weather warmed up a bit after the first couple of pretty cold nights when the temperature went down to 9.5C (49F) in the saloon – or at least that’s what it was reading when we got up in the morning. It was probably lower during the night.

We also went to our storage container to collect two electric heaters and we’re managing to keep warm until the heater returns.

We've just heard that the heater needs a new fan. The part has been ordered so hopefully it can be repaired and will be back with us soon.


"New to us" plotter

The new plotter showing our position at Maryport Marina in Cumbria, UK

Just before the lockdown, we were offered a secondhand Simrad plotter that is a newer version of the one fitted in the console on Ravensdale.

The original plotter was black and white and had no card in it. We'd intended replacing the card but never got around to it so we only really used it as an extra check on our speed and location as the GPS was still working.

For navigation, we use Navionics on two tablets and a separate, smaller, Standard Horizon plotter, with charts and compass for back up if the electronics fail.

Phil testing the new plotter while fitting it

Phil has now fitted the replacement plotter and it's a vast improvement on the previous one.

For a start, the display is in colour and it has a much clearer screen. It also has an electronic card in it which means we'll be able to use it for navigational purposes as well.


Generator

Phil checking the generator

Soon after the partial lockdown was imposed, Phil decided to check the generator just in case we lose our electricity supply.

This is something that’s done fairly regularly anyway, but it just seemed to be a sensible precaution in case something goes wrong with the supply and there’s no one around to fix it.



My birthday and our cancelled holiday

Me with my birthday flowers

I celebrated my birthday on Tuesday, April 21, but it definitely wasn’t the birthday I'd had planned.

We lived in the Highlands for 16 years before we sold our house to buy a boat and it’s still one of my favourite places so I’m keen to return whenever I get the chance.

For this reason, I said it was where I wanted to celebrate my birthday and we booked a lovely remote cottage in Sutherland for a birthday break.

However, Covid-19 put paid to our plans ☹

The partial lockdown meant the holiday had to be cancelled so I’m hoping to be able to rebook when the restrictions are lifted.


Varnishing our new drawers

The new drawers in the saloon after they had been varnished

Phil has finished varnishing the new drawers we had built above the cupboards in the saloon to provide additional storage space and to stop Ruby pulling things off the shelf along the top of the cupboard.

They are looking a lot better now and blend in a bit better with the other woodwork although they're a bit darker than the original cupboards.

I'm hoping they might fade a bit and match in better still when the sun has been on them for a while.

The drawers are proving very useful too as any extra storage space is always very welcome.


Ruby of Ravensdale

Ruby waiting while I was taking photos

Ruby’s life hasn’t changed all that much since the partial lockdown.

Me walking Ruby on the shore

She still gets two good walks a day and spends most of her time on the boat either sleeping on her bed, sunbathing, sitting out on deck keeping a lookout for us or trying to cuddle up to one of us.

Ruby relaxing on her bed in the saloon

She's also been enjoying the treats I bought her to see her through the lockdown.

The problem is that she's already had everything I got for her so I'll have to pick up something else next time I go to buy her food.

Ruby with her new buffalo horn

Photography

Looking through a sculpture towards Maryport

One of the positives about the current situation is that I’ve been able to go out with my camera every day.

Fleming Square, Maryport

Crow Park, Maryport

Pathway through Crow Park

Another view of Crow Park

I take it with me when I walk Ruby and sometimes, if Ruby has already had a good walk with Phil, I go without her, which makes taking photos so much easier.

View across the rooftops to Maryport Lighthouse and the Solway Firth

Maryport and the River Ellen from Mote Hill

Looking out over Maryport Basin to the Solway Firth

Looking across the Solway Firth to the Scottish hills

Another view across the Solway Firth to Scotland

I have taken so many photos in and around Maryport over the past four weeks that I’m struggling to find new photos to take, but I don’t let that stop me snapping away.

A Maryport walkway known as Pigeon Well

Looking across to a field of rapeseed from a footpath known as Fat Lonning

The remains of Peel Tower, Senhouse Mansion, Maryport

The scenes change with the season, weather, tides and light so there’s always a chance I’ll get a better photo of a view I’ve photographed many times before.

Maryport Harbour

Fishing boats in the harbour with Christ Church, Maryport, in the background

A wider view of Maryport Harbour

Sun breaking through heavy clouds over the Solway Firth

Looking out across Maryport Basin to the Solway Firth

Maryport Promenade at high tide

Shadows cast by the railings at the top of Market Steps, Maryport

Looking out over the Solway Firth from the sea brows at Maryport

Looking along the promenade towards Maryport

Sunset over Mayport Marina

And I’m working hard on looking for anything new to photograph or trying to take familiar views from a different angle.

Looking in the opposite direction through the same sculpture - to the Scottish hills

I was also pleased to get some photos of local fishing boat, Silver Stream, landing its catch of whelks at the harbour on Tuesday, March 31.

Silver Stream landing its catch of whelks at Maryport Harbour

A closer view of the whelks being unloaded

I also got a few photos of Silver Stream coming home from a fishing trip on April 17.

Silver Stream returning from another fishing trip

Silver Stream in Maryport Basin

Weather watch

Calm, sunny weather at Maryport Marina

It’s so frustrating that we’ve had more sunny, calm weather since the partial lockdown than we’d seen for months beforehand.

If this had happened at any other time, we would probably have considered a trip over to Kirkcudbright in Dumfries and Galloway but, for very good reasons, we’re not allowed to take the boat out on the water at the moment.

Me wearing shorts for the first time this year

Saturday, April 11 was the first day I considered it warm enough to put on my shorts this year and I've worn shorts almost every day since then 😊

Three named storms, including our worst as liveaboards, and our latest fishing trip

Big waves whipped up by Storm Ciara crashing onto the shore at Maryport in Cumbria, UK

Storm Ciara – the third named storm of the UK storm season – brought the worst conditions we’ve experienced in our liveaboard lifestyle.

High winds, gusting up to 70mph, battered this part of the UK last weekend and the wild weather continued until Wednesday of this week.

Storm Brendan, last month, was also fairly dramatic and Storm Dennis has arrived today (Saturday) and is due to last until Monday.

The weather between these named storms has also been predominantly wet and windy.

However, a short break in the stormy conditions at the end of last week provided an opportunity to take Ravensdale out on the water for just the second time this year.

Phil steering Ravensdale out of Maryport Marina from her flybridge

We took our 43ft Neptunus 133 out onto the Solway Firth in Cumbria on a fishing trip on Friday.

The fishing wasn’t very successful, but it was still good to get out of the marina, even if it was just for a few hours.

Note - Apologies for the long break between blog posts at the moment but I'm still working full-time, which means we're not doing anything much for me to blog about and I don't have the time to write about it when we do ☹


Friday’s fishing trip

Ravensdale going out of the marina's sea gate

A brief window of calm, dry weather at the end of last week proved too good an opportunity to miss for a trip out on the water.

Wet and windy weather had meant we’d been unable to take our boat out since January 10.

And we knew a prolonged period of stormy weather, including Storm Ciara was forecast for last weekend and throughout the past week.

The forecast was for fairly calm weather on Thursday and Friday of last week, but the sea gate at Maryport Marina is only open for about two and half hours either side of high tide and high water was rather too early for us on Thursday.

So, I took the following day off work and we headed out onto the Solway Firth on Friday morning.

And I’m very glad we did as the weather has been truly atrocious ever since with another named storm – Storm Dennis – affecting this part of the UK this weekend.

Frosty pontoons and ice on the water

The gate was due to open at around 7.30am so we got up bright and early to discover that the water in the marina was covered with ice and the pontoons were white with frost so we decided not to go the minute the gate opened.

Ice on the surface of the marina early on Friday, February 7

Instead, we waited for a while until the ice started to thaw before throwing off Ravensdale’s mooring ropes to head out onto the Solway Firth.

Her decks were still very slippery, so we wore grips on our shoes to make sure we didn’t slide around.

Ravensdale heading towards the marina gate

We left the marina at 8.35am and headed out into the basin where we could see one of the local fishing boats returning to Maryport. We waited for her to pass us and I got to take lots of photos of Fredwood heading back to the harbour.

Fredwood entering Maryport Basin from the Solway Firth

Fredwood in Maryport Basin

Fredwood heading into Maryport Harbour

We then set off for Phil’s favourite fishing spot in Allonby Bay.

Ravensdale leaving Maryport behind on our way to Allonby Bay

We dropped anchor and Phil set up his fishing rods while I got us a mug of tea and took a few photos.

Ruby watching Phil fish

Ruby has been happy to stay indoors on the previous few trips out but this time she seemed keen to be out on deck with us, so I put her life jacket on and took her out on her lead.

Ruby with Phil on Ravensdale's aft deck

As usual, she was trying to get to Phil’s fishing bait, so I had to keep her on a short lead and tied it to the flybridge steps when I wanted to take photos.

Ruby tied to the flybridge ladder

It was bit bumpy but not too bad and the boat turned easily to face into the tide when the tide turned.

Sadly, the fishing wasn’t great, but it was lovely to be out on the water again.

Phil caught a small codling and even smaller whiting, neither of which were big enough to keep, and one dogfish, which always get thrown back.

The small cod Phil caught on this trip

A small whiting

Phil catching a dogfish

The wind started to freshen while we were out, and the boat started to rock a bit more, so Phil decided to pack up about half an hour earlier than planned and head for home.

Ravensdale heading for home

We followed our friend Evan’s boat into the basin and got back to the marina shortly before midday after three hours and 15 minutes at sea.

Evan's boat Bold Cocquet about to pass Maryport Lighthouse

Bold Coquet in Maryport Basin

While we wouldn’t wish a fruitless fishing trip on anyone, it was comforting to know that no one else had caught anything worth having either.

Evan's boat going back into the marina

And we had to go and buy fish for our Friday night fish and chip supper ☹



Three named storms 

Giant waves breaking on Maryport Promenade during Storm Ciara

The worst weather we've experienced here in Maryport, Cumbria, during the last month was during Storm Ciara last weekend.

It started on Saturday, February 8, and continued into Sunday. The high winds continued during Monday and Tuesday, with the roughest weather being overnight on Monday.

During the first few storms after we moved on board Ravensdale in November 2016, we slept fully clothed in case we needed to get off the boat in a hurry but we hadn't done this for some time - until this week.

We went to bed as usual on Monday evening, then the wind got worse and we could hear a horrible banging noise coming from the forward part of our boat so we got up and got dressed again.

Phil put on waterproof gear and his life jacket and went outside to investigate the cause of the noise.

He discovered that the windscreen cover was being blown away from the screen, lifting the windscreen wiper on the port side and causing it to bang against the windscreen as it dropped back down again.

Phil came in and got some spanners to take the wiper arm off. He then removed it and tied a rope across the windscreen to stop the cover lifting. These measures were left in place for the next storm.

Ravensdale's windscreen with the wiper removed and a rope holding the cover down

The boat was rolling around madly so we decided to stay fully dressed just in case...

We'd already been through Storm Brendan - the second named storm of the UK storm season - which hit the UK on January 13 and 14 bringing gusts of up to 86mph recorded along the north-west coast.

And Storm Dennis arrived this morning (Saturday) bringing torrential rain and wind guesting up to more than 60mph.

During really bad storms, we always wear our life jackets to leave the boat and walk along the pontoons just in case a gust knocks us off the pontoon and into the water.

Phil wearing a life jacket and a head torch to walk Ruby at the height of Storm Ciara

Boat jobs

Ravensdale's port wiper working on our last fishing trip after Phil had repaired it

Ravensdale’s windscreen wipers broke down while we were out on the Solway Firth on Friday, January 10.

Phil spent days stripping them down, cleaning them up and trying to get them working again.

We really thought we needed to buy new motors for both of them at a cost of more than £250 each.

But Phil has managed to get them both working again.

The aft deck on Ravensdale’s starboard side started flickering then stopped working altogether after a prolonged period of wet weather.

Phil took it apart to discover that all the connections were very rusty, so he replaced it with a new, identical light that we’d bought to illuminate the foredeck and never got around to using.

He had to trim the wires back to get rid of the rusty sections and reconnect them.

And we now have two working lights on our aft deck again.

We also ordered the parts needed to service our Webasto diesel heater. These have now arrived so we’re waiting for the weather to calm down a bit before Phil does the work.


Ruby of Ravensdale

Ruby with Phil and Maz, of Cumbria's Larl Cananie Co

We decided to seek help from a dog trainer in an attempt to stop Ruby pulling when we walk her on a lead.

Maz, of Cumbria’s Larl Canine Co., came to meet us at the marina on Sunday January 19.

She showed us how to get her to focus on us by giving her lots of treats every time she came back to us or walked in the correct position.

Ruby during her training session. Photo by Maz

Ruby walking to heel for me during her training session. Photo of Maz

The hook and fishing tackle that Ruby found on the beach

We had a nasty experience while walking Ruby on our local beach on Saturday, January 25 when she got a two-inch long fishing hook stuck in the corner of her mouth.

It was attached to about 50m of line, complete with the weight and several smaller baited hooks.

Phil held Ruby still while I pulled out the hook and, thankfully, it hadn’t done any real damage.

I’m so glad we spotted it immediately after she’d picked it up or I dread to think what would’ve happened ☹

Needless to say, we collected up the line, etc. and put it all in the bin.

Phil said he thought the fishing gear had most likely been lost when it got caught up in weed while someone was fishing and had subsequently been washed ashore.

I was amazed that she stayed still while I pulled out the hook.

At first, I thought it was barbless as it came out fairly easily, but I could see from the photos that it did have a barb, so I was very glad that it hadn’t gone in any further.

And, fortunately, she was none the worse for the experience.

She's enjoyed her walks on the beach with Phil while I've been at work and the walks we've had together at the weekends.

Me walking Ruby on the coastal path above Grasslot shore at Maryport

Ruby running on the wet sand at Maryport

But she wasn't so happy when a dog she met on the shore ran up to her and stole her new toy and ran away with it. Fortunately, the other dog dropped it and we found it fairly close by.

Ruby on the beach with her new toy

Stop thief! Another dog steals Ruby's toy and runs off with it

Ruby loooking out to sea

Meanwhile, Ruby was in the doghouse after she destroyed Phil’s best reading glasses while we were away from the boat for a short while.

The glasses that Ruby destroyed

A dead mouse

She has since wrecked his sunglasses and the mouse he uses for his laptop – twice!

Dog rescue

Hazel the border terrier swimming towards her rescuers

Maryport Inshore Rescue team was definitely in the right place at the right time when members went to the rescue of a small dog that fallen into Maryport Harbour last month.

As Phil and I left the Aquarium’s Harbourside Café after a late breakfast, a man rushed over asking if we’d seen a small, brown dog as he had lost one of his two dogs.

I told him that we’d only just left the café and hadn’t seen his dog.

I carried on looking while taking photos of the harbour then became aware that something was happening on the quayside.

I rushed over to see what was going on and discovered that a group of cyclists spotted the border terrier, called Hazel, falling over the side into the water while her owner was searching the harbour area for his missing dog.

The rescue boat, which was training nearby, was quickly on scene.

The rescue boat rushes to the scene

The little dog swam to the boat and was scooped up by one of the crew and returned to her owner.

Hazel is returned to her owner

She was cold and wet but otherwise apparently none the worse for the experience.

It was such a good job that the cyclists spotted her and that the inshore rescue team were on hand to save her or the outcome could have been very different.

Hazel letting me stroke her after her ordeal

In the paper, but they used my comments as quotes from “a spokesman for the team”.

The funniest part was when I received a message from a reporter asking if they could use the photos I’d taken of the rescue and posted on Facebook.

In the same message, she asked if I’d witnessed the rescue.

I was so tempted to ask how she thought I’d managed to take the photos if I hadn’t been there but managed to resist the temptation 😊



Photography

Storm Ciara blowing waves across Maryport Pier

Once again, my photographic opportunities have been seriously curtailed by working full-time and the horrible weather we've had when I've been off work at weekends.

But the wild weather and very high tides were just too good to miss.

And I made the most of our trip out on the Solway Firth on Ravensdale on Friday, January 7.

Early morning view of Maryport from the basin

Maryport from the basin

Maryport from the Solway Firth

The entrance to Maryport Basin from the Solway Firth

The highest tide at 9.2m on Tuesday was around lunchtime so my friend, Miriam, drove us down to Maryport Promenade during our lunch break so we could see the giant waves and grab a few quick photos of them.

Big waves alongside Maryport Promenade during Storm Ciara

Water spilling over onto the road at Maryport Promenade

Maryport Promenade at high tide on Tuesday, January 11

I had no idea that Miriam was also taking photos of me taking photos of the wild weather 😊

Me taking photos of the wild weather along Maryport Promenade. Photo by Miriam Johnston

I’ve also managed to take a few photos of the harbour here at Maryport.

Maryport harbour at sundown on February 1

The sun going down over Maryport Harbour

Ellenfoot Bridge at dusk

Reflections at Maryport Harbour

Fishing boats in Maryport Harbour

More fishing boats in the harbour

I’ve taken photos of a couple of sunsets over the past few weeks.

Sunset on the shore at Maryport on January 12

Iggesund paperboard factory at Workington at sunset

Dog walker on the shore at Maryport at sunset

Sunset at Maryport Marina on January 26

The marina at sunset

Ravensdale at sunset

On a couple of mornings, I snatched some shots of the sunrise at the marina.

Sunrise at Maryport Marina on January 19

Marina sunrise on February 5

And another morning, I captured a few shots of the misty weather from Ravensdale’s aft deck before work.

Misty morning at Maryport Marina on January 22

Another view of the marina in the mist