Stern gland problems, lumpy seas and feathered friends

Our local swan family waiting for food by Ravensdale

This week Ravensdale presented us with a new problem that looked set to stop us taking her out to play on the water for the next six weeks.

When Phil went to refill the remote stern gland greaser on our Neptunus 133 cruiser, he discovered that the rubber washer on the end of the plunger was broken.

Phil checked online to see if he could order a replacement and found that it could take six weeks to arrive – not what we wanted during the summer when we were keen to get Ravensdale out onto the Solway Firth again asap.

Thankfully, he managed to make a new one that seems to have done the trick.

And we were able to take our Neptunus 133 out for a short fishing trip yesterday (Thursday).

Meanwhile, the pair of swans and their three cygnets that sometimes visit our marina at Maryport in Cumbria, UK, have spent more time here this week, especially on Tuesday when they failed to make good their escape before the sea gate closed.

We kept them supplied with food and fresh water until the gate opened again and they presumably returned to the nearby river.

Stern gland problems

The remote stern gland greaser (left of the walkway) in Ravensdale's engine room

While checking the stern glands, Phil discovered that the plunger in the remote greaser turned without putting up any real resistance, so he decided it needed refilling with white grease.

However, when he removed the plunger, he noticed that the rubber washer was perished and broken.

The broken washer from the remote stern gland greaser

He went up to MPM boatyard next to the marina to see if they had a suitable washer or knew where to get one more quickly than the six weeks quoted from the only supplier he could find online.

John, an engineer at MPM, suggested that Phil should make one and gave him a piece of rubber to cut a new washer to fit.

The next problem was that the largest hole saw cutter drill bit he had was just too small at 54mm, so I walked up to the hardware shop in Maryport and bought the next two larger sizes – 57mm and 60mm - as we weren’t sure which would be the correct size.

Phil used the largest of the two new cutters to cut the washer and, by nailing it onto a piece of wood he was able to cut a perfect circle. He also cut a slightly smaller washer and used the two together.

He then used a hole punch to make holes in the centre of them, fitted them to the plunger and it worked perfectly - or at least it seems that way.

Phil fitting the new washer on the plunger

It’s definitely pushing the grease into the stern glands rather than it coming up around the washer so that’s another job done 😊

Lumpy sea on Ravensdale’s latest outing

During a calm period in the long, dry spell in June and earlier this month, we took Ravensdale out onto the Solway Firth on alternate days and I kept all the stuff we could live without, such as ornaments, packed up for a quick getaway.

Earlier this week, the forecast was looking rather windy, so I brought them all out again to make the boat feel more homely while we were sat in the marina waiting for the weather to improve.

This meant that it all needed packing away again when the forecast changed and we decided to go out fishing yesterday (Thursday), but I’ve done it so many times that it really doesn’t take that long now.

Everything packed up ready for a trip out on Ravensdale

Our microwave and freezer strapped down in case it gets bumpy at sea

The forecast was for 4-5mph wind when the marina gate was due to open at around 9.15am yesterday morning, rising to 10mph by the time it was due to close at about 2.15pm.

The water was really calm when we left the marina and the journey out to the area we usually fish was really smooth.

Reflections in Maryport Marina as we left yesterday (Thursday) morning

Phil took the engines up to around 1,500 revs – 11.9 knots – to circulate the new water and antifreeze mixture he put in the port engine last week.

The sea was really calm when he started fishing and I was able to sit back and soak up the sun on Ravensdale’s foredeck.

Me enjoying the sunshine while we wait for the fish to bite

Sadly, our dry patch on the fishing front continued.

Phil waiting for fish

All Phil caught were two small tope and four dogfish, but at least we know it isn’t just us as the six people fishing on a local angling club boat, called Sunrise, didn’t do any better. In fact, they only caught dogfish.

One of the tiny tope Phil caught yesterday

Sunrise out fishing yesterday

We had intended to return to the marina shortly before the sea gate closed but decided to pack up earlier when the wind started to blow up causing lots of white horses on the water.

We started the engines, then brought the anchor in. As usual, Phil was on the bow operating the windlass and using hand signals to indicate which engine he wanted me to use to bring the boat in line with the anchor.

The ride home was pretty bumpy and we had to have the windscreen wipers on as water was being thrown up over the bow and superstructure.

Taken through the windscreen on the way home

Phil experimented with different speeds to see which handled the waves best in these conditions.

He discovered that 8 knots gave us the smoothest ride as the boat ploughed straight through the waves. Raising the speed, even if only by as much as 1 knot, made for a much bumpier ride.

It was still quite windy as we returned to the marina, but Phil had no problems holding Ravensdale steady in the basin while we waited for a yacht to enter the marina ahead of us or while bringing her in through the gate and returning her to the pontoon.

The yacht we followed into Maryport Marina yesterday

I thought I was going to have to use our docking sticks to moor her up and had them all set up ready to go.

However, as we approached the pontoon, I could see one of the other berth holders from our pontoon waiting to catch our ropes, so I put down my docking stick and threw him our mooring lines.

We may not have caught any worthwhile fish, but it was still good to be out on the water again.

Making Ravensdale shipshape

Ravensdale was well on the way to becoming the bearded lady again, which is not a good look for any woman 😊

The recent spell of warm weather seems to have made the weed around the waterline grow faster than usual, so Phil decided to tackle it this week.

He tied a broom head onto a telescopic paint roller handle to give him a longer reach to enable him to get to the parts that our other brushes couldn’t reach.

The brush head tied onto a telescopic paint roller handle

Phil cleaning Ravensdale's hull below the waterline

Initially, he tied the head on the pole facing downwards, then tied it on sideways to get further under Ravensdale’s hull.

He also washed the decks and superstructure again to get rid of the black dirt that blows down off the nearby road.

However, simply washing the gelcoat failed to remove orange marks that had appeared there.

Phil cleaning around Ravensdale's windscreen

We have no idea what caused them, but they had a metallic appearance liked rusty sprinkles.

Phil had to use oxalic acid to get rid of them before washing Ravensdale down again with boat wash.

The port side of her hull – the side alongside the pontoon – was looking much better.

We then had to wait for a calm day to turn her around, so he could give the starboard side of her hull the same treatment.

And the opportunity to do this arose on Tuesday morning.

It was lovely and calm first thing and it was tempting to take Ravensdale out fishing.

However, Phil wanted to finish cleaning her and the wind was forecast to blow up a bit during the time we would’ve been out on the water, so he drove her down to the end of the marina turned her around on her own length and brought her back to the pontoon facing in the opposite direction.

Ravensdale moored up the wrong way around while Phil cleans her starboard side

It was very strange being moored up back to front and every time I got back on board I headed in the wrong direction.

I wonder how long it would take me to learn that I needed to turn right instead of left to get to the door on the aft deck if we’d stayed that way around.

Thankfully I didn’t have to find that out as we turned the boat around again during the afternoon.

Phil cleaning the davits from the bathing platform

We’d done the first turn unaided and I used our docking sticks to moor up starboard side to, but we asked Reg, the marina foreman, to catch our ropes on the second turn due to the wind.

So, her two sides and the superstructure were looking lovely and white again.

That just left the transom to clean and Phil tackled that on Wednesday.

As it meant working from the bathing platform, I made sure I was nearby in case he went in.

I think I got the best end of the deal as I got to sit in the sun on the aft deck reading my book and waiting for a splash which thankfully never happened 😊

Window repairs hold up

The work Phil carried out to stop the windows leaking seems to have worked.

The problem developed when it rained for the first time after a long, hot dry spell that seemed to have affected the seals on three of Ravensdale’s windows.

It rained again last Friday and, thankfully, no water managed to find its way in.

Phil washing outside the dinette window

The windows in which he’d replaced the sealant also stood up to him pointing a hosepipe at them while cleaning the boat this week.

And the wood around the inside of the bow hatch now looks as though it has dried out properly after he removed the hatch and replaced the sealant.

I replaced the window trim around the outside of the dinette window on Saturday. 

Replacing the trim on one of the windows that had been leaking

As it was old trim that had been exposed to the weather, it had gone stiff and took much longer to ease back in with a screwdriver than softer new trim would've done, but we didn't have enough to replace the trim around the whole window.

Let there be light...

There has only been one light in Ravensdale's engine room since we moved onboard in November 2016 and Phil has had to use a torch for much of the work he has done down there.

We've made several attempts at finding LED bulbs with bayonet fittings, but have been unable to source them so far.

Ravensdale's engine room lit up by the new bulbs

At long last, we've managed to get hold of some suitable bulbs and the engine room is now a much lighter and brighter place to work.

The new bulbs are not LED but they are never on for very long so it's not really going to matter.

Phil's paddling shoes

Phil used to wear wellies to save his feet getting wet while washing Ravensdale until we spotted some “aqua shoes” in our local Lidl supermarket.

They were just £6.99 and presumably meant to be worn for paddling or swimming in the sea, which is why I call them his “paddling shoes” 😊

Phil's aqua shoes from the local Lidl store

They’re much lighter and more comfortable than his wellies, especially during warm weather.

The only problem being that they have black soles, but they haven’t left any nasty marks on the deck yet.

The growing swan family

The swan family returned to the marina on Tuesday in search of food and became stuck in the marina when the gate closed at lunchtime.

They paid regular visits to Ravensdale in search of food and water throughout the afternoon and evening until the gate opened again and they were able to escape.

Two of the cygnets eating hungrily

Each time, they ate a good cup full of floating duck and swan food and we set up a hosepipe that was running very slowly to provide a source of fresh water.

The adult swans immediately came to drink from it and appeared to be taking a bit of a shower under it as well.

A thirsty swan drinking from the hosepipe

The three cygnets were less keen at first.

They seemed a bit confused by the hosepipe and spent some time watching their parents before trying it out for themselves.

The cygnets watch one of their parents drink from the hosepipe

The swans paid us another visit when the gate opened yesterday (Thursday), just as we were planning to go out on Ravensdale.

I didn’t want them too close to the boat when Phil started the engines in case it frightened them, so I enticed them further along the pontoon and gave them plenty of food to keep them busy while we left the marina. They'd gone before we returned.

But they were back again this morning (Friday) looking for food.

The swan family leaving after a feed

We’re pleased to see that the youngsters seem to be growing rapidly so it’s now looking very likely that they will reach maturity.

Last year’s brood were not so fortunate ☹

Weather watch

While parts of the UK have enjoyed the highest temperatures of this year over the past few days, it has been pleasantly warm, but definitely not boiling hot here in Maryport.

And sea breezes have ensured that we've stayed comfortable even when it was warm and sunny.

Saturday was dry but cloudy with sunny periods. The highest temperature recorded locally was 16.1C (61F), with a top average wind speed of 13mph.

Cloudy weather on a walk along the coastal path towards Flimby on Saturday afternoon

It was dry and cloudy, but still fairly bright on Sunday with a top temperature of 18.1C (65F). The highest average wind speed recorded was 14mph, but it seemed higher than that here.

Monday started overcast before it started to rain. This was followed by showers. However, it was still quite warm when the sun managed to break through taking the temperature up to 17.5C (64F). The top average daytime wind speed was 16mph.

A cloudy but calm start to the day on Tuesday was followed by slightly windier conditions. The wind got up to 10mph by lunchtime and the sun came out during the afternoon when we had a top average temperature of 17.8C (64F).

Sunshine on Tuesday evening at Maryport Marina

Wednesday started sunny with light cloud developing as the day went on. Once again, the day started calm with the wind getting up by late morning. The highest temperature recorded locally was 18.7C (66F) and the highest average wind speed was 16mph.

Yesterday (Thursday) also started bright, sunny and calm. It stayed sunny and warm, with the mercury rising to 21.8C (71F) but the wind blew up around lunchtime reaching a top average wind speed of 17mph. It dropped again later and there was a bit more cloud during the evening.

A sunny start to the day in Maryport Basin yesterday (Thursday) morning

So far today (Friday) the weather has been warm and sunny with a top temperature of 22C (72F), but it started to cloud over early afternoon and the wind got up a bit.

The forecast for the next few days is less good with high winds, rain and possibly thunder and lightning.

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.