Back on board Ravensdale for our 18-month liveaboard anniversary

Home Sweet Home - Ravensdale's dining area

We are very happy to be back on board after two weeks away from our floating home.

Much as we enjoyed our shore-based break in the Scottish Highlands, it was still good to get back to our 43ft cruiser Ravensdale at Maryport Marina in Cumbria, UK, at the weekend – especially as this time she didn’t have any nasty surprises waiting for us on our return.

After returning from a holiday to discover the electricity had been off most of the time we’d been away following a power cut and all the food in our fridge and freezer had gone off, we were a bit apprehensive as to what we’d find.

But, this time, the whole experience was totally uneventful - just as we’d hoped it would be.

And, it was particularly good to be back in time for our 18-month liveaboard anniversary, which is today (Friday).

Life wasn’t quite the same without the rocking and the comforting sound of water lapping against Ravensdale’s hull - and the considerably less gentle rocking when the wind gets up 😊

18 months afloat and no regrets

Ravensdale - the Neptunus 133 that is our lovely floating home

I bet you thought it was only children that celebrated their half birthdays 😊

Well, you’d be wrong, or maybe it’s just that I’m never willing to grow up. Not so keen on celebrating my own half birthdays anymore though (or the real ones come to that 😊)

I’ve been looking back over my blog posts on our previous milestone anniversaries.

And it was interesting to see how things have changed and the various things we’ve learned during our first 18 months on board.

One thing that hasn’t changed though is that we’re still very glad we took the momentous decision to sell our house and buy a boat.

For anyone who’s interested, the links to my previous milestone blogs are below -

The great escape from a house to a boat – my first blog post after moving on board on November 4, 2016 - Mad or what?

This time last year - Our six-month liveaboard anniversary

November 4 last year - Our first liveaboard anniversary

Last day of our Highland holiday

The weather forecast for last Friday - the last full day of our holiday in the Scottish Highlands - had been reasonably good when I checked it the previous evening, so we went ahead with plans to go out into the mountains on our last day.

We set the alarm clock for an early start and woke up to discover it was raining AGAIN!!! And the forecast had changed to rain for much of the day.

We had two choices – to put on our waterproofs and head out into the hills anyway or cancel the walk we had planned and stay at the cottage.

To be honest, it was a no-brainer.

We’d spent the previous couple of days waiting for the weather to improve and for our legs to recover from the last long walk and we felt fit and ready to go so that’s exactly what we did.

It stopped raining just before we set off from our holiday cottage in Ballachulish to drive up to Glen Coe and was still dry when we got there, but we still put on our waterproof walking jackets and trousers before taking the route we'd planned.

We were heading for the 2,811ft summit of Beinn a Chrùlaiste, which is behind Kings House Hotel in Glen Coe.

Beinn a Chrulaiste (left) and Meall Bhalach (right)

I was getting rather hot in my waterproof trousers, so stopped to take them off but, soon afterwards, we could see the rain coming in across the hills to the west of us, so I had to put them back on again.

A thick, grey mist enveloped Beinn a Chrùlaiste and it started to rain.

At that point, we decided to forget Beinn a Chrùlaiste as we wouldn’t be able to see anything from the top anyway and to head up neighbouring 2,323ft Meall Bhalach, which was still clearly in view, stopping to take photos on the way up.

A ruined building with Buachaille Etive Mor and Stob a Ghlais Choire in the distance

Buachaille Etive Mor from Meall Bhalach

Stob a Ghlais Choire from Meall Bhalach

The light rain didn’t last long, but, by the time it stopped, we were committed to our new route, so we decided to continue heading in that direction and we were rewarded with some fabulous views of Glen Coe, Rannoch Moor, Blackwater Reservoir and the Mamores.

View from the summit of Meall Bhalach across Blackwater Reservoir and the Mamores

Looking across Rannoch Moor from Meall Bhalach

When nearing the top, we came across a number of fairly large snow patches, so I just had to sit in the middle of one and get Phil to take a photo (as I said earlier, I have no plans to grow up anytime soon 😊)

Me sitting in the snow on Meall Bhalach

A wider view showing the size of the snow patch

Phil on Meall Bhalach

Phil and I at the summit of Meall Bhalach

We had our packed lunch on the summit, then checked the map to see if there was a better route down the mountain than the one we'd followed on the way up and chose a different route, which brought us down onto the public footpath to Black Corries Lodge.

We were really lucky with the weather. Often, we could see rain on the hills all around us, but we somehow managed to avoid a soaking.

Other than the short shower on our way up the hill, we only had a little bit of hail when we were nearing the top and it started spitting while we were walking the last couple of hundred yards back to the car.

The rain arriving as we headed back to the car

As soon as we got into the car, the heavens opened. Someone must have been on our side for once as we aren’t usually that lucky! 😊

While out, we saw two deer, lots of sheep, lots of frogs, a heron, two grouse and what we think were two ptarmigan.

The total distance showing on the Satmap GPS when we got back was 7.21 miles.

Return to the real world

The weather was beautiful for our drive home and we stopped off briefly in Glencoe to take photographs of Loch Leven.

Boats on Loch Leven at Glencoe in the Scottish Highlands

More boats on Loch Leven

A wider view of Loch Leven looking towards Ballachulish

The Pap of Glencoe

In the past, whenever we reached the end of a holiday, I always said it was time to return to “the real world”.

However, in those days, we were going home to a house and it usually meant I had to go back to work the following Monday.

Returning to the real world is so much easier now our world isn’t really like the real world at all 😊

In fact, most people would consider our version of the real world to be a holiday 😊

And, this time, we thankfully returned home to discover all was well on the boat and the ducks turned up for food soon after we arrived, so at least someone was glad to see us back.

Feeding time for the ducks next to Ravensdale's bow

Back in our real world

I managed to get most of our clothes and self-catering stuff unpacked on Saturday, finishing off putting things away on Sunday morning.

Thankfully, I’d been able to get almost everything we’d worn on holiday washed in the washing machine at the holiday cottage on Friday evening, so it was all clean and ready to go back in the wardrobes, cupboards and drawers.

The only things still needing attention were our walking jackets, waterproof trousers and our walking boots.

Phil washed the jackets and trousers and re-waterproofed the jackets, then cleaned and waxed our walking boots on Sunday ready for our next mountain adventure.

Our walking gear drying on the line while Phil cleans our walking boots

We lifted our prawn pot to discover we’d caught around 20 small crabs, so we took them over to The Aquarium to be fed to the octopuses.

The crabs in a bucket before we took them to The Aquarium

We got chatting to a fisherman we know as we walked back around the harbour and he gave us another prawn pot, so we can either up our catch or keep it as a spare.

The following day we found a dogfish in our prawn pot with 11 more crabs, so we’ll soon have enough to take them to The Aquarium again.

Phil holding the dogfish that got caught in the prawn pot before throwing it back

Next time, I’m planning to take my camera with me and hopefully get some better photos of the exhibits than I took with my phone on our previous visit.

Storage wars and damp under the mattress

We’ve just acquired an extra storage unit at the marina so we’re having another go at trying to sort out our storage situation.

We’re trying to work out what we need to keep on the boat, what we need to keep in our marina storage space and what to take to our small shore-based storage unit that we’re still hoping to get rid of altogether one day.

We lifted our mattress to sort the stuff in the locker under the bed with a view to taking some of it up to the marina storage facility. While in there, Phil lifted the inspection panel in the bottom of the locker to discover that there was water in the bilges.

He pumped it out and cleaned out the cupboard, which had become a bit mouldy.

A piece of Dry-Mat

We also discovered that the wooden surface of the bed under our mattress had become a bit damp and mouldy, despite our bed slats and Dry-Mat – a product that creates an air space between the mattress and the bed base.

We used to lift the mattress regularly to air it but hadn’t got around to doing it for a couple of months.

We’ve also lifted the mattress off the bed while away on previous occasions but didn’t think to do it when we decided to take a trip to Scotland at short notice.

Thankfully the Dry-Mat had only become marked on the underside of the bottom piece of matting (we placed an offcut under the piece we cut to fit to provide extra protection over the water tank, which is located under the bed).

The top layer of Dry-Mat was still dry, as was our mattress.

I checked the washing instructions for the matting online and discovered it was machine washable, so I took it up to the marina laundry to wash it, then dried it on the washing line across Ravensdale’s aft deck in quite a strong wind.

Phil pumping out the water from the bilges under our bed

Phil washed the mouldy surface of the bed, then put the dehumidifier in the cabin on the setting that is supposed to dry washing and shut the bedroom door.

What we didn’t realise was that the mattress had become wedged against the door to the en-suite heads, which I usually prop open during the day to ensure that the dehumidifier in our bedroom also keeps the bathroom dry.

The mattress pushed the heads door back against the wardrobe beside it and its handle prevented the sliding door to our cabin from opening.

We took turns at trying to open it, but it was well and truly stuck.

In the end, Phil used the windlass handle and another stainless steel pole to lever the mattress away a bit while I slid the door along and we were able to get into our bedroom again.

The two doors that became jammed preventing us from entering the bedroom

The damage caused to the door to the en-suite heads

Sadly, this left two small gouges in the surface of the heads door that will have to be repaired, but we’ve learnt never to let the doors become jammed in this way again.

On the plus side, we did manage to move some of the things that had been stored in the locker under the bed into our new marina storage unit. 

Phil delivering some of our stuff to the marina storage container

We now need to go through other lockers to see what can be moved off the boat.

Other boat jobs

The new fastening on Ravensdale's windscreen cover

Phil cleaning the galley carpet

Phil fixed a new bungee clip on Ravensdale’s windscreen cover as the press stud that was meant to hold it in place had become impossible to fasten.

He previously replaced one that had broken at the top on the starboard side and has now put a second one on the bottom corner of the same side.

We bought four, so have two more to go on as and when needed.

He also shampooed the carpets after coffee was spilt on the one in the saloon.

The galley carpet, which we recently replaced, was also looking a bit grubby, so he decided to do that as well while the carpet cleaner was out.

Pontoon repairs

Staff at Maryport Marina have been carrying out repairs to the wooden pontoons over recent weeks. And I couldn’t resist snapping this shot of Ken, the newest member of staff, laying down on the job 😊

Ken repairing one of the pontoons at Maryport Marina

Spring weather in Maryport

The spring weather we’ve had here over the past week hasn’t been very spring-like at all.

Although we came home in lovely warm sunshine on Saturday, we haven’t seen any really decent weather since.

Even when the sun has been out, there’s still been a cold wind.

Sunday and Monday were both dry and bright, but there was a good wind, which made it feel much cooler. On Sunday, we had a northerly wind, with average wind speeds up to 17mph.

Sunshine on Sunday evening at Maryport Marina

Overnight Monday into Tuesday, the temperature went down to 4.1C (39F).

It stayed dry and reasonably bright on Tuesday, with temperatures up to 10C (50F), but it was very windy, with south-south-westerly winds averaging up to 28mph and gusting to 41mph.

We then had a very windy night with average wind speeds up to 30mph, gusting to 46mph, giving us our first really rocky night since we got back from our holiday.

There was a little rain mid-morning on Wednesday and it continued to be windy throughout the day, with temperatures up to 10.1C (50F) mid-afternoon.

It remained fairly windy overnight Wednesday/Thursday with wind speeds of up to 18mph. The lowest temperature recorded during the night was 6.3C (43F).

Yesterday (Thursday) morning started dry and fairly bright, but it soon clouded over and started spitting with rain. We then had light rain on and off for much of the rest of the day. Daytime temperatures peaked at 8.9C (48F), with average wind speeds up to 21mph.

Fishing boats in Maryport Harbour on Thursday afternoon

Last night was mild and not too windy, with temperatures going down to just 8.1C (46F) and a top average wind speed of 17mph. Today (Friday) is dry and bright. So far, the temperature has only risen to 9.6C (49F) and the average wind speed has been 11-15mph. 

Ravensdale is seaworthy again and ready for action

Ravensdale's engine room - the heat exchanger pipe that held things up is top left

Three weeks after we removed the heat exchanger and intercooler from Ravensdale’s port engine for cleaning, she’s now up and running again.

But Phil only completed the job yesterday (Thursday), so we haven’t had a chance to take her out to sea yet.

Meanwhile, he's been cleaning her decks and hull again to keep her shipshape.

Phil pressure-washing Ravensdale's foredeck

He has also replaced the window seals in the saloon and we’ve made a couple of purchases that will improve our liveaboard experience.

And otter watching - or rather watching for otters - has become our latest pastime.

Port engine heat exchanger is working again

Both Ravensdale’s engines are now in full working order so we can take her out to sea whenever we want.

She was out of commission while the heat exchanger and intercooler on her port engine were removed and cleaned.

Bad weather causing the boat to rock fairly violently delayed work in the engine room, then we had to wait for the parts to come back after we sent them away for cleaning.

We collected them and Phil refitted them over a week ago.

The perished seals that needed replacing

However, we then discovered that the seals attaching a pipe to the heat exchanger were perished causing a leak when the engine was running.

We ordered the parts, but the Easter break meant we had to wait longer than usual for delivery.

Phil fitted them yesterday (Thursday) and the engine is running perfectly while alongside.

We’re now waiting for good weather to coincide with the marina gates being open at a suitable time of day to take Ravensdale out into the Solway Firth to check both her 300hp Volvo Penta engines work equally well at sea.

Phil refitting the pipe to the heat exchanger

The same work was carried out to her starboard engine earlier this year to cure an overheating problem.

After that job was completed, we discovered the port engine was also running hotter than it should have been hence the latest project.

Replacing window seals

The Beast from the East at the end of February and beginning of March revealed a new problem of which we had been previously unaware.

We discovered the shelf along the top of the cupboards on the port side of the saloon was getting wet. On investigation, we could see fine snow blowing in down the join between the fixed window and the one that slides open.

We then realised that the seal on that window was so badly worn that a small gap had opened up and the northerly wind was blowing the snow in through it.

We were unable to find exactly the right seals so ordered the nearest we could find. Sadly, they didn’t fit properly, so Phil filled the gap with black Sikaflex. He then placed the bought seal on top of the sealant and we didn’t touch the window until it had set.

Phil filling the gap behind the window seal with sealant

Phil fitting the new window seal

He did the same thing with the matching window on the starboard side.

And both now seem to be working perfectly.

The windows still open and close and, unlike before, you cannot feel any draft if you hold a hand close to either of the seals when they're closed.

Hopefully, we won’t get any more snow coming in either 😊

Re-carpeting the galley

Phil fitting the new carpet

This week, we bought and fitted a new carpet in the galley to replace the old one that had become badly marked and was fraying at the edges.

It wasn’t in great condition when we bought the boat. We'd tried cleaning it with carpet cleaner, which improved the look of it a bit, but I always felt it let the boat down.

Recently, it was looking even worse, so we went and bought a remnant in a similar colour to the rest of the carpet on the boat.

Although the galley floor is a very small area, it's an awkward shape, so Phil cut the new carpet to fit using the one we'd removed as a template and he’s done a great job.

The newly fitted galley carpet

New aft deck furniture

All last summer, and the warmer sunnier days during the rest of the year, we’ve wished we had a table and chairs on Ravensdale’s aft deck.

And, at long last, we’ve got around to doing something about it.

Our local B&Q DIY store gives pensioners a 10% discount on Wednesdays, so I persuaded Phil to sign up for the scheme.

He was delighted when he was asked for proof that he was over 60, especially when he’s a good few years past that milestone birthday 😊

New table and chairs on Ravensdale's aft deck

Me enjoying a coffee on our new aft deck furniture

And, on Wednesday of this week, we bought a folding table and chairs made of acacia - a dense, durable hardwood that can withstand the elements and is often used in boat building. It's also a sustainable wood making it an eco-friendly choice.

It was pouring with rain on Wednesday when we made the purchase, so we waited until yesterday (Thursday), when the sun came out, and assembled them on our aft deck in the sunshine.

It was great being able to sit out and have our coffee in a civilised fashion, rather than just perching on the aft deck lockers.

Caravan site reopens

The Harbourside Caravan Park next to Maryport Marina

The nearby caravan site, which is run by the marina and shares the marina facilities, opened for the 2018 season on Good Friday.

The first two camper vans arrived during the afternoon and it was very busy over the Easter weekend.

It can accommodate 10 caravans or campervans and was almost full on Saturday and Sunday.

We’re obviously pleased to see it doing well for the marina, but it means the toilets, showers and laundry are busier than during the winter months, which can be a bit of a pain.

The caravan park was created last year, but no new facilities were provided for it.

Ex trawler towed away

A former trawler that was moored up in Maryport Basin, just outside the marina gate, was towed away in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The boat, called Samenwerking, is the home of a couple and their four dogs.

Petronella alongside Samenwerking before towing the former trawler to Scotland

It was due to leave on the high tide around midday on Saturday, but it was too windy, so it left on the next high tide, just after midnight on Sunday morning.

We went down to the far end of the marina to watch it go – and to take photos, of course 😊

The two boats preparing to leave Maryport

The former trawler beside Maryport Pier on its way out into the Solway Firth

She is now settled in her new home at Palnackie in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.

Marina wildlife

We’re still waiting for the swans and the little black and white magpie duck to return to the marina.

However, a pair of mallards have been in looking for food, so I didn’t disappoint them 😊

The ducks that paid us a visit yesterday (Thursday) afternoon 

Meanwhile, we were delighted to spot a pair of otters playing in the marina on Tuesday evening.

We watched them through our binoculars from Ravensdale’s foredeck and I could clearly see that there were two of them.

They then moved around out of view, so I got my camera and we walked out along the next pontoon to look for them.

We were creeping along the pontoon as quietly as we could when there was a huge splash right next to me and I nearly jumped out of my skin. Just as well I wasn’t too close to the edge or I might have ended up in the water with them 😊

I’m sure it was at least one of the otters, but we never saw them again.

We’re now keeping an eye out for them and I’m hoping to get a photo asap.

Photography - fishing boats in Maryport Harbour

Easter Sunday started out as a beautiful sunny day and I couldn't resist taking a walk around the harbour with my camera while Phil pressure-washed the boat.

I came home with literally hundreds of photos of the colourful fishing boats here. Sadly, I didn't manage to get all their names so I've had to use their numbers for the captions on some of them. 

Destiny - one of the fishing boat in Maryport Harbour

Silver Fern - another of the local fishing boats

Sincerity and Our James

Winsome and RI475

BH44 and CT20

MT123 and E50

Weather round-up

The past week has been generally a little warmer than previous weeks which, as usual, meant more rain, coupled with high winds.

But we’ve also had a couple of lovely sunny, spring-like days.

We had rain overnight Friday/Saturday and it was very windy on Saturday morning.

This coincided with a fairly high tide of 8.8m – the highest we’ve seen since we’ve been in Maryport, Cumbria, was just over 9.2m.

Maryport Marina at high tide on Saturday

Sunday was much calmer, with sunshine, blue skies and fluffy white clouds in the morning. However, it clouded over soon after lunchtime and a cold wind blew up later in the afternoon.

Fluffy white clouds over Maryport Harbour on Easter Sunday

The wind dropped off overnight but it remained quite cool. The lowest temperature recorded during the night was 2.2C (36F) at 6am.

Monday was cold, wet and windy. The boat was rocking well, particularly when the marina gate was open. The highest temperature recorded locally during the day was just 3.6C (38F), with an easterly wind averaging up to 22mph and gusting to 33mph.

I was going to cut Phil’s hair that day but had to put it off as the boat was rocking too much, so spent most of the day sorting through and processing photos I’d taken over the preceding days.

We woke up to pouring rain on Tuesday morning, which continued until the afternoon. The sun then came out and the temperature rose to a much more pleasant 9.3C (49F), although it remained pretty windy, with average speeds of up to 21mph, gusting 31mph.

The view through Ravensdale's saloon window on Tuesday morning

Overnight Tuesday/Wednesday was a mild night, with temperatures only dropping to 5.7C (42F).

The strangest thing on Wednesday was the wind, which had been coming from the south overnight. Up until 3am, we had a southerly wind averaging up to 14mph and, by 11am, it had turned right around to a northerly wind. The highest average wind speed recorded during the day was 31mph, gusting to 41mph.

Overnight Wednesday into yesterday (Thursday) was much colder, with the temperature going down to 0.9C (33F), and the wind dropped considerably to 5mph by 6am.

This was followed by a beautiful sunny day with very little wind – just right for trying out our new table and chairs on Ravensdale’s aft deck.

Maryport in the sunshine yesterday (Thursday)

Last night was fairly mild, with the temperature dipping to 5.4C (39F) just before dawn.

This morning (Friday) and much