Our first big adventure on Ravensdale - taking our boat away on holiday for the first time

Ravensdale returning home from Scotland

One of the reasons we decided to sell our house and buy a boat was so we could take her on holiday with us.

Since we moved on board our Neptunus 133 cruiser, Ravensdale, in November 2016, we'd only taken her out fishing on the Solway Firth and for little cruises on the firth.

But, this week, we decided to go further afield for the first time.

Our home port is Maryport in Cumbria on the English side of the Solway Firth and our first proper trip was to Kirkcudbright in Dumfries and Galloway, which is 26 miles away from here, up the River Dee on the Scottish side of the firth.

Ravensdale at Kirkcudbright

And we're now planning to go further afield for a longer holiday next spring - possibly up the west coast of Scotland.

Planning our first mini-break on Ravensdale

While watching the weather to check for the next chance to take Ravensdale out fishing on the Solway Firth, I noticed that the forecast was for calm conditions from Tuesday to Friday of this week.

It's unusual for us to get such a long calm period, so I suggested it might be worth trying to get away for a few days.

Pilot books for the Solway Firth

Phil thought it a good idea and we started looking at the possibility of going to Kirkcudbright in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.

We spoke to other berth holders here who've visited the marina in Kirkcudbright to pick up any tips on going there.

And we started studying the charts and the pilot guides for that area.

Map showing Little Ross Island and the channel up the river to Kirkcudbright

We were really hoping the forecast didn’t change for the worse forcing us to cancel our plans.

On Monday, we called the Scottish marina to check they would have room for us to be told it should be fine. We agreed to call and let them know if and when we were definitely on our way.

We also contacted the skipper of Range Vessel Gallovidian to check on firing times on the firing range in the Solway Firth that we needed to cross to reach Kirkcudbright and were told there would be no firing this week.

Phil topped up our water tanks and we took Ravensdale over to the fuel pontoon to fill up with diesel.

Maryport Marina fuel pontoon

We also went food shopping, just in case we ended up spending time at anchor.

The final decision on whether to go was left until we got up at 6am on Tuesday morning and the day was everything the weather forecasters had promised so we decided to set off on our first big adventure.

Taking our “house” on holiday for the first time

It was so exciting going away on our boat for the first time even if we weren’t going very far or for very long.

Although, I must confess to having been a tiny bit apprehensive the night before we set off.

I had every faith in Ravensdale and her skipper but couldn’t help feeling it would be strange being further from land than we’d ever been before during the 26-nautical mile journey from Maryport to Kirkcudbright.

It was fairly calm when we set off just before 8am on Tuesday morning.

Ravensdale heading off to Scotland in the sunshine

The average wind speed recorded at nearby St Bees Head for the time we left was 14mph, but it seemed considerably less here.

The top wind speed for Maryport while we were out was 16mph and, for Kirkcudbright, the top average wind speed was 9mph at 3pm.

We had a pretty bumpy ride until we reached the Robin Rigg Wind Farm, which is about halfway across the Solway Firth. The second half of the journey was much smoother.

We averaged 9.5 to10 knots, arriving at Little Ross Island at 10.25am.

Approaching Little Ross Island off the coast of Scotland

We dropped Ravensdale’s anchor to wait for the tide to be high enough for us to head up the river towards Kirkcudbright.

It was really calm and sunny when we first arrived and became a bit cloudier during the afternoon.

We watched porpoises in the bay, but I was unable to get a photograph of them.

Phil fishing near Little Ross Island

Phil tried to do a spot of fishing, but the only fish he caught were dogfish. Sadly, the only decent fish he hooked – a good-sized huss – managed to get away.

While we were anchored off the island, we called the marina to confirm they had room for us.

They said they’d get a boat to move up to make room and we confirmed we would be arriving around high tide.

We had our lunch on Ravensdale’s foredeck in the sunshine and put the generator on for a while to keep the freezer cold, so I took the opportunity to use the coffee maker to make us a cappuccino.

Soon after lunch, a fairly large yacht moored up to a buoy close to the island.

The yacht that arrived while we were anchored off Little Ross Island

As we knew there was only one available mooring in the marina, I called to check the other yacht wouldn’t be able to take the space they had cleared for us but was told that if they got in first they would get it.

It was suggested that, as we were the bigger boat, they could raft up on us (tie up alongside us).

However, I pointed out that our boat would be very difficult for anyone to climb over to get ashore from a yacht.

Thankfully, having seen our boat, the yacht owner thought the same and told the marina that, as we were there first, they would go elsewhere, which we thought was pretty decent of him.

A fishing boat that passed us while we were fishing

We moved to the other side of the bay at about 3.30pm, partly because the fishing was so bad by the island and partly to get closer to the buoyed channel up the river.

We set off up the river shortly before high tide, arriving at the marina at around 6.45pm.

Travelling up the River Dee to Kirkcudbright

Fish House on the River Dee

Kirkcudbright in the evening sunshine

Mooring up was more difficult than we’d expected due to the tide and we were very grateful to three local fishermen who just happened to be walking along the pontoon at the time.

They caught our ropes and helped to bring us into the space that had been created for us between two other boats.

They also gave us some mackerel fillets and some pollock.

We secured the boat and got a bit sorted then went into town to get some fish and chips.

Sunset at Kirkcudbright Marina

We knew there was no Wi-Fi at the marina, but there was also no TV signal, so we watched some of the programmes that we just happened to have pre-recorded.

Me and Ravensdale at Kirkcudbright Marina

We slept really well, and, on Wednesday morning, we set off to explore Kirkcudbright on the banks of the River Dee, which is the only town on Scotland’s Solway coast with a working harbour.

Unsurprisingly, the area, which is known as “The Artists’ Town” because it was a magnet for Scottish artists in the late 19^th century, has a number of art galleries.

The picturesque town boasts a ruined 16^th century tower house near the harbourside, called MacLellan’s Castle and some very impressive churches.

MacLellan's Castle at Kirkcudbright

The main street through Kirkcudbright

Another view of Kirkcudbright

Kirkcudbright in Dumfries and Galloway

Kirkcudbright Parish Church

Another view of Kirkcudbright Parish Church

View of Kirkcudbright Marina from the harbour

A fishing boat leaving Kirkcudbright Harbour

There is also a good selection of small shops and eating places.

In fact, I ate way more than I should’ve done so the diet started again today (Friday) 😊

On Wednesday afternoon, we took a walk up the River Dee to Tongland Bridge that was built by Scotland’s greatest engineer Thomas Telford in 1806.

An old boat alongside the River Dee

The path out of Kirkcudbright along the River Dee

The River Dee at low tide

Me on Tongland Bridge

Phil on the River Dee walk

We originally intended to stay until today (Friday), but the weather forecast changed giving higher wind speeds than we would’ve been happy to set off in, so we decided to come back to Maryport yesterday (Thursday).

Kirkcudbright sunrise

Early morning reflections in the River Dee at Kirkcudbright

We set off at around 7am, two hours before high water, as that meant we could get back to Maryport on the same tide, arriving back here before the gate was due to close at around 11.30am.

Ravensdale leaving Kirkcudbright on our way home

The trip back was considerably quieter than the journey there, so we were pleased we decided to come back when we did.

We saw Maryport fishing boat Winsome on the Scottish side of Robin Rigg Wind Farm.

Winsome by Robin Rigg Wind Farm

I messaged Tom, who owns the boat, and he said he was glad it was us as, from a distance, he’d thought Ravensdale was the fisheries vessel.

It was good to know Ravensdale looks so scary 😊

Robin Rigg Wind Farm taken from a lot closer than we  usually get to it

The deepest water we encountered during the trip was 22.6 metres (74 feet).

Ravensdale's depth sounder showing 21.2m, which is the depth beneath her keel

As we’d been moored up starboard side to in Kirkcudbright, I needed to swap the ropes and fenders over to the port side for our return to our home marina, so Phil slowed right down as we were approaching Maryport to give me a chance to get them sorted.

We’d hoped to get an extra night but didn’t mind too much coming home a day early.

And we got back to our marina at about 10am after just over three hours at sea.

Ravensdale coming into Maryport Basin on our way home

We really enjoyed our mini break and it has given us more confidence to undertake a longer trip in the future.

And, as soon as we’d moored up Ravensdale in Maryport Marina, the local swan family came to visit in search of food, which was a lovely welcome home.

The swan family waiting for their first feed after our return

One really good thing about taking our home away on holiday with us is that we didn't have to do any packing or unpacking and there was no way we could forget to take anything we wanted or needed as we had everything with us 😊


Changing Ravensdale’s electricity plug

Phil ordered a new socket for the boat and a new plug for the end of the power lead from the electricity bollard on the pontoon to Ravensdale.

They arrived early on Monday morning and Phil planned to fit them straight away ready for our trip to Kirkcudbright.

Unfortunately, although they were ordered together, the plug was too big for the socket.

However, the one Reg, the marina foreman, had fitted for us the night we blew the power to the pontoons was a perfect fit so we’re waiting to hear how much we owe the marina to keep that one.

Ravensdale's new plug and socket

Phil had to make a larger hole for the socket box to fit into as we were unable to get an exact fit and the new one is wider than the old one.

He would normally have waited for good weather to do an outside job but needed to get it done before we set off for Kirkcudbright so he had to work in the rain.

Our shore power lead was very long – too long – and our generator lead was too short, so Phil cut a length of the shore lead and used it to make a longer lead for the generator.

Testing our outboard

We’d been meaning to blow up our dinghy and try our outboard motor to make sure it was still working for some time as we realised it hadn’t been started for about a year.

However, before we got around to doing this, we discovered that the marina had a large plastic drum fitted with a board for testing outboards.

We asked Reg, the marina foreman, if we could borrow it to save us having to get our dinghy out and he told us where to find it.

Phil testing our outboard motor

We took the empty drum through to the hard-standing and filled it with water.

Phil then filled our motor up with petrol before carrying it up to the drum to test it and we were delighted when it went on the second pull of the starting chord.

It then ran without a problem until Phil switched it off again.

So at least we know that, if we need to use it on our dinghy, it should work OK.

Thornback ray

The thornback ray we ate this week

At long last, we actually got to eat one of the fishes caught on our fishing trips this summer.

We ate a couple of cod caught last winter and, a few months back, Phil filleted a smooth-hound for us to eat, but sadly we forgot it was in the fridge until it was past its best, so it went in the prawn pot as crab bait.

We kept a thornback ray (AKA skate) from last week’s fishing trip.

Phil filleted it as soon as we got back, and we ate it the following day.

He pan-fried it in oil and it was delicious, so we will definitely be keeping any we catch in the future.

Creaking ropes

Phil washing our mooring ropes

Washing the ropes in fabric softener seems to have worked as they are much quieter than before we took them up to the marina launderette to wash them.

We’re hoping that they really are creaking less, but we’re well aware that the noise reduction could be due to the ropes being tied differently.

Or it could be because we haven’t had wind from the direction that was causing so much creaking before the ropes were washed and softened.

Time will tell, but, so far, it’s looking like it has been successful.

Weather watch

The week started grey and damp but the weather improved from Tuesday onwards.

Soggy Saturday at Maryport Marina

Saturday started grey and fairly calm, but the wind increased as the day went on. There was a short shower around lunchtime then light rain during the early evening.

The highest temperature recorded locally was 14.9C (59F) and the top average wind speed was 17mph.

Sunday was mainly overcast and dry with drizzle and light rain at times.

Grey Sunday at Maryport Marina

It was fairly windy and became cooler during the morning from 16.7C (62F) at 7am to 15.8C (60F) by 11am. The top daytime temperature was 15.9C (60.5F) and the average wind speed peaked at 18mph.

It was warm overnight with a temperature of 15.9C (60.5F) at 1am.

Monday started grey and damp with light rain from first thing until mid-afternoon. It was fairly calm during the morning with the wind increasing during the day.

The temperature dropped during the morning to 10.5C (51F) at 10am. The highest temperature during the day was 13.7C (57F) and the top average wind speed was 17mph.

It was dry, bright and calm first thing on Tuesday and we left Maryport to set off Kirkcudbright in bright sunshine.

Maryport Marina in the sunshine on Tuesday morning

The day continued sunny with a little more cloud in the afternoon.

The top average wind speed for Maryport while we were out on the water was 16mph and the top temperature was 15.7C (60F). The highest average wind speed at Kirkcudbright on Tuesday was 9mph at 3pm when the temperature peaked at 15.9C (60.5F).

A sunny day in Kirkcudbright on Wednesday

There was a calm, sunny start to the day in Kirkcudbright on Wednesday. It remained sunny throughout the morning, with cloud increasing from 2pm. The temperature reached 16C (61F) and the top average wind speed was 11mph.

We were up bright and early yesterday (Thursday) morning and there was mist on the River Dee in Kirkcudbright at sunrise.

Mist on the River Dee at sunrise on  Thursday morning

It was calm and sunny when we left the marina and headed down the river to Little Ross Island, where we left Scotland to cross the Solway Firth.

The cloud increased as we crossed the firth. It was bright and dry when we arrived in Maryport, but there was a bit of light rain early afternoon followed by clouds and sunny intervals.

The top average wind speed in Kirkcudbright, while we were travelling, was 8-10mph and, for Maryport, it was 8mph.

The highest daytime temperature in Maryport was 15.6C (60F) and the average wind speed reached 17mph. 

Clouds and sunny intervals at Maryport Marina today (Friday)

And, so far, today (Friday) the weather has been a mixture of clouds and sunny intervals with a light rain shower early afternoon.

The temperature has reached a high of 15.2C (59F) and the top average wind speed was 24mph, gusting 32mph at 9am this morning so we were very glad we decided to travel home yesterday.

Our first liveaboard anniversary and moving for some winter sun

Ravensdale at sea in the Solway Firth

Tomorrow (Saturday) we will have been full-time liveaboards for a year and, it’s true, time really does fly when you’re having fun.

It certainly hasn’t been plain sailing and there have been some pretty choppy times along the way, but we’re still both very happy we decided to take the plunge – not literally of course J

I called my very first blog post, soon after we moved on board, “Mad or What?” and said I wasn’t sure if it was the most exciting of craziest thing we’d ever done – the answer is that it's both.

I resigned from my job as a journalist on a regional daily paper and we sold our house in the Scottish Highlands in October of last year.

We took ownership of our 43ft seagoing cruiser Ravensdale – then called Candlelight - on October 20 and moved onboard on November 4.

It was something we’d both wanted to do for some time. In fact, we sold our house and moved out to Spain in 2004 and almost ended up living on a boat on the Med, but the timing wasn’t right for us and we moved back to the UK.

We’ve never been very good at staying in one place for very long and had moved house many times, frequently joking that our next house should have an engine.

And now it has – two 300hp Volvo Penta engines that will take us anywhere we want to go, diesel fund permitting J

Our first anniversary seemed like a good time to take stock of the biggest move of our lives so I’ve been taking a look back over some of the highlights (and lowlights) of the past 12 months.

November 2016

Ravensdale goes back in the water ready for us to move onboard

Ravensdale had been on the hard standing since we had a survey carried out prior to purchase.

We had a holding tank fitted before she went back in the water at the start of this month and we moved onboard on November 4.

The move was both exciting and a little bit scary and living in a home that was rarely totally still and sometimes rocked quite violently felt a little weird at first.

We soon settled in, but encountered a few problems, including the wifi, which was practically nonexistent, and we had to take our laptops to the marina’s customer lounge to get online.

We also discovered that the new holding tank we’d had fitted before we moved in didn’t take long to fill up if the heads were used as you would use a toilet in a house. The solution was to use the marina facilities most of the time and only use the heads for night times and emergencies.

The other big issue was the lack of storage. We’d got rid of a lot of our belongings when we sold our house, but still found we had way too much stuff to store on a boat. We got rid of even more gear, but have yet to really feel we have solved this problem.

The temperature started to drop and the pontoons were icy some mornings, but the marina staff kindly gritted a route from the boat to the marina facilities, and our diesel heater kept the boat lovely and warm.

December 2016

Ravensdale decked out with Christmas lights

We bought ourselves an early Christmas present of a thick custom-made mattress and a new electric blanket. These, together with a dehumidifier and Dry-Mat, which prevents condensation forming under the mattress, ensured that we always got into a nice warm, dry bed.

The marina also put in a new wifi system, which meant we were able to get wifi, although it was less good at low tide when the boat dropped down behind the harbour wall.

Ravensdale got an early Christmas present when, after months of waiting, an engineer turned up just three days before Christmas to service her two 300hp engines.

We considered going away for the festive season, but decided to spend our first Christmas onboard. We put up a small Christmas tree and a few other decorations inside and strung 800 colourful fairy lights around the guard rails and across the aft deck. We also managed to cook a full turkey dinner in our tiny gas oven.

January 2017

Phil removing the old Eberspacher 7 heater after it broke down

We also decided to spend our first New Year on board. It was a very quiet, but enjoyable way to start the year as we pondered on what 2017 would hold for us. And it wasn’t long before we found out – our super efficient Eberspacher 7 diesel heating system packed up on January 5.

Midwinter must be the worst time for a heating system to break down, especially as we still had no heat at the end of the month after attempts to get our existing heater repaired proved unsuccessful and the first replacement heater we ordered from Germany was lost in transit.

We got by with small electric heaters and our two dehumidifiers, but ended up spending around £50 a week on electricity, which was more than twice the usual figure. We also turned on the gas oven and left the door open to raise the temperature at times.

The coldest temperature we recorded inside the boat was 7C, but we survived.

Meanwhile, the cable on the marina gate snapped and much of the water drained out of the marina. Thankfully we remained afloat – just – but the smell from the stinking mud was awful until it was fixed and normal service was resumed the following day.

We also changed all the lights on the boat for LED bulbs and started studying for our RYA Day Skipper and Yachtmaster Offshore theory qualifications this month.

February 2017

Phil tearing his hair out while we attempt to find homes for all our stuff

Our RYA Yachtmaster Offshore certificates

More than a month after our heating system packed up, the new Webasto 5 heater arrived and was installed restoring some sort of normality to our home. It was so good to be warm again.

I was convinced the heating system packing up for a month in the middle of winter was a test of our commitment to our new liveaboard lifestyle and I reckon we passed with flying colours J

We also successfully completed our RYA Day Skipper and Yachtmaster Offshore courses and were presented with the certificates to prove it.

And our storage wars continued as we pulled everything out of the lockers to sort it – again – and tried to get rid of even more stuff.

When we moved onboard, we rented a 75sqft shore-based storage unit. After much effort, we downsized to a 50sqft unit and then a 25sqft unit. The plan was to get rid of this altogether asap (this has still not been achieved).

March 2017

One of the marina staff pressure washing Ravensdale's hull

We took our first break from our liveaboard lifestyle with a two-week shore-based holiday visiting family in Wales and the south of England. The first night sleeping in a bed that wasn’t being rocked by the waves felt really strange.

We returned to Ravensdale to discover the electricity had gone off just after we left and the freezer was full of stinking rotten meat. We never managed to get rid of the smell in the freezer and ended up having to buy a new one.

Soon after we returned from our holiday, we both successfully completed a day-long VHF Radio Course and passed the VHF Short Range Certificate exam.

And, at the end of the month, we had Ravensdale lifted out of the water onto the hard standing so we could antifoul her hull, check her anodes and give her a good clean up.

We continued to live onboard our boat, which felt rather like living in a weirdly-shaped caravan on stilts, with a spectacular view over the marina.

I set to work on preparing the underwater section of the hull for the antifoul paint and Phil on sanding the gelcoat above the waterline. Our lives became one long round of scrubbing, scraping and sanding.

Our intention was to be out of the water for two to three weeks, but things didn’t quite go to plan...

April 2017

Me sanding the old antifoul paint on Ravensdale's hull

The new logo and Phil painting stripes 

Ravensdale’s beauty treatment continued, with even more, sanding, scraping and polishing, and the removal of her vinyl tape stripes, which were painted back on.

The antifoul paint was applied below the waterline and the prop shafts, propellers and rudders were striped back to the bare metal so the propellers and rudders could be antifouled.

Phil carried out some gelcoat repairs and I chiselled off the raised caulking between the timbers on the aft deck giving us a nice level surface.

We also ordered and applied a new Neptunus trident logo on the bow because the old one was looking very much the worse for wear.

May 2017

Ravensdale on stilts on the hard standing with an impressive set of scaffolding steps

We celebrated our six-month anniversary with Ravensdale still on stilts on the hard standing.

Phil polished the hull until it was shining and I sanded and varnished the coffee table and stools in the saloon.

We also fitted a new depth/sounder log, which involved cutting four holes through the hull – a pretty scary moment J

Meanwhile, Phil was trying to get Ravensdale’s trim tabs working having discovered that they didn’t move at all. We eventually discovered the motor wasn’t working and had to install a new system and new hydraulic rams.

A boating friend taught me to whip ropes and I whipped a new set of ropes for our fenders.

We also made our first trip out of the marina gate into the Solway Firth, but sadly not on Ravensdale. A friend took us out on his yacht to watch Maryport’s annual Trawler Race.

And we took a day off to attend the first day of Windermere Boat Show at Ferry Nab Jetties at Bowness on Windermere.

June 2017

Relaunching Ravensdale after 11 weeks ashore

After various delays, Ravensdale went back in the water on Friday June 9 – about 11 weeks after she was lifted out for two to three weeks J

It was so good to see her back where she belonged and to get rocked to sleep at nights again.

The work continued once we were back in the water, including replacing the domestic water pump after the old one packed up leaving us without an onboard water supply for a couple of days.

Giant jellyfish in Maryport Marina

Ravensdale still wasn’t ready to take out to sea, but another friend offered us a trip out into the Solway Firth on his yacht and we jumped at the opportunity.

A huge jellyfish turned up in the marina – a Rhizostoma pulmo, commonly known as the barrel jellyfish, the dustbin-lid jellyfish or the frilly-mouthed jellyfish.

It was pale pink, with a black lacy looking rim, and measured about 18ins in diameter and around 2ft 6ins in length.

We had some beautiful sunny weather in June and enjoyed soaking up the sun on top of our house J

We also had another trip out to sea on someone else’s yacht and attended the Northern Boat Show in Liverpool.

July 2017  

Phil adjusting Ravensdale's drive belts during the diesel engine course

Our RYA Diesel Engine Course certificates

Me checking the oil during the course

We decided Ravensdale was now seaworthy but decided to wait until after we’d taken the RYA Diesel Engine Course to make sure her engines were in order.

And we were so glad we did because, when the instructor came to our boat to do the course with us, we discovered several problems that could have caused trouble at sea.

These included slack water pump drive belts on the starboard engine, one of which needed replacing, and the fuel return hose on the same engine was perished and could have burst at any time.

The new dinghy we’d ordered at the Northern Boat Show arrived giving us a serviceable tender. The one that was on the boat when we bought it turned out to be suitable for use on inland waterways only – not coastal waters.

We also bought a prawn pot to see what was lurking in the waters beneath our home and started catching small shrimps and crabs, along with the occasional eel, flat fish, young Pollock and even a couple of dogfish.

July brought more sunshine and more sunbathing – who says it always rains in Maryport? All I can say is they have obviously never lived in Fort William J

That said, we were back in Scotland for a week staying in a lovely holiday cottage on the shores of Loch Awe in Argyll and, although we’d planned a break from boats, ended up visiting friends on their boats in Tarbert and hiring a small boat to fish the loch.

The night we got back from our holiday the waste water pump for the basin in the aft heads and shower broke down so we were unable to use them for several days. We immediately ordered a new one, which Phil fitted.

August 2017 

Ravensdale heading out into the Solway Firth for the first time

We carried out the work identified during the diesel engine course and, almost nine months after moving on board, Ravensdale was finally seaworthy, but she came up with yet another excuse not to leave the marina.

While we were waiting for suitable weather to coincide with the tides for our first trip out to sea, the new Nasa Clipper duet combined speed/distance log and echo sounder we fitted while out of the water stopped working.

Phil tried to fix it, but without success so the unit had to be sent back to the manufacturer.

Phil at the helm on our first outing

Meanwhile, we experienced our first Maryport Blues Festival.

We were going to wait until the depth sounder/log was fixed before taking Ravensdale out to sea for the first time, but decided we could do without it if we only went out for a short time around high tide when we could be sure of having plenty of depth beneath us.

And, on August 10 – more than nine months after we bought her – we took her out for her maiden voyage in our ownership and it felt amazing.

Her second outing was on August 22, which was a lovely, calm, sunny day. I still couldn’t quite believe we were floating around on the waves in our house J

Phil later fitted a new in-hull transducer, which gave us a functioning depth sounder again.

September 2017

Phil test driving our new dinghy

Me enjoying a cup of tea at sea

Ravensdale’s third and longest outing to date was an almost three-hour cruise in the Solway Firth on September 2.

Phil tried fishing off the boat for the first time, but had no luck on this occasion.

We also took our new three-man Excel Volante 235 dinghy with a 2.5hp Suzuki outboard motor for a test drive in the marina as we realised we hadn’t used either since we bought them.

I underwent day surgery to have my gallbladder removed this month after discovering the stomach pain I had been suffering was caused by gallstones.

I was a bit concerned about recuperating on a rocking boat, but it was no problem at all. I wasn’t allowed to do any heavy lifting for a fortnight, by which time I was totally back to normal.

We decided not to take Ravensdale out to sea during this period as throwing ropes could have put too much strain on my stomach.

October 2017 

Storm clouds gathering over Maryport Marina before ex-hurricane Ophelia

Calm after the storm

We celebrated the first anniversary of me leaving work, selling our house and buying Ravensdale this month.

Weather forecasters also warned that Maryport was due to be hit by two big storms - ex-hurricane Ophelia and Storm Brian.

The first was pretty dramatic and a former trawler, now used as a liveaboard, which is moored on the harbour wall outside the marina gate, broke her stern line at night. She was tossed around by massive waves while emergency services battled to bring her under control.

However, Storm Brian was no worse than any other period of high winds.

We took Ravensdale out to play in the Solway Firth twice – on October 8 and October 27 – and a friend who was out in their boat at the same time kindly took some lovely photos of her at sea.

Ravensdale out in the Solway Firth on October 8

Enjoying the afternoon sun in the Solway Firth on October 27

November 2017 

The wall plaques say it all

And tomorrow (Saturday) is the big anniversary – a whole year of living on board!

The past week

After Ravensdale’s last trip out to sea we filled her up with diesel – the tank was still almost half full, but she still took 700 litres!

We also moved house – or rather moved our house to a different berth in Maryport Marina.

Ravensdale in our new mooring at Maryport Marina

We were previously moored up alongside the harbour wall on the same side of the marina as the marina office and facilities, which was fine at high tide. However, at low tide, the view from our port side was a seaweed-covered stone wall, which blocked out the light, wifi and mobile signal and adversely affected our TV reception.

This wasn’t so bad in the summer, but as the days get shorter and the sun gets lower in the sky, it means boats along that pontoon are in shadow for much of the day.

We could see it starting to happen and asked if there was any possibility of moving to the other side of the marina.

We are now on a hammerhead, where we have sun for more of the day (when it’s out, of course), more light, a much better view and better reception for wifi, mobile phones and TV.

I’m claiming that we’ve gone on holiday for a bit of winter sun J

Ravensdale's new location on the other side of the marina

On a less happy note, we discovered we need to buy two new batteries after the engines failed to start again when we filled up with diesel following our last trip out to sea.

Phil used the generator to start the engines and, after carrying out some tests, he confirmed the batteries were finished so our next big purchase will be two new ones.

I think Ravensdale will have to consider them an early Christmas present J