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 😊

Exhaust problems keep Ravensdale in the marina and Ruby celebrates her first birthday😊

Phil removing the exhaust from Ravensdale's starboard engine

Ruby with one of her birthday presents

Phil completed the oil change for Ravensdale’s starboard engine but has yet to tackle her port engine after discovering two problems that required urgent attention.

An exhaust elbow seam on our 43ft Neptunus 133 motor cruiser’s starboard engine was rusty and leaking.

And the exhaust cover that runs along the outside of her hull on the same side had sprung a leak.

So, we turned Ravensdale around to enable Phil to fix the exhaust cover problem and ended up moored up facing the wrong way for four days until the work was done and the weather was calm enough to turn her again.

He then removed the exhaust elbow and a local man repaired it for us.

Meanwhile, it’s three years since we sold our house in the Scottish Highland and bought our floating home, we celebrated Ruby’s first birthday and I started a new job.


Oil change

Phil pouring oil into Ravensdale's starboard engine

Phil finished off draining the oil from Ravensdale’s starboard engine.

New oil filter

He also changed the oil filter on this engine after filling it with oil.

Phil then refilled the engine with new oil, which wasn’t easy when the boat was rocking because the marina gate had just been opened.

After he’d finished, he ran the engine and the oil pressure was fine.

The plan was to move straight on to draining the oil from Ravensdale’s port engine.

However, when Phil started up the starboard engine, he discovered another job that needed more urgent attention.

He heard a sound that he didn’t recognise, went outside to check where it was coming from and discovered water spraying out from the underside of the external exhaust cover that runs along the side of Ravensdale’s hull.



Exhaust problems

We turned Ravensdale around on Sunday (October 20) after Phil discovered water leaking from the underside of the exhaust cover on the starboard side of her hull.

She’s usually moored up on her port side facing into the prevailing winds, which are either southerlies or westerlies, but we moored up the other way around so Phil could get to her starboard side.

Ravensdale moored up the other way around at Maryport Marina in Cumbria, UK

Water pouring from the underside of the exhaust cover

Mooring up the wrong way around wasn’t a problem as the wind was blowing from the north and northeast on Sunday and Monday and it was relatively calm.

However, it veered around to the south and south-west on Tuesday and continued blowing from that direction for the next couple of days when it was considerably stronger than it had been on the preceding days.

Thankfully, Phil managed to do the work to the exhaust cover before the wind got up.

He had to lay on the pontoon and use my handbag make-up mirror to inspect the problem.

He discovered that the sealant had come away under the exhaust cover in the area that was leaking.

Phil laying on the pontoon and using my make-up mirror to look under the exhaust cover

A closer view of Phil looking under the exhaust cover

Phil scraped off the old sealant with a small screwdriver and cleaned up the area of the hull that had been behind the sealant with a chisel before sanding it with wet and dry sandpaper.

He then resealed it using a sealant that can be applied and goes off underwater as he was using it very close to the waterline.

The sealant had to be left for at least 24 hours before he could start the engine to see if the leak had been stopped.

And, while Ravensdale was back to front, Phil took the opportunity to thoroughly clean her starboard side.

Phil cleaning the starboard side of  Ravensdale's hull

The split seam on the exhaust elbow

We turned her around to face into the prevailing wind on Thursday evening when I got home from work.

This week, Phil removed the damaged exhaust elbow from Ravensdale’s starboard engine and took it to the local engineer who has previously done welding work for us.

He was busy but another local man did the job straight away.

Phil is hoping to refit the elbow today (Friday).

All that remains now – as far as we know – is to change the oil in the port engine and then Ravensdale will be ready to go out on the water again.



Boat purchase anniversary

Ravensdale - then Candlelight - with her "for sale" board when we first saw her in August 2016

On Sunday, October 20, it was three years since we took ownership of Ravensdale, but we don’t really celebrate the anniversary until two weeks later when we moved on board.

In some ways, it’s difficult to believe it’s that long since I left my job as a journalist on a daily newpaper and we sold our house to buy a boat.

But, in other ways, it feels as though we’ve always lived on board.


Charity calendar

Some of the charity calendars that arrived this week

August's photo

Orders for the calendar of my Maryport photos that I decided to get printed to raise money for our local, independent inshore rescue service have far outstripped my expectations.

I originally planned to order 25 and maybe order more if I managed to sell them all.

However, as soon as I posted an advert for my calendar, using photos of the proof, on a local Facebook group the orders came flooding in.

I upped my initial order to 35 when I placed it on Saturday.

However, by the end of the weekend, it was obvious I would need more so I called the printer on Monday and increased my order to 100 as I had orders for about 85.

By Wednesday evening, I had orders for all of them and more coming in, so I ended up ordering another 30 calendars last weekend.

People are still asking if they can order calendars so I may have to order more, but not until I’ve collected the money for those that I have already ordered.

I’m totally amazed and equally delighted that so many people want to buy them 😊

Me packing up the calendars ready for collection

The first batch arrived earlier this week and I sent out messages to all the folk who'd ordered them asking them to arrange collection or send payment and details for posting them out.

I spent most of yesterday (Thursday) running up and down to the gate to meet people who'd come to collect the.

There were more people coming for them today (Friday) and over the weekend.

And I’m being asked for more so I’m keeping a list of folk who still want them saying I may order more when I’ve collected the money for the ones I’ve ordered so far.

As long as everyone who's said they want calendars pays for them, it looks as though they’re going to raise a useful sum for Maryport Inshore Rescue 😊



New job

Me working at Chimney Sheep making a chimney draught excluder

I’ve been considering getting a part-time job for a while and started doing three-days a week in a local factory this week.

Initially, it’s just until the end of the year.

I love how I came by this job. It really was the weirdest way to get a job ever.

Regular readers of my blog may remember when a parcel addressed to us on our boat at Maryport Marina was bizarrely delivered to Chimney Sheep on the Solway Industrial Estate.

Fortunately, a Facebook friend, who I’d never met, worked there and messaged me to let me know it was there.

I went along to pick it up and, while chatting to my Facebook friend, just happened to mention that I was considering looking for a part-time job.

She told me to speak to her boss who told me to send her my CV, which I did.

And last Tuesday afternoon, I got an email offering me three days a week in production and packing until the end of this year.

I started at 9am the following day and worked Wednesday to Friday, which is why I didn’t get a chance to write my blog last week, and Monday to Wednesday this week.

The company makes draught excluders for chimneys out of sheep’s wool (amongst other things) – hence the name Chimney Sheep.

Felt arrives in Maryport ready to be made into chimney draught excluders and other items

It’s certainly strange to be going out to work again, but they’re a good bunch so it’s a great environment to work in.

And it’s good to feel I’m contributing to the family finances again, even if it is only for a couple of months 😊


Ruby of Ravensdale

Ruby sunbathing on Ravensdale this week

Ruby at around six weeks

It seems impossible to believe that Ruby turned one on Monday of this week.

It only seems like yesterday that we picked up our beautiful little staffie puppy and brought her home to Ravensdale.

And I reckon it was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. She’s a little monkey but she is so much fun and I love her to bits.

I bought her a purple hippo toy and a new stag antler as birthday presents, but neither lasted very long.

Ruby tearing chunks off her new toy hippo

She pulled the hippo’s tail off in a matter of seconds, its ears lasted a minute or two longer and she had bitten a hole in its rear end and was pulling the stuffing out within about 10 minutes, so I had to take it away.

Her new stag antler lasted a little longer, but not a lot 😊

Ruby tossing her antler, as she does with all new chew toys

I gave it to her at about 6pm and before we went to bed she’d chewed it down from about seven inches to a small stump so I had to throw it away as I was worried she would choke on it.

Ruby happily chewing her new antler

Meanwhile, we’re hoping her allergy problems are improving.

We dropped her allergy tablets from half a tablet twice a day to once a day on Friday (October 18) and she started chewing her feet again the following morning.

The sad face I have to say goodbye to when I leave for work

We waited a fortnight, as advised by the vet, to see if it improved and she does seem to be chewing her feet and scratching her ears less often so we’re hoping she may stabilise on half a tablet.

Ruby was totally confused by us turning Ravensdale around to work on her starboard side.

She kept barking at the views out of the windows because she was seeing the wrong things on the wrong sides of the boat.

Every time she jumped onto Ravensdale from our boarding steps, she went forward instead of onto the aft deck to get indoors. She then had to turn around and head back towards the stern.

She isn't very impressed when I have to leave her to go to work in the morning and I get a very enthusiastic greeting when I get home.

And she really doesn’t like going out in the rain. We have to persuade her to leave the boat but once she’s out she’s fine.

As soon as she gets back inside and warm and dry, she curls up and sleeps for most of the day – either that or she’s pretending to be asleep, so we don’t drag her out again any sooner😊

Ruby on one of our walks along the River Ellen last week

She’s had lots of good walks, with Phil while I was working and me, or both of us, when I was off work.

Ruby helping Phil wash the windows on Ravensdale

And Ruby had a lot of fun trying to bite the water through the windows when Phil was washing them last week. I’m sure she thought she was helping.

It was totally hilarious to watch 😊


Photography

I haven't managed to get out with my camera as much as usual over the past couple of weeks, mainly due to work, but also the amount of time involved in sorting out calendar orders and arranging for them to be collected.

However, I took some photos with my phone while out walking Ruby by the River Ellen at Maryport  on Saturday, October 19.

Looking along the River Ellen towards Maryport - phone photo

Looking in the opposite direction along the footpath next to the River Ellen - phone photo

The sun going down over the River Ellen - phone photo

Another view along the River Ellen with Christ Church in the distance - phone photo

I took my camera along on one of Ruby's walks on Tuesday, October 22.

Grasslot shore at Maryport looking towards Flimby

Maryport Marina

A closer view of Maryport Marina

Maryport beach with the Scottish hills in the distance

A closer view of the beach

I also went out for a walk around the harbour last Saturday.

Fishing boats in Maryport Harbour

A colourful fishing boat in Maryport Harbour

More boats in the harbour

And I managed to get out for the sunset on Saturday and Sunday evening.

The sun going down over the Solway Firth on Saturday

Bait diggers on the shore at Maryport at sunset

Saturday's sunset at Maryport

A closer view of the sunset

Saturday's Solway sunset

Sunday's sunset from Maryport shore

An upright view of Sunday's sunset

A panoramic view of sunset over Maryport shore

Weather watch

Rain was a recurring theme during last week

We had a lot of wind and rain last week, but the weather this week has been a lot nicer, even though it's getting cooler.

Saturday (October 19) started cloudy and wet but relatively calm, with light rain during the morning followed by heavier rain during the afternoon, which stopped around teatime. The top temperature was 10C (50F) and the top average wind speed at St Bees Head – our nearest weather station - was 23mph, but it was definitely less windy here.

Rain on Saturday (October 19) at Maryport Marina

On Sunday (October 20) it was spitting with rain in the morning, then dry for the rest of the day with clouds, sunny intervals and a good breeze. The top temperature was 10C (50F) and the top average wind speed was 22mph, gusting 32mph.

Monday (October 21) was dry, bright and relatively calm. The temperature reached 10C (50F) and the top average wind speed was 8mph.

Tuesday (October 22) was dry, bright and breezy with a top temperature of 10C (50F) and top average wind speed of 18mph.

Wednesday (October 23) was bright and cloudy but thankfully stayed dry. The top temperature was 11C (52F) and the top average wind speed was 24mph, gusting 34mph.

The miserable view through Ravensdale's windscreen on Thursday (October 24)

We had heavy rain overnight and Thursday (October 24) was mainly dry with a heavy shower in the evening. The top temperature was 12C (54F) and the top average wind speed was 24, gusting 32mph.

Overnight Thursday into Friday (October 25) was a cold night with the temperature dropping to 4C (39F). It was dry first thing on Friday with heavy rain until late afternoon followed by drizzle during the evening. The top temperature was 8C (46F) and the average wind speed was 14mph.

Saturday (October 26) was dry, sunny and breezy.

Sunday (October 27) was another dry, sunny and breezy day with a top temperature of 10C (50F) and a top average wind speed of 25mph, gusting 36mph.

Calm conditions at Maryport Marina on Sunday afternoon

Overnight Sunday into Monday was a cold night followed by a frosty start to the day with the temperature dropping to 2C (36F) at 7am. The pontoons were a bit slippery in places and there was ice on car windscreens.

There was a clear sky and it stayed dry and sunny but cool throughout the day. The top temperature was 7C (45F) and the top average wind speed at St Bees Head was 14mph, but it was less than that here.

Tuesday was another chilly morning with the temperature falling to 2.5C (36.5F) at 5am. It was a dry, calm and sunny day with a top temperature of 9.4C and a top average wind speed of 14mph.

Wednesday was another dry, sunny and relatively calm day.

Calm, sunny weather at Maryport Marina yesterday (Thursday)

Yesterday (Thursday) it was dry, bright, sunny and calm with more cloud developing late afternoon. The top temperature was 9.7C (49.5F) and the top average wind speed at St Bees Head was 22mph, gusting 30mph, but it was nothing like that in Maryport.

We had heavy rain overnight and the weather today (Friday) has been cloudy and breezy with showers at times and heavy rain this evening. The top temperature was 11.6C (53F) and the top average wind speed at St Bees Head was 23mph, gusting 33mph, but again it was less windy than that here.