Very high tides and sea testing our new fuel filters and new VHF radio

Ravensdale on the Solway Firth with Scotland in the distance. Photo: Bryan Stephenson

We’ve had some very high tides here at Maryport in Cumbria, UK, this week with a difference of up to 9m – almost 30ft - between the high and low tides.

And we took Ravensdale out on the water on Monday for the first time since Phil changed her fuel filters himself.

It was also the first time we’d used our new VHF radio properly since he fitted it last weekend.

It wasn’t our most successful fishing trip ever, but it definitely wasn’t the least successful either as we brought home our supper 😊

Meanwhile, we had to rush poor little Ruby to the veterinary surgery this week when she suffered a sudden and severe allergic reaction to something, but we still have no idea what caused it ☹


Monday’s fishing trip

Ravensdale heading towards the marina gate on Monday

The forecast was calm for Monday but, as usual, we decided to check the sea state before going so Phil took Ruby around to the pier for her first walk of the day.

He came back saying the water looked pretty calm, so we decided to go fishing when the marina’s sea gate opened.

It would also give us a chance to check the engines were running properly after Phil had changed the fuel filters.

The trip also meant we could do a proper check of our new VHF radio.

The view from Ravensdale's flybridge as we headed out between the piers

We left the marina at 11.15am and headed out onto the Solway Firth to go to Phil's favourite fishing spot in Allonby Bay.

Ravensdale leaving Maryport

There was very little wind, but it was still pretty choppy between the piers as we left Maryport.

This was caused by the big rising tide meeting the River Ellen that flows through the basin, especially as the river was swollen by long periods of heavy rain in the preceding days.

Ravensdale's two 300hp Volvo Penta engines sounded good after their fuel filter change and Phil pushed the speed up a bit from our usual 8-10 knots to 16.5 knots to check they ran OK at speed.

Phil giving Ravensdale's engines some throttle while keeping an eye on the temperature gauges

The water was much calmer when we dropped anchor but we were still rolling around a bit for no apparent reason so there must have been a good swell that wasn’t easily visible to the eye.

The view of Scotland from the saloon window while we were at anchor on the Solway Firth

Phil set up his fishing rods and was hoping for some decent cod, but all he was catching were dogfish.

Phil waiting for the cod to start biting

The dogfish were becoming a real nuisance when he pulled in his first codling of the day, which was too small to keep.

This was followed by three codling that were big enough to keep.

Phil with one of the larger codling he caught on this trip

He also reeled in the first pouting he’s caught from Ravensdale.

The first pouting Phil's caught from Ravensdale

I have to confess that I was really pleased when both of Ravensdale’s engines started first turn when it was time to go home.

This used to bother me a bit when we first started taking her out of the marina.

As we’ve now taken her out more than 70 times, I’ve come to expect them to work, but this was the first trip since Phil changed her fuel filters. I really should’ve had more faith in him 😊

Ravensdale heading for home

We returned to the marina at 2.55pm after around three hours and 40 minutes out on the water during which time we did 5.3 nautical miles.

The entrance to Maryport on our way home

And, I’m pleased to report that the new VHF radio also passed with flying colours.

We knew we’d had no problem hearing other people’s calls and, when we were back in the marina, we checked with the marina staff to be told that our transmissions were also very clear 😊


Fitting new radio

Phil fitting our new VHF radio

Phil fitted our new Standard Horizon VHF radio at the weekend.

He then carried out a radio check, which proved we were right to replace our old fixed radio as the new one was so much clearer.

He has since spent some time trying to connect it to our Standard Horizon chart plotter.

We thought this should be fairly simple as they’re both the same make but it’s proving much more difficult than expected.

Phil intends to revisit this task very soon as he’s checked online and it’s supposed to be possible but lots of folks seem to have real problems connecting them up.


High tides

Boats and pontoons at Maryport Marina almost level with the car park at high tide on Sunday

We’ve had some very high tides here in Maryport over the past week with the highest being a 9.4m tide at 00:54 on Monday morning.

I considered getting up to see it as it was one of the highest tides we’ve had in the almost three years we’ve been living on our boat here, but decided to stay in bed as I wouldn’t be able to get a decent photo of it in the dark.

However, the 9.2m tides at 12:38 on Sunday and 13:19 on Monday were also pretty impressive and considerably easier to photograph.

The same view when the marina gate is closed to keep water in the marina when the tide drops

It’s always strange to see the boats in the marina almost level with the road on one side of the marina and the car park on the other.



Flybridge cover

Phil scrubbing Ravensdale's flybridge cover

The cover on Ravensdale’s flybridge had become very dirty and has started to leak.

So, we decided to give it a good clean before reproofing it.

Wednesday was a lovely calm, sunny day and we considered going out fishing but there were a few jobs we needed to while the weather was fine.

We took the flybridge cover off and carried it up onto the marina road to the west gate, where we had more room to stretch it out.

Phil scrubbed it with caravan awning shampoo, and I hosed it down to rinse the shampoo off.

It hadn’t totally dried by the time it was getting dark so we put it back on to dry and will take it off again to proof it on the next dry day.

Meanwhile, I’m considering trying to make a new one myself as having one made for us is going to be pretty expensive.

We measured it while it was off. I also had a look at how it was constructed and it looks as though it should be doable.



Packing our dinghy away

Phil washing our dinghy - watched by Ruby 😊

Our dinghy has been hanging on Ravensdale’s davits throughout the summer, but we decided to pack it away for the winter.

I lowered it down with the winches while Phil pulled it towards the pontoon with a boathook.

He gave the dinghy a good clean and left it on the pontoon to dry overnight and during the day yesterday (Thursday) before packing it away yesterday afternoon.

And that was no easy task.

I don’t understand why it always seems to be so difficult to get a dinghy that was packed in a bag when you bought it to fit back into the same bag when it’s deflated. One thing’s for sure, it provided us with a good workout 😊



New rod holders

One of the new rod holders a friend made for Phil

A friend who has a small fishing boat in the marina turned up at our boat on Saturday with two stainless steel rod holders he’d made for Phil’s fishing rods.

A week or so back, Phil was telling him he was very disappointed with the new rod holders he'd bought online as they wouldn’t stay upright when there was a fish pulling on the line.

The friend had offered to make some, but it was still a lovely surprise when he turned up with them.

And they’re so much better than any of the holders he’s been using previously.

They’re really solid and much easier to lift the rods in and out of than the last ones he bought.


Ruby of Ravensdale

Ruby relaxing on Ravensdale

Ruby had us really worried on Saturday when she suddenly broke out in a horrible lumpy rash.

We could see the lumps coming up under her coat while we watched so I called the vet who said she was obviously having a severe allergic reaction to something.

The vet said to give her two piriton tablets immediately and take her straight to vets in Cockermouth for a steroid injection.

Ruby on her way home from the vets on Saturday

The rush was because the vet was concerned that it could affect Ruby’s airways.

Thankfully the rash disappeared almost as quickly as it appeared.

The scariest part is that we don’t know what caused it so we know she’s very allergic to something, but we have no idea what.

Ruby on look-out duty on Ravensdale's foredeck

I’m sure Ruby is very pleased that she no longer has to wear her doggy knickers as that part of her season is over, but we've still had to keep her out of the way of intact male dogs in case she was still fertile.

As usual, she’s been watching everything we do on Ravensdale and was very unimpressed when the dinghy was drying on the pontoon next to the boat. Every time she saw it there, she made sure we knew she didn’t approve by barking at it 😊

But, thankfully, she still seems happy enough when I tie her to lead to the railings around the harbour when I want to stop to take photos while taking her for a walk.

Ruby checking out the view while I take photos

She has a good look around but is always sitting quietly when I finish because she knows she gets a treat when I untie her if she’s being good.

I know it’s bribery, but at least it means I get a chance to take photos and Ruby seems happy with the arrangement too 😊


Photography

The sun going down over the Solway Firth on Sunday

 On Sunday evening, I took my camera along when I took Ruby for a walk around the harbour.

Fishing boats in the entrance to Maryport Harbour at dusk

Maryport Harbour at low tide

Christ Church at Maryport at low tide

River Ellen at Maryport

I also took lots of photos while we were out on the Solway Firth on Monday.

The northern fells from the Solway Firth

Maryport from the Solway Firth

The entrance to Maryport Basin from the Solway Firth

Maryport from the Solway Firth

And we were back in the marina in time for me to get some photos of local fishing boat Silver Stream towing the yacht that had to be rescued last week back home to Maryport.

Fishing boat Silver Stream towing a yacht back to Maryport Marina

Silver Stream towing the yacht into the marina

The broken down yacht tying up in the marina

Silver Stream returning to Maryport Harbour

I captured some shots along the shore and of the marina around sunset on Wednesday evening while out walking Ruby with Phil.

The sun setting over the Solway Firth

Maryport Pier at sunset

Maryport from across the basin at dusk

Solway Firth sunset

Reflections on the still water at Maryport Marina

Another view of reflections at Maryport Marina (Ravensdale is on the left of the image)

The Isle of Man from Maryport

And I took a few photos of another local fishing boat Chelaris returning to the harbour yesterday (Thursday) after she’d been repainted at the boatyard next to the marina.

Chelaris about to pass Ravensdale in Maryport Marina

Chelaris leaving Maryport Marina

Weather watch

We’ve had some mixed weather over the past week but there’s been a definite chill in the air in the early mornings with the first frost yesterday (Thursday) morning.

It rained overnight Friday into Saturday morning, but it was dry and bright during the morning and throughout the day. There was a good breeze during the day, but it was much calmer during the evening.

Saturday afternoon at Maryport Marina

The top temperature was 14C (57F) and the top average wind speed was 18mph.

Heavy rain returned overnight Saturday into Sunday and it carried on falling throughout the morning. We had light rain from around lunchtime on Sunday and it dried up later in the afternoon.

Rain on Ravensdale's aft deck on Sunday

The top temperature was 13C and the top average wind speed was 22mph, gusting 31mph.

Monday was fairly calm, dry and cloudy with sunny intervals. The top temperature was 14C (55F) and the top average wind speed was 8mph.

We had more heavy rain overnight Monday into Tuesday and very windy on Tuesday morning. It was milder overnight than during the day with an overnight temperature of up to 11C (52F).

Maryport Marina on Tuesday

The top daytime temperature was just 10C (50F) and the top average wind speed was 30mph, gusting 41mph.

Tuesday night into Wednesday was a chilly night with the temperature falling to 5C (41F). Tuesday was dry, bright, sunny and calm with a distinct chill in the air first thing.

Dry, sunny and calm at Maryport Marina on Wednesday afternoon

Wednesday/Thursday was another cool night with the temperature dropping to 5C (41F) again and marina staff salted the paved area by the marina facilities to prevent anyone from slipping on the frosty surface.

The same view on Thursday afternoon

Thursday morning started dry and bright with a few spots of rain early on. It then stayed mainly dry until early afternoon when we had a few light showers. This was followed by heavier rain during the evening.

The top temperature was 10C (50F) and the top average wind speed was 28mph, gusting 36mph, at our nearest weather station at St Bees Head but it was definitely calmer here.

Dry and bright weather at Maryport Marina today (Friday)

And, so far today (Friday) the weather has been dry and bright with a top temperature of 15C (59F) and a top average wind speed of 13mph.

Sunken boat in our marina is broken up…and Ravensdale has been out on the water again

Ravensdale returning to Maryport after our fishing trip last Friday. Photo by Terry Little

There’s no doubt about it, good weather is when our liveaboard lifestyle is at it’s very best.

After almost two and half years living on Ravensdale – our 43ft Neptunus motor cruiser – I still love boat life whatever the weather.

But it’s even better when it’s warm, dry and sunny outside so we can leave the windows and door wide open and wander around in shorts and a T-shirt. Ruby loves the warmer weather too 😊

We only took Ravensdale out on the water once in the past week, but that was the fourth time in seven days so I’m certainly not complaining, and the poor fishing lately has made us less keen to go out again at the moment.

Meanwhile, we had a lovely visit from my son, daughter-in-law and beautiful granddaughters last weekend.

Our dinghy hanging from Ravensdale's davits

Since then, Phil has checked our dinghy over and fixed the lifting rings needed to suspend her from Ravensdale’s davits and I’ve been repairing the flybridge cover.

And our marina here at Maryport in Cumbria, UK, refloated the boat that sank in the marina last week. She has since been lifted out of the water and is being demolished.



Fishing trip on Friday

Ravensdale leaving Maryport Marina in Cumbria, UK, last Friday afternoon

As last Friday was another calm day, we decided to take Ravensdale out fishing to give her bottom a wash after the marina was drained down for a second time.

This meant that we had taken her out on the water on four days out of seven, which was a record for us.

Before we made up our minds to go, we took a quick trip around to the pier to see whether the Solway Firth was really as calm as the water in the marina would suggest and, unlike the previous day when we went out without checking, it looked fine.

I’d left all the loose stuff inside packed up from the previous day’s trip out, so it was very easy to get ready.

From my point of view, it simply meant making a flask of tea and strapping down the microwave and freezer.

Phil did his usual preparations in the engine room and with the mooring ropes and we left the marina at around 3.20pm.

Looking back at the marina gate from the basin as we headed out onto the Solway Firth

The sea was a lot less choppy than the previous day but not as calm as we’d expected.

We headed up to Allonby Bay again and anchored in a different spot in the hope Phil would have more luck fishing there, but it was not to be.

He put out three rods and it turned out to be another “dog day”. To say Phil is fed up with catching dogfish would be the understatement of the century.

The only other fish he caught that day was a small dab.

The small dab Phil caught on this trip

Ruby was less keen to stay out on deck than she had been when the weather was warmer and the sun was shining the previous Saturday.

Ruby enjoying a cuddle with Phil on Ravensdale's aft deck

After a short time wandering around the aft deck and trying to get to Phil’s fishing bait, she obviously wanted to go back inside so I went in with her.

I tried taking her out a couple more times but each time she seemed keen to go back indoors. I wouldn’t dream of making her stay outside if she didn’t want to, so we stayed inside until Phil decided he’d had enough of fishing.

Ruby on Ravensdale's aft deck

Ravensdale heading for home

We got back to the marina at around 6.10pm after two hours and 50 minutes out on the water during which time we travelled 6.4 nautical miles.

And I was delighted to discover that two people had taken photos of Ravensdale out on the water.

Steve Jolly, who owns the fishing boat Sunrise, snapped us from the pier on the way out and another man, Terry Little, who I don’t know, got us on the way back in and posted his photos on a local Facebook group. Both kindly agreed to me downloading them and using them for my blog.

Ravensdale leaving Maryport and heading out onto the Solway Firth. Photo by Steve Jolly

Ravensdale returning to Maryport. Photo by Terry Little

After so many unsuccessful fishing trips, I have a feeling we’re going to find it very hard to convince ourselves that it’s worth going out in search of fish again for a long time ☹

Phil packed away his fishing rods last weekend saying he may wait until the smooth-hounds, tope and spurdogs arrive before we go again.

Having said that, he's changed his mind and we’re planning a trip out tomorrow (Saturday) as the forecast is for more lovely, calm, sunny weather 😊


Death of the sunken boat

Floriage submerged in Maryport Marina last week

Floriage - the boat that sank in our marina here in Maryport, Cumbria, UK, last week causing the marina to be drained down – twice - stayed afloat after the work carried out during the drain down last Friday.

Marina staff then checked on her hourly and pumped out her bilges on a regular basis to keep her afloat over the weekend.

Floriage being pulled along the marina wall

They used ropes to move her around the marina to the wall opposite the end of the slipway on Monday morning.

Floriage on the boat hoist ready to be lifted out of the water

She was lifted out of the water on the boatyard hoist on Tuesday and a demolition firm started breaking her up on Wednesday.

Floriage being demolished on Wednesday

This is all that was left of Floriage at close of play yesterday (Thursday)

It was sad to see a boat being torn apart, but it had to be done as she was obviously beyond repair.


Ravensdale’s mini-me

Phil drilling holes in the dinghy transom for the lifting rings

Phil decided to get our dinghy out and check it as we hadn’t looked at it for at least a year.

It was also taking up a lot of space on the flybridge, so he inflated it, fitted the lifting rings that were supplied with the dinghy to its transom and tied ropes onto them to hang it from the davits.

The lifting rings fixed to the dinghy transom

He also greased the winches on the davits and wire brushed and greased the wires and hooks to make sure they were working properly.

Our dinghy hanging from Ravensdale's davits

Flybridge cover

Me repairing Ravensdale's flybridge cover whil Ruby stands guard

The vinyl trim around the edges of Ravensdale’s flybridge cover was coming unstitched so I dug out the strong, rot-proof thread I bought when I sewed a patch on the cover to mend it last year.

I knew my domestic sewing machine was not going to be strong enough to sew through two layers of the vinyl trim and two layers of the Sunbrella fabric of which the cover is made so it had to be sewn by hand.

I selected a strong needle and put on the sailmaker’s palm that we bought for whipping ropes. I also got out my thimble in the hope that these two things would enable me to push the needle through the fabric without hurting myself.

I thought there was only one length of stitching needed but kept finding more sections that needed sewing and wasn’t able to do them all in one go.

I eventually had to stop because, despite my best efforts to protect my hand, the thumb and index finger on my right hand became really sore just from gripping the needle and pulling it through the fabric.

I completed the stitching I’d set out to do and a few other lengths that needed attention but will have to have another look when my thumb and finger have recovered enough to do it again.


Ruby of Ravensdale

Ruby on lookout duty on the foredeck

Ruby takes her lookout duties very seriously and is always out on deck to check any strange noises she hears.

She sits right in the middle of the walkway to the aft deck, so we can only get in if she stands back and lets us through 😊

Ruby sitting in the entrance to Ravensdale's aft deck

She also likes to watch anyone walking past Ravensdale on the road alongside the marina that leads to the lighthouse, pier and beach.

But she hasn’t been down to run on the beach this week.

Phil stops to talk to another dog walker while out walking Ruby

We’re giving it a miss at the moment in an attempt to get her walking on a lead properly.

We suddenly realised that all the time she spent running free on the beach could have been causing her to keep stopping in the hope we’d let her off her lead.

We still take her out for regular walks, but she stays on the lead and it seems to be working.

We’re managing to stop her pulling and she stops much less frequently. And, when she does stop, it’s easier to get her moving again.

She’s met a lot of people and dogs on her walks this week and always gets on well with any dogs when their owners are happy for them to stop and meet each other.

Ruby playing with Tess

Ruby playing with Sandy

Ruby meets Molly

Once, we feel she’s got the hang of walking on the lead, we’ll go back to letting her off again.

Meanwhile, she seems to have got all her teeth through now.

I noticed that there didn’t seem to be any spaces now while trying to clean her teeth and got an even better look at them while holding a bone for her to chew on it on the aft deck on Tuesday.

Ruby chewing the bone she brought me to hold for her

She is so funny. Rather than sit and chew a bone quietly on her own, she brings it to us and wants us to hold it while she chews on it. Talk about lazy! 😊

A closer look at Ruby's shiny new adult teeth

And she really doesn’t like the dinghy hanging from the davits. She can be really funny about anything that she thinks is in the wrong place and keeps barking at it. Hopefully, she’ll soon accept it as it’s staying put.

The view of the dinghy from Ravensdale's aft deck that seems to annoy Ruby so much

Ruby sitting at the top of the steps to the galley on Ravensdale

Ruby relaxing in the saloon but still watching what's going on in the galley

Family visit

Me with Ed, Sarah, Holly and Isla at Maryport Marina

My oldest son, Ed, his wife, Sarah, and my two beautiful granddaughters came to visit us on Sunday.

They live in west Wales and were staying in the Lake District

I was so pleased when they said they were coming to Maryport for the day and thankfully the weather was dry and bright, which helped a lot.

It was the first time they’d been on Ravensdale and the first time they’d met Ruby, who got rather over excited at having so many people on the boat 😊

After coffee and a catch-up, we all had lunch on Ravensdale before walking over to The Aquarium on the harbourside here in Maryport.

Ed, Holly, Phil, Isla and Sarah at the Aquarium's touch pool

We were very fortunate that, although I hadn’t thought to check on feeding times, we were there when the fish in the touch pool were being fed.

Holly touching one of the Thornback rays

The girls seemed to enjoy seeing the sea creatures on display and particularly liked being able to touch the rays in the touch pool.

Isla and her Dad trying to identify the fish in one of the tanks

We then went into the café at the Aquarium for a drink before the girls got to play in the Shiver me Timbers adventure playpark there.

When we got back to the marina, it was getting late so they set off back to the Lakes, but not until after I’d got Phil to take a photo of me with them as I’d completely forgotten to ask him to take one when we were on Ravensdale.

It was lovely to see them all. I’m so glad they enjoyed the day and very grateful for the lovely flowers they brought me as an early birthday present 😊

My early birthday flowers 😊

The Aquarium

Strange-looking sea creatures at the Aquarium

I’ve been meaning to go over to The Aquarium to take photos of some of the fascinating sea creatures on display since I was given a year’s free membership as a thank you for letting them use some of my photos on their postcards and greetings cards.

But there always seemed to be something else that I needed or wanted to do, and I was still saying that I’d do it next week.

A seahorse at the Aquarium

So, my granddaughters coming to visit on Sunday provided the spur I needed to get me over there and I totally loved it.

I’m sure having the grandkids with us made it even better, but it really is a fantastic tourist attraction.

I took lots of photos, mainly of the girls, but also of the fish and other sea creatures, and I discovered that I really do need to work on my low light photography.

Sea anemones

One of the many tanks of fish

Starfish at the Aquarium

A conger eel hiding in the rocks

Most were taken with flash, but flash photography is not allowed for some tanks, including those containing the octopus and the cuttlefish. I tried taking photos of them without the flash, but they're not as clear as I would’ve liked.

A cuttlefish taken without the use of flash

So, I have every intention of getting over there again soon to see if I can improve on the images I took this time.


I’ve lost the plot 😊

Even Ruby thinks I've gone totally bonkers 😊

It’s official! I really have totally lost the plot.

While we were shopping in Lidl this week, Phil and I had the following conversation, if you can even call it a conversation 😊

Me (with feeling): “Oh no! That is so annoying!”

Phil: “What is?”

Me (with confused expression): “I don’t know. I’ve forgotten.”

I then laughed so much I thought I was going to burst, and shopping became almost impossible.

I’m assuming it’s an age thing so there really isn’t much hope as I’ll be another year older on Sunday.

I dread to think what I'll be like this time next week 😊


Wildlife

The grey mullet that swam past Ravensdale yesterday (Thursday)

The grey mullet were visible in the marina this week for the first time this year.

Earlier this week, I saw a single grey mullet and we've seen a few larger fish jumping but hadn't seen them clearly until yesterday (Thursday) when a small shoal of them swam past Ravensdale.

We didn't see many mullet in the water in the marina last summer whereas the previous year there were large shoals of 40-50 fish so it will be interesting to see how many are around this year.

I hadn't seen the lone cygnet that was a regular visitor to Ravensdale for a few days and thought it had found another source of food but it was back this morning and is looking much whiter than the last time it was here.

The lone cygnet well on the way to getting its adult plummage

Photography

Another trip out onto the Solway Firth on Ravensdale last Friday gave me the opportunity to take more photos from the water.

Maryport from the basin

The entrance to Maryport Basin from the Solway Firth

I always enjoy taking photos of the shore from the firth as they give me a chance to get views of Maryport and the surrounding area that other people are less likely to take.

Skiddaw and Ullock Pike from the Solway Firth

Yellow rape fields from the Solway Firth

Maryport from the Solway Firth

Another view of Maryport from the Solway Firth

I also took my camera for a walk around the harbour and up to town on Wednesday.

Fishing boats in Maryport Harbour

Colourful fishing boats in the harbour

Another view of Maryport Harbour

Looking out towards the Solway Firth from Shipping Brow in Maryport

Weather Watch

Ravensdale basking in the sunshine on Saturday (taken with my phone)

It seems that spring has sprung at long last 😊

We’ve had some lovely dry, sunny weather here in Maryport over the past week with the temperature going up into the low 20s over the past couple of days.

And more good weather is promised for the Easter weekend.

Saturday was dry and sunny with a good breeze, but it was still quite cool with the temperature only reaching 8C (46F) and a top average wind speed of 14mph.

Sunny Saturday at Maryport Marina

After a cold night, with temperatures down to 1C (34F), Sunday started sunny with more cloud developing as the day went on. It stayed dry all day with a top temperature of 10C (50F) and a top average wind speed of 23mph.

Monday was a dry and sunny with a good breeze. The temperature rose to 14C (57F) and the highest average wind speed recorded locally was 19mph.

Another sunny day at Maryport Marina on Monday

Tuesday started grey but still fairly bright. We had a little bit of light rain for a short while during the morning, followed by a brighter spell and light rain again during the afternoon. The top temperature was 11C (52F) and the top average wind speed was 8mph.

Ravensdale on a grey day at Maryport Marina on Tuesday

Wednesday was another dry and sunny day and became lovely and warm after a cool start of 6C (43F) at 8am. I dug out my shorts and a T-shirt for the first time this year as the temperature rose to 19C (66F). The top average wind speed during the day was 11mph.

Bright sunshine at Maryport Marina on Wednesday

Yesterday (Thursday) was another dry, sunny and warm day. The top temperature was 21C (70F). Top average wind speed was 17mph.

And, so far today (Friday), is another beautiful day with wall-to-wall sunshine and very little wind. The top temperature, so far, is 19C (66F) and the top average wind speed is recorded as 14mph.

Paddleboarders making the most of the sunny weather at Maryport marina this morning (Friday)