Never a dull moment as Ravensdale puts us to the test

The window that sprang a leak when the heavens opened after a long dry spell

The past week has proved the accuracy of a well-known boater’s saying - while you’re enjoying a glass of wine and relaxing on your boat something somewhere is breaking.

I laughed when I first read it, but it’s definitely been true on Ravensdale this week.

No sooner had we sorted one problem on our 43ft seagoing cruiser than another one developed.

The first real rainfall after weeks of hot, sunny weather here at Maryport in Cumbria, UK, gave us a nasty surprise with three windows developing leaks last Friday and over the weekend.

The cooker packed up just before lunch on Monday.

And, on Tuesday evening, it was a bit cooler than of late, so we switched on Ravensdale’s diesel heating system to discover it had stopped working.

It quite literally never rains, but it pours 😊

Phil’s theory is that if we stopped drinking wine then things would stop breaking but I don’t somehow think it would work - or that we would even consider such drastic action 😊

Ravensdale springs a leak – or three ☹

Heavy rain after a long dry spell created a new problem for us.

One of the great things about our Neptunus 133 cruiser was that, unlike so many other boats we’ve come across, she’s never had any leaks, so we stayed warm and dry inside whatever the weather.

But that all changed when the skies opened and delivered a deluge of rain last Friday morning.

The worst leak was along the top of the window onto the aft deck

It started to fall around the time we got up and I needed a waterproof jacket to go up to the marina facilities for my shower, but the real downpour arrived while we were having breakfast.

And I discovered the problem after we’d finished eating when I went down into our bedroom to dry my hair.

The wooden steps leading down from the saloon into the aft cabin were very wet and there were regular drips falling from the top of the aft deck windows, one of which is a sliding door.

A bowl and towel on the steps to the aft cabin

I couldn’t believe it when I discovered water pouring in.

We put a towel over the steps with a washing-up bowl catching the worst of the drips on the top step.

The previous day, we’d arranged to spend Friday in the Lake District with a photographer friend who was visiting the area.

When we discovered the leak, Phil said he had to stay and deal with it as soon as it stopped raining, but he was happy for me to go and leave him to it, so that’s what I did.

While I was out, he stripped out the old sealant across the top and down the side of the window frame where it joins the superstructure.

He dried it as well as he could then resealed it using sealant that can be used in wet conditions.

I didn’t manage to get any photos of him doing this as I was out photographing lakes and mountains 😊

We’re hoping its done the trick, but we haven’t had any more really heavy rain yet.

I asked if we could point a hosepipe at it to see if it had worked, but Phil thought it was better to let nature test it when the time comes.

The only reason that we can think of as to why it suddenly started leaking is that the long spell of hot sunny weather had dried out the sealant causing it to pull away from the window frame and/or the gelcoat.

It rained again on Sunday evening and overnight into Monday. We discovered smaller leaks on two of the windows in the dinette, but no water came in through the one on which Phil had replaced the sealant.

On Tuesday, he removed the bow hatch to discover the sealant in the corner that had been leaking was badly discoloured.

Discoloured sealant around the bow hatch

He scrapped the old sealant off and replaced it with new.

Phil scraping off the old sealant

Phil sealing around the leaking port side window

And yesterday (Thursday) he was planning to do the same thing to the long window on Ravensdale’s port side that stretches across the back of the dinette and into the forward cabin.

He removed the window trim to expose the screws but could not get any of them to turn.

At this point, we had a bit of a rethink and decided that it looked as though the water was getting in between the frame and the glass. This window doesn’t open so he was able to seal all the way around with translucent sealant.

All that remains now is to see what happens the next time we get heavy rain. Fingers crossed that it all stays outside this time 😊

Cooker problems

Our propane gas cooker decided that it didn’t want to cook any more on Monday of this week.

When I went to light it to make lunch, it refused to play so I had to microwave our food.

Our galley with the cooker and fridge pulled out

After we’d eaten, Phil started to investigate the problem. He pulled out the cooker and the fridge to get to the wiring behind them.

It looked as though neither had been moved for a very long time as the outside of the appliances and the cooker housing needed a good clean.

That was the easy bit.

Identifying the problem was considerably more difficult.

The two cables going to the cooker were dead. Phil tried to trace the wires back to the fuse box, but without success.

After much searching, he decided the best solution was to put in new cables from the cooker to what we thought to be the 12V fuse box.

Thankfully, he tested the fuses before connecting them up to the cooker as, although they are clearly labelled “12V”, they’re actually 24V.

Phil connecting up the new cables for the cooker

As we haven’t added anything to these fuses so far, we’re assuming that everything connected to them is actually 24V and they've just been mislabelled, but it definitely needs further investigation.

Meanwhile, the cooker is back doing what it is supposed to do – cooking 😊

Our diesel heating system refuses to work

Phil was already beginning to think he’d spent most of this week working on Ravensdale when she decided to throw another problem into the mix.

Ravensdale's Webasto 5 heater

We really couldn’t believe it when the Webasto 5 diesel heater we had installed 18 months ago apparently broke down this week.

It had been so warm here that we hadn’t used it for weeks, but we were feeling a bit chilly on Tuesday evening, so we decided to run it up for a while to warm the boat up.

We switched it on and waited, but nothing happened. I turned it up a bit, but still nothing happened. I then noticed the green light on the console controls was flashing.

The Webasto heater controls

Last time that happened it was because the power had been accidentally switched off, so Phil checked that and found it was still on.

It was getting late, so we decided to leave it for the evening and take a look at it in the morning.

After attempting to start it by turning it on and off at the switch three times, it refused to even light up.

Phil assumed it needed resetting, so he found the fuse to the system and removed it for a couple of seconds.

He replaced the fuse and found it had restarted, which gave him three more attempts.

He had to repeat this process three times before he got it working.

Phil checking the pipes on our Webasto 5 diesel heater

Phil checked the hot air pipes had not been crushed and were securely attached to the heater.

He then took off the fuel filter, noticed that there was no fuel coming from the feed pipe and decided this was probably because it hadn't been used for so long that the fuel had drained back into the tank.

He then changed the filter for a new one, left the pipe undone for a minute and turned the fuel supply off and on at the tank several times.

Shortly afterwards, some muck came out of the pipe into the filter and the heater started working again.

We then had to leave it to run for a while to clear the system of any coke, which meant we were sweltering and had to open all the windows. Thankfully it wasn’t raining.

Phil was pretty pleased with himself when he’d finished and commented that 12 months ago, he probably wouldn’t have been able to tackle the job himself.

Before long, we will hopefully know everything there is to know about the various systems on Ravensdale.

Cleaning the aft deck

Another job that Phil undertook while I was out this week was using teak cleaner and brightener on Ravensdale’s aft deck – hence the lack of action shots again ☹

He tackled this task while I went along to soak up the atmosphere and take photos of Maryport Carnival on Saturday afternoon.

Phil removed the tables and chairs and other items from the deck and used Teak Wonder cleaner to remove the dirt, algae and fish stains that were spoiling the look of the teak. He then applied the corresponding brightener.

Ravensdale's aft deck looking spotless after cleaning and brightening

Knowing he was planning to do this, I made sure all the windows in the aft cabin, which is our bedroom, were closed as last time we deep cleaned the aft deck we forgot to close them.

The windows open inwards, so all the dirty water poured in and soaked a pile of clean washing that I’d just brought back from the marina launderette.

It was neatly stacked ready to put away when we’d finished what we were doing outside. Instead, it was dirtier than before I’d washed it and had to go back in the machine for another wash.

Sadly, I didn’t get any before photos of the deck, but this photo of Phil baiting a hook on a recent fishing trip shows that it needed something more than its usual hose down.

Ravensdale's dirty aft deck during a recent fishing trip

The deck now looks great, so we’ll have to try to keep it that way.

Last year, when we gave it the full cleaning treatment, we then used a product to dress and seal it, but it was only supposed to last 12 weeks so we’re undecided as to whether to bother this time.

Replacing the antifreeze in the port engine

Phil drained the fresh water cooling system below the heat exchanger on the port engine on Sunday.

One of Ravensdale's two 300hp Volvo Penta engines

This was long overdue as it probably should have been done when he replaced the heat exchanger and intercooler after they’d been cleaned earlier this year.

When he changed the water in the heat exchanger at that time, he was hoping the water in the system was good enough to top up, so he just replaced the water and antifreeze he’d drained out.

He’s since checked the water that was sitting in the engine below the heat exchanger and discovered it needed replacing.

So, this time, he drained all the water out of the system and flushed it through with a hosepipe several times before replacing it with a new 50/50 mixture of water and antifreeze.

Phil pouring the new antifreeze/water mixture into Ravensdale's port engine

He used a 50/50 mix to provide a higher level of anti-corrosion protection.

The heat exchanger and intercooler on Ravensdale's starboard 300hp Volvo Penta engine were removed, cleaned and replaced by a local man, who keeps his family's fishing fleet running, to cure an overheating problem. He showed Phil how to do the port engine himself.

The starboard engine was just topped up so Phil's considering draining it and hosing it through before refilling that one as well, although he's checked the mixture and it doesn't seem to be too bad.

Maryport Carnival

Up until last Saturday, I would’ve said I wasn’t into carnivals – not at all.

However, I decided to go up to Fleming Square in Maryport, where the carnival was congregating before it set off through the town, to get a few photos.

I left the boat at about midday telling Phil I really wouldn’t be long - probably about an hour at most – and, at that time, I meant it.

However, I was so impressed by the floats and costumes and the acts that the various groups and organisations put on that I just couldn’t tear myself away.

A mermaids and pirates float at Maryport Carnival

It was a beautiful sunny day, which helped a lot, and the atmosphere was brilliant.

I already knew that Maryport people were some of the friendliest I’d encountered anywhere I’d lived, but they surpassed themselves on Saturday.

Everyone was in party mood and the kids were having a ball.

Local children on a Votes for Women float at Maryport Carnival

A pensive moment for a young girl on one of floats

The streets were packed with people of all ages trying to get a good view of the procession as it passed and many of them were happy to have a chat as we waited for the next group to arrive and perform for us.

The emergency services led the parade.

And there was a big cheer for Cumbrian hero Simon Lawson, a Paralympian who won the bronze medal in the T54 event at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games and won the men’s wheelchair race at the 2017 Great North Run.

All in all, it was a great day and my “hour at most” turned into almost four hours 😊

I then faced the prospect of looking through more than 800 photos and processing the best of them to put on a local Facebook group.

I will definitely be going to the carnival next year, if we’re still in Maryport…

Lake District photography trip

A photographer friend, who was visiting the area, offered Phil and I the opportunity to join him on a photography trip in the Lake District last Friday.

We both accepted but Phil had to pull out at the last minute when water started coming in around the window and door from Ravensdale’s aft deck.

He told me to go without him as he knew I was really looking forward to the trip and I had a great day out.

I was very glad we hadn’t been put off by the heavy rain first thing as it quickly dried up and, although it remained fairly cloudy, we only had a little light drizzle during the morning then it was dry for the rest of our outing.

In fact, the moody, grey, cloudy skies were much better for photography than clear blue skies and bright sunlight would’ve been.

Cloudy skies over Lake Buttermere in the Lake District

Tree roots and reflections in Lake Buttermere

A dead lone tree on the shores of Lake Buttermere

We went to Buttermere and Crummock Water, stopping at several different locations to take photographs.

A tiny white building on the shores of Lake Buttermere

Conifers reflected in Lake Buttermere

A small island in Crummock Water in the Lake District

A closer view of the island with two swimmers in the water

A gate in a stone wall at Crummock Water

Mountains on the far side of Crummock Water

It really is a lovely area that we need to get out there and explore.

Splash party

We were invited to an impromptu splash party on Tuesday when a friend’s 26ft Robert Clark sloop went back in the water after seven years on the hard standing at Maryport Marina.

Tony invited everyone who was on their boats, the marina staff and some of the folk staying in their caravans and campervans on the marina’s caravan site.

Considering how few people were here on Tuesday, there was a good turnout for drinks and the buffet he laid on in the marina’s customer lounge.

Some of us then carried on with the party at his boat, Janina of Dorset.

Tony (left) with some of his party guests

Phil (third from left) chats to Tony at his splash party

Janina of Dorset back in the water at Maryport Marina

Tony was very glad to see her floating again and is now looking forward to being able to take her out to play on the water.

And his party turned into a double celebration.

On the same day, Marcus from the US bought a catamaran that is currently berthed in the marina.

Marcus, his friend Oscar and Marcus’s dog Ruby also came along to the party, so we drank a toast to his new acquisition.

Marcus (right) and Oscar at Tony's party

He’s planning to keep Kuri Moana in Maryport for a while before sailing her down to London, where he intends to live on her on the Thames.

Marcus’s maiden voyage on Kuri Moana

Marcus and Ruby

Marcus and Oscar took Kuri Moana out for a sea trial when the marina gate opened on Wednesday afternoon.

He’d hoped the previous owner would join him for her first outing after he’d bought her, but this was not possible.

He asked us if we’d like to go along for the ride, but we had things we needed to do here so politely declined his invitation.

But I offered to pop along and get some photos of his boat leaving the marina and heading out into the Solway Firth for the first time.

The wind speed was higher than we would’ve wanted to take Ravensdale out in and he seemed to be having a few issues with the wind, but he took her out and brought her back safely.

I took some shots of her leaving her mooring, going out through the marina gate into the basin and then heading out between Maryport’s twin piers.

Kuri Moana in Maryport Basin

Kuri Moana heading out into the Solway Firth

Meanwhile, Phil helped catch the ropes of another catamaran that had been stuck on the mud at the entrance to Maryport Basin since the previous tide.

The catamaran stuck on the mud at the entrance to Maryport Basin

It refloated as the tide came in and returned to the marina just before Kuri Moana headed out to sea.

Phil (right) helps to moor up the cat when it returns to Maryport Marina

A change in the weather

The long spell of warm, dry weather in Maryport ended with the torrential downpour last Friday morning.

But we’ve still had plenty of good weather over the past week and it hasn’t been cold enough to stop me wearing shorts and vest tops.

However, we’ve also had more clouds and some rain, but more is desperately needed as falling water levels in the reservoirs that serve this area mean a hosepipe ban is due to come into force in Cumbria on August 5.

Last Friday started wet but it stopped raining during the morning. It stayed fairly cloudy throughout the day but was still quite warm.

Saturday was sunny, dry and warm with a top temperature of 18.7C (66F) and a top average wind speed of 15mph.

Young lads having fun in the sun in Maryport on Saturday

We had similar conditions for most of the day on Sunday when the mercury reached 19.1C (66F) and the average wind speed peaked at 16mph.

Rain on Sunday afternoon 

It rained later on Sunday and into Monday morning. It was then overcast for much of the day, but it remained fairly warm.

The top temperature was 17.5C (63.5F) and the top average wind speed recorded at St Bees Head was 7mph, but it was definitely higher than that in Maryport.

There was more rain overnight and Tuesday was a day of cloud and sunny intervals with the temperature peaking at 16.9C (62F) and the average wind speed reaching 14mph.

Cloud and sunny intervals on Wednesday

Wednesday started dry, overcast and fairly windy. It brightened up during the morning giving way to broken cloud and sunny intervals. The temperature rose to 18.6C (65F) and the top average wind speed was 14mph.

Yesterday (Thursday) was dry, bright and sunny from the get-go, but there was still a good wind. The highest temperature recorded locally was 18.6C (65F) and the top average wind speed was 10mph.

Blue skies at Maryport Marina on Thursday afternoon

So far, today (Friday) the weather has been horrible. It started raining around the time we got up and has been doing it on and off ever since, but it's only supposed to last for one day and the forecast is much better for tomorrow.

Back on board Ravensdale for our 18-month liveaboard anniversary

Home Sweet Home - Ravensdale's dining area

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

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

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

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

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

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

18 months afloat and no regrets

Ravensdale - the Neptunus 133 that is our lovely floating home

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This time last year - Our six-month liveaboard anniversary

November 4 last year - Our first liveaboard anniversary

Last day of our Highland holiday

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

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

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

To be honest, it was a no-brainer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Buachaille Etive Mor from Meall Bhalach

Stob a Ghlais Choire from Meall Bhalach

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

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

Looking across Rannoch Moor from Meall Bhalach

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

Me sitting in the snow on Meall Bhalach

A wider view showing the size of the snow patch

Phil on Meall Bhalach

Phil and I at the summit of Meall Bhalach

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

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

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

The rain arriving as we headed back to the car

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

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

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

Return to the real world

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

Boats on Loch Leven at Glencoe in the Scottish Highlands

More boats on Loch Leven

A wider view of Loch Leven looking towards Ballachulish

The Pap of Glencoe

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

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

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

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

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

Feeding time for the ducks next to Ravensdale's bow

Back in our real world

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Storage wars and damp under the mattress

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

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

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

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

A piece of Dry-Mat

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

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

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

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

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

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

Phil pumping out the water from the bilges under our bed

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Phil delivering some of our stuff to the marina storage container

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

Other boat jobs

The new fastening on Ravensdale's windscreen cover

Phil cleaning the galley carpet

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

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

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

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

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

Pontoon repairs

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

Ken repairing one of the pontoons at Maryport Marina

Spring weather in Maryport

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

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

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

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

Sunshine on Sunday evening at Maryport Marina

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fishing boats in Maryport Harbour on Thursday afternoon

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