Our fourth Christmas afloat, Ruby’s operation and more boat maintenance

Ravensdale's Christmas lights reflected on the still water at Maryport Marina in Cumbria, UK

I can’t believe we’ve just spent our fourth Christmas on Ravensdale at Maryport Marina in Cumbria, UK.

That said, I’m not sure if it feels like longer or less time since we moved on board our 43ft Neptunus 133 motor cruiser 😊

I also can’t believe it’s almost a month since I last published a blog post, but my time seems to have been taken up with working full-time and dealing with orders for the calendars I had printed to raise money for our local inshore rescue team.


Christmas on Ravensdale

Ravensdale decorated for Christmas

Wet and windy weather meant we didn’t manage to get our Christmas lights up until much later than usual this year.

We put coloured fairy lights around the guard rails on the Saturday before Christmas but ran out of daylight before we could finish the job.

We had intended to add more lights on the flybridge the following day but didn’t get time to do it before the weather broke, so we decided to leave it as it was.

Some of the colourful lights on Ravensdale's aft deck

We couldn’t use the Christmas tree we had as Ruby sleeps where we put it last year and, at four-foot, it was too tall to put anywhere else on the boat so we bought a little three-foot tree and even then I had to bend the top over 😊

Christmas cards and our little Christmas tree in Ravensdale's saloon

The other liveaboards in our marina went away to stay with family for Christmas so Phil and I were the only ones here on our boat for Christmas.

And there was only one member of the marina staff on duty, so we invited Evan to join us for dinner, which we timed for just after he had closed the marina’s sea gate.

Phil managed to cook a full Christmas dinner on Ravensdale’s little stove, with the help of our air fryer and microwave so we had turkey with all the trimmings followed by Christmas pudding with brandy butter and cream.

It was so good that we’d eaten it all before I even thought about taking a photo 😊

The star and twinkling icicle lights in the window of Ravensdale's saloon

Ruby can be a bit of nuisance when people visit us on the boat as she wants to jump up at them and play with them.

I had tried to stop this by saving her Christmas presents until Evan arrived and, to an extent, it worked.

Ruby with the new treat ball that she destroyed in about 10 minutes 😊

Ruby with her new lickimat

I managed to distract her with her new toys and chews for a while, but, from time to time, she discovered he was still here and had another go at jumping up at him. Thankfully Evan likes dogs 😊

Ruby and I on Boxing Day

Charity calendars raise over £1,000

Me presenting the cheque to Maryport Inshore Rescue team

I was delighted to be able to present a cheque for £1,120 to members of the Maryport Inshore Rescue team last Sunday.

This was the profit from the sale of calendars featuring some of my photos of Maryport harbour, the shore and the town.

I sold the calendars for £10 each with every penny, other than the cost of printing, postage and packing, going to our local rescue team, which is independent of the RNLI and HM Coastguard.

The cover of my Maryport calendar for 2020

It is totally reliant on donations and sponsorship to keep this life-saving operation running.

When I decided to produce the calendar, I was only going to order 25 and hoped I might be able to raise as much as £100 for the inshore rescue team.

It proved far more popular than I expected, and I ended up having four batches printed and selling a total of 226 calendars.

We obviously have a personal reason for supporting our inshore rescue team.

We hope we will never need to call on them for help but it’s good to know they’re there if we do need them.

Another image of Maryport Inshore Rescue boat at this year's trawler race

Posting the cheque presentation on Facebook, the team’s operations manager Michael Messenger wrote: “We would like to thank Sue and everyone who bought the calendars for this amazing amount of money.

“It’s very much appreciated and really does make a huge difference.

“As an independent organisation, fundraising is absolutely vital so thank you all once again.”



Ruby of Ravensdale

Ruby looking sorry for herself after her operation

We took Ruby to the vet to have her spayed on Tuesday, December 3 and this time they were able to go ahead with the operation.

This was our fourth attempt to have her neutered. The first time, she became unwell with a tummy upset the night before.

It was put off for a week, but she still had a bad stomach so it was put off for another a week by which time she’d started her second season so we had to wait another couple of months as it needs to be done mid-cycle.

And this time Ruby was fit and well and able to have the operation that will prevent unwanted pregnancies.

Ruby having a cuddle with Phil after her op

She loves going to the veterinary surgery so that wasn’t a problem and she happily went off into a back room with the vet when we left her there at around 10.15am.

We got a call to say she’d had the op and everything had gone well at about 2.30pm and went to collect her straight away.

She was a little drowsy when we brought her home in her little romper suit that stopped her from licking and chewing the wound on her tummy.

She whined a lot during the first evening but slept well and seemed much brighter the following day.

The most difficult part was stopping her climbing up and down the boarding steps and all the steps inside the boat. We lifted her wherever she wanted to go being very careful not to lift her under her tummy.

We also tried to keep her quiet and stop her leaping around for two weeks, as the vet had recommended, but she was back to her usual self after a couple of days and it was practically impossible to stop her jumping.

Ruby looking cute in her romper suit

Ruby trying to persuade Phil to share his food

We checked this with the vet, who said to let Ruby do whatever she was happy doing and she had no trouble at all after the op.

She went for her final post-operative check-up about 10 days after surgery and the vet was pleased with the way it had healed up.

We’re both very glad it is over and done and Ruby is fine now.

I'd been a bit bothered about whether living on a boat would make her recovery more difficult, but it wasn’t really a problem at all.

Ruby with a stick she found on one of her walks

Since she got over the operation, Ruby has had lots of lovely walks with Phil while I’ve been at work, with runs on the beach whenever the weather and the number of other dog walkers permits.

Ruby waiting for me to take a photo of the harbour

She has also accompanied me on walks around the harbour with my camera and still waits patiently while I take photos.


Servicing the pump on the black water tank 

The pump on Ravensdale's holding tank

The pump on our black water tank didn't seem to be working properly the last time we took Ravensdale out on the Solway Firth.

Phil took a look at it when we got back and discovered that one of the valves wasn't working so he ordered a service pack and serviced the pump while I was at work.

Everything seems to be OK now but we won't be able to try it until the next time we take our boat out on the water.




New TV aerial

Ravensdale's new TV aerial fitted on her radar arch

Our old TV aerial hasn't been working properly for some time.

We were getting frequent interruptions to the signal and turning the aerial around didn't help.

Phil checked the coaxial socket discovered that water had got into it causing it to rust.

So he ordered a new aerial and fitted it while I was at work.

We're now getting a much better signal and more channels than we had before.


My return to the world of work

Me ready for my work Christmas do

I’ve been working full-time at Chimney Sheep for the last couple of weeks because we’ve been so busy filling orders for draught excluders for chimneys and boot insoles made of sheep’s wool, among other items.

Getting up early in the morning to go to work is never easy at this time of year but it helps that I enjoy my work when I get there.

At first, I was coming home with a backache after being on my feet for most of the day, but my body seems to have got used to it now and my back is fine.

And I’ve enjoyed the Christmas celebrations at work.

On Friday, December 13, I went along to our work’s Christmas do at Shill’s Restaurant in nearby Cockermouth, where there was a lovely atmosphere and the food was delicious.

The following Friday, a local caterer delivered a festive spread at lunchtime, courtesy of a wholesaler we supply in the US.

And, later that afternoon, Santa and the Grinch turned up at the factory with presents for all of us. Thanks to the same wholesaler.

Our work Christmas do at Shill's Restaurant in Cockermouth

Santa and the Grinch distributing presents at my workplace

Our boss gave us a paid day off on Christmas Eve and left a lovely present for each of us under the Christmas tree in the warehouse.



My new mobile phone

The first photo I took with my new phone - taken without flash in a dark room

I now have a Google Pixel 3a that takes much better photos than my old phone, which was a Huawei P10 lite.

I always struggle with changing my phone but I’m getting used to it now with a little bit of help from my younger work colleagues 😊

The photos are so much better than I was getting with my old phone, which means there’s no excuse for missing a photo of anything.


Photography

My photography opportunities have obviously been curtailed by the amount of time I’ve spent at work as it is dark when I get home in the afternoon.

However, I’ve still managed to get out with my camera whenever I get the chance and my mobile phone is always on hand if I don't have my camera with me.

Here’s a selection of some of the photos I’ve taken over the past month…

Maryport shore looking towards south pier with the Scottish hills in the distance

Looking in the opposite direction along the shore

Waves rolling along the pier at Maryport

Reflections on the still water in Maryport Harbour

A calm day at Maryport Harbour

Maryport Basin at sunset

Stormy skies over Maryport's south pier

Choppy water in the harbour at Maryport

Another view of the harbour on a windy day

Fishing boats in Maryport Harbour on Christmas Day

Colourful fishing boats in the harbour

More colourful fishing boats in the harbour

Reflections on the still water at Maryport Marina

More reflections at Maryport Marina

Stormy weather

Big waves whipped up by high winds on the shore at Maryport on December 8 

As this blog post covers a longer period than usual, I decided against recording the weather for each individual day.

However, we’ve had a lot of very wet and windy weather over the past month, so I really haven’t missed much by working full-time.

Ironically, the weather was considerably worse before and after Storm Atiyah - the first named storm of the UK storm season - than it was during the storm itself.

The strong winds associated with the storm, which swept across western Ireland, Wales, south-west England and the south coast during the evening of Sunday, December 8 into Monday, December 9, hardly affected us in the north-west.

But either side of this we had winds gusting up to almost 50mph.

Ice on the water at Maryport Marina on Saturday, November 30

We’ve had a few very cold spells, with ice on the water in the marina and on the pontoons.

Early in December, overnight temperatures fell below zero and we had to put anti-slip snow grips on our shoes so we could walk safely on the pontoons, but the cold snap was short-lived and it wasn’t long before the milder wet and windy weather returned.

Sunshine and an almost clear blue sky at Maryport Marina on Christmas Day

Christmas Day was the first good weather we’d had for weeks – the sun shone, there was very little wind and it was fairly mild with a top temperature of 6C (43F).

But Boxing Day (yesterday – Thursday) was grey and damp again with heavy rain late morning and around lunchtime.

Heavy cloud over Maryport Marina before the rain arrived yesterday (Thursday)

And, so far today (Friday) the weather has been calm, but wet.


Happy New Year!

I hope everyone reading this had a very merry Christmas and that you have a very happy and prosperous New Year.

I don’t make New Year’s resolutions.

However, if I did, it would be to get back to writing a weekly blog post again as I like keeping a record of what we’ve been up to onboard and hopefully some of you enjoy reading it too 😊

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.