Ravensdale is seaworthy again and ready for action

Ravensdale's engine room - the heat exchanger pipe that held things up is top left

Three weeks after we removed the heat exchanger and intercooler from Ravensdale’s port engine for cleaning, she’s now up and running again.

But Phil only completed the job yesterday (Thursday), so we haven’t had a chance to take her out to sea yet.

Meanwhile, he's been cleaning her decks and hull again to keep her shipshape.

Phil pressure-washing Ravensdale's foredeck

He has also replaced the window seals in the saloon and we’ve made a couple of purchases that will improve our liveaboard experience.

And otter watching - or rather watching for otters - has become our latest pastime.

Port engine heat exchanger is working again

Both Ravensdale’s engines are now in full working order so we can take her out to sea whenever we want.

She was out of commission while the heat exchanger and intercooler on her port engine were removed and cleaned.

Bad weather causing the boat to rock fairly violently delayed work in the engine room, then we had to wait for the parts to come back after we sent them away for cleaning.

We collected them and Phil refitted them over a week ago.

The perished seals that needed replacing

However, we then discovered that the seals attaching a pipe to the heat exchanger were perished causing a leak when the engine was running.

We ordered the parts, but the Easter break meant we had to wait longer than usual for delivery.

Phil fitted them yesterday (Thursday) and the engine is running perfectly while alongside.

We’re now waiting for good weather to coincide with the marina gates being open at a suitable time of day to take Ravensdale out into the Solway Firth to check both her 300hp Volvo Penta engines work equally well at sea.

Phil refitting the pipe to the heat exchanger

The same work was carried out to her starboard engine earlier this year to cure an overheating problem.

After that job was completed, we discovered the port engine was also running hotter than it should have been hence the latest project.

Replacing window seals

The Beast from the East at the end of February and beginning of March revealed a new problem of which we had been previously unaware.

We discovered the shelf along the top of the cupboards on the port side of the saloon was getting wet. On investigation, we could see fine snow blowing in down the join between the fixed window and the one that slides open.

We then realised that the seal on that window was so badly worn that a small gap had opened up and the northerly wind was blowing the snow in through it.

We were unable to find exactly the right seals so ordered the nearest we could find. Sadly, they didn’t fit properly, so Phil filled the gap with black Sikaflex. He then placed the bought seal on top of the sealant and we didn’t touch the window until it had set.

Phil filling the gap behind the window seal with sealant

Phil fitting the new window seal

He did the same thing with the matching window on the starboard side.

And both now seem to be working perfectly.

The windows still open and close and, unlike before, you cannot feel any draft if you hold a hand close to either of the seals when they're closed.

Hopefully, we won’t get any more snow coming in either 😊

Re-carpeting the galley

Phil fitting the new carpet

This week, we bought and fitted a new carpet in the galley to replace the old one that had become badly marked and was fraying at the edges.

It wasn’t in great condition when we bought the boat. We'd tried cleaning it with carpet cleaner, which improved the look of it a bit, but I always felt it let the boat down.

Recently, it was looking even worse, so we went and bought a remnant in a similar colour to the rest of the carpet on the boat.

Although the galley floor is a very small area, it's an awkward shape, so Phil cut the new carpet to fit using the one we'd removed as a template and he’s done a great job.

The newly fitted galley carpet

New aft deck furniture

All last summer, and the warmer sunnier days during the rest of the year, we’ve wished we had a table and chairs on Ravensdale’s aft deck.

And, at long last, we’ve got around to doing something about it.

Our local B&Q DIY store gives pensioners a 10% discount on Wednesdays, so I persuaded Phil to sign up for the scheme.

He was delighted when he was asked for proof that he was over 60, especially when he’s a good few years past that milestone birthday 😊

New table and chairs on Ravensdale's aft deck

Me enjoying a coffee on our new aft deck furniture

And, on Wednesday of this week, we bought a folding table and chairs made of acacia - a dense, durable hardwood that can withstand the elements and is often used in boat building. It's also a sustainable wood making it an eco-friendly choice.

It was pouring with rain on Wednesday when we made the purchase, so we waited until yesterday (Thursday), when the sun came out, and assembled them on our aft deck in the sunshine.

It was great being able to sit out and have our coffee in a civilised fashion, rather than just perching on the aft deck lockers.

Caravan site reopens

The Harbourside Caravan Park next to Maryport Marina

The nearby caravan site, which is run by the marina and shares the marina facilities, opened for the 2018 season on Good Friday.

The first two camper vans arrived during the afternoon and it was very busy over the Easter weekend.

It can accommodate 10 caravans or campervans and was almost full on Saturday and Sunday.

We’re obviously pleased to see it doing well for the marina, but it means the toilets, showers and laundry are busier than during the winter months, which can be a bit of a pain.

The caravan park was created last year, but no new facilities were provided for it.

Ex trawler towed away

A former trawler that was moored up in Maryport Basin, just outside the marina gate, was towed away in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The boat, called Samenwerking, is the home of a couple and their four dogs.

Petronella alongside Samenwerking before towing the former trawler to Scotland

It was due to leave on the high tide around midday on Saturday, but it was too windy, so it left on the next high tide, just after midnight on Sunday morning.

We went down to the far end of the marina to watch it go – and to take photos, of course 😊

The two boats preparing to leave Maryport

The former trawler beside Maryport Pier on its way out into the Solway Firth

She is now settled in her new home at Palnackie in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.

Marina wildlife

We’re still waiting for the swans and the little black and white magpie duck to return to the marina.

However, a pair of mallards have been in looking for food, so I didn’t disappoint them 😊

The ducks that paid us a visit yesterday (Thursday) afternoon 

Meanwhile, we were delighted to spot a pair of otters playing in the marina on Tuesday evening.

We watched them through our binoculars from Ravensdale’s foredeck and I could clearly see that there were two of them.

They then moved around out of view, so I got my camera and we walked out along the next pontoon to look for them.

We were creeping along the pontoon as quietly as we could when there was a huge splash right next to me and I nearly jumped out of my skin. Just as well I wasn’t too close to the edge or I might have ended up in the water with them 😊

I’m sure it was at least one of the otters, but we never saw them again.

We’re now keeping an eye out for them and I’m hoping to get a photo asap.

Photography - fishing boats in Maryport Harbour

Easter Sunday started out as a beautiful sunny day and I couldn't resist taking a walk around the harbour with my camera while Phil pressure-washed the boat.

I came home with literally hundreds of photos of the colourful fishing boats here. Sadly, I didn't manage to get all their names so I've had to use their numbers for the captions on some of them. 

Destiny - one of the fishing boat in Maryport Harbour

Silver Fern - another of the local fishing boats

Sincerity and Our James

Winsome and RI475

BH44 and CT20

MT123 and E50

Weather round-up

The past week has been generally a little warmer than previous weeks which, as usual, meant more rain, coupled with high winds.

But we’ve also had a couple of lovely sunny, spring-like days.

We had rain overnight Friday/Saturday and it was very windy on Saturday morning.

This coincided with a fairly high tide of 8.8m – the highest we’ve seen since we’ve been in Maryport, Cumbria, was just over 9.2m.

Maryport Marina at high tide on Saturday

Sunday was much calmer, with sunshine, blue skies and fluffy white clouds in the morning. However, it clouded over soon after lunchtime and a cold wind blew up later in the afternoon.

Fluffy white clouds over Maryport Harbour on Easter Sunday

The wind dropped off overnight but it remained quite cool. The lowest temperature recorded during the night was 2.2C (36F) at 6am.

Monday was cold, wet and windy. The boat was rocking well, particularly when the marina gate was open. The highest temperature recorded locally during the day was just 3.6C (38F), with an easterly wind averaging up to 22mph and gusting to 33mph.

I was going to cut Phil’s hair that day but had to put it off as the boat was rocking too much, so spent most of the day sorting through and processing photos I’d taken over the preceding days.

We woke up to pouring rain on Tuesday morning, which continued until the afternoon. The sun then came out and the temperature rose to a much more pleasant 9.3C (49F), although it remained pretty windy, with average speeds of up to 21mph, gusting 31mph.

The view through Ravensdale's saloon window on Tuesday morning

Overnight Tuesday/Wednesday was a mild night, with temperatures only dropping to 5.7C (42F).

The strangest thing on Wednesday was the wind, which had been coming from the south overnight. Up until 3am, we had a southerly wind averaging up to 14mph and, by 11am, it had turned right around to a northerly wind. The highest average wind speed recorded during the day was 31mph, gusting to 41mph.

Overnight Wednesday into yesterday (Thursday) was much colder, with the temperature going down to 0.9C (33F), and the wind dropped considerably to 5mph by 6am.

This was followed by a beautiful sunny day with very little wind – just right for trying out our new table and chairs on Ravensdale’s aft deck.

Maryport in the sunshine yesterday (Thursday)

Last night was fairly mild, with the temperature dipping to 5.4C (39F) just before dawn.

This morning (Friday) and much

We survived Ophelia – now waiting for Brian

Storm clouds gathering before the arrival of ex-hurricane Ophelia

Ex-hurricane Ophelia blasted her way across Cumbria without causing us any real problems earlier this week.

Wind gusting up to 64mph overnight on Monday and into Tuesday morning made for some pretty rocky conditions on our 43ft cruiser in Maryport Marina.

But the preparations we'd made to keep Ravensdale safe during the storm served us well.

And, just when we thought it was all over, the forecasters are now warning us to brace ourselves for the arrival of Storm Brian – the second UK named storm of the season – which is due to arrive here tomorrow (Saturday).

We were originally told to expect ex-Ophelia to arrive at around midday on Monday, but the severe weather warning was revised to a 6pm start.

During the day on Monday, there was very little wind, temperatures were way up on the average for the time of year and there were some pretty weird skies.

The sky over the harbour took on a pink tinge at around 10.15am on Monday

At times, the sky was really dark, sometimes it had a yellowish tinge and at other times it had a pinkish hue, but the strangest phenomenon was the sun, which turned blood red and then orange.

The orange/red sun at around 12.40pm on Monday

We later heard on the TV weather forecast that this was due to Saharan sand and ash from north Iberian wildfires “giving a rosy glow to the sky”.

We adjusted our mooring ropes to move Ravensdale a bit further out from the side and put an additional rope on the starboard side to keep her away from the pontoon.

Extra mooring rope from end of finger pontoon to centre cleat on starboard side

Aware that there was a possibility of power cuts, we dug out our generator, checked it was working and filled it with petrol. We also went out to buy more petrol in case we lost power for a longer period. Thankfully this was not needed.

As Monday progressed the wind started to pick up a bit.

Soon after midday, we took a walk around the marina to the beach and out along the pier, where we saw a couple of local fishing boats returning to Maryport, presumably keen to be back in the safety of the harbour before the gale force winds arrived.

A fishing boat returning home to Maryport

Another fishing boat heading for home

At around 12.30pm, our new anemometer measured windspeeds of up to 19mph at the end of the pier and the temperature was an unseasonal 19.5C.

Phil checking the anemometer at the end of the pier

The wind really started to pick up and became a lot noisier at around 5pm and, by 5.30pm, Ravensdale was rocking well. We recorded gusts of up to 25mph.

By 6.30pm the wind was howling around the masts and the yachts’ halyards were clanging. Our mooring ropes were creaking loudly and our fenders started bashing against the hull.

The marina staff left the gate closed overnight to save us from the worst of the swell and by 8pm we could see waves coming over the gate with spray being blown back up the wall by the little building that houses the controls for the gate.

And, at around 8.20pm it started raining heavily, the boat was rocking more violently, tugging on its mooring ropes and slamming up against the fenders.

Soon afterwards we received a call from one of the marina staff to say he was coming down onto the pontoons to check the mooring ropes. He just wanted to make sure someone knew where he was, but Phil didn’t like the idea of him being out there on his own and went to join him.

I was very pleased when Phil climbed back on board. He had put his lifejacket on before he went out and I knew he wouldn’t do anything silly, but the conditions were horrendous.

We then watched as the emergency services went to deal with an ex-trawler that is now used as a liveaboard, which is moored alongside the harbour wall outside the marina gate.

The former trawler in better weather

There were lots of blue flashing lights as HM Coastguard, Maryport Inshore Rescue and the fire service battled to control the vessel after its stern line snapped and it was being tossed around by the massive waves. Unfortunately i couldn't get any photos as it was too dark.

We were some distance away, but could see its bow riding up over the quayside.

We later heard that the occupants were taken away to a local hotel for the night.

The storm continued throughout the night, with a top wind speed of 64mph recorded for Maryport. 

On Tuesday morning, it was still very windy and we decided to go out and see what was happening down on the beach before breakfast.

There were still huge waves crashing onto the shore and we didn’t think it was a good idea to walk out along the pier as the waves were covering it with spray.

We took some photos and videos of the wild sea. Annoyingly Phil's photos were much better than mine as my lens got covered in salt spray and I didn't notice until I got home.

Me taking photos on Maryport beach

One of Phil's photos of the wild sea

And, as we walked back around to the marina, we saw the efforts being made to secure the former trawler that had broken its stern line during the night.

Workington lifeboat stands by to assist with the ex-trawler

Securing the stern of the vessel

The lifeboat prepares to leave Maryport

Whitehaven’s new £2.1million Shannon class lifeboat, Dorothy May White, was providing assistance from the sea and, as it left to return to its home port, it was clear just how well suited it was for the purpose. It made light work of the huge waves, frequently disappearing from view as it dropped down into the troughs.

Workington lifeboat heading home through the waves

The trawler was safely tied up alongside the wall again, but there was visible damage to both the boat and the quayside.

The bow of the vessel was badly gouged and scraped and there were large chunks missing out of the granite capping stones along the top of the wall. A metal ladder also appeared to have been ripped off its mountings.

The former trawler safely tied up alongside

A close up showing damage to the bow and the capping stones

The marina gate was still closed, but the level of the water outside was higher than inside and it was pouring over the top of the gate like a mini waterfall, with foam being blown up into the air.

As we hadn’t eaten, we decided to go to the café at The Aquarium by the harbour for a cooked breakfast to discover that the floodgates, installed to protect the South Quay area from flooding, were closed. Fortunately for us, Environment Agency personnel arrived to open them as we got there.

The closed flood gate outside the Aquarium

The wind continued to drop as the day went on and Wednesday was one of the calmest days we’ve had here in a long time.

The calm after the storm

Now we’re being warned to expect high winds from about 4am until midnight tomorrow. The storm has been named Brian and the Met Office is telling us to expect gusts exceeding 50mph, with gusts of around 70mph along exposed coastal areas.

The old marina sign on Marine Road, Maryport

The new marina and caravan park signs

Meanwhile, the marina has erected new signs at the entrance as the old one did not show that there is also a caravan park on the site.

I can see the reason for changing them, but can’t help thinking the old one looked so much better.

A new fob entry system has also been installed in the marina toilet and shower block, which will ensure that only people who are eligible to use them can gain access.