Tag Archives: Cockpit Confessions

Jul30

TENDER TUESDAYS-Prairie Girl Series #39

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TENDER TUESDAYS-Prairie Girl Series #39

TwoCan XL Renamed…IRP

(Inheritance Reduction Plan)

Episode Four

Maintenance…Maintenance…Maintenance

Totally pumped and provisioned for a Desolation Sound adventure, Prairie Girl and husband set off with anticipation of meeting up with their SCYC friends in Gorge, Rebecca Spit, or Cortez Is.  They hadn’t travelled that direction since the TwoCan XL had been purchased. They were anxious to try new anchorages and revisit some of the coves they had enjoyed in the past.  That’s why they set off on a lumpy crossing to False Bay on Lasqueti Island. Of course, the wind was coming straight at them, so no sails went up that day.

The anchorage was lovely and all went well, until evening when husband went up the … Read the rest

Jul22

Tender Tuesdays-Prairie Girl Series #37

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Tender Tuesdays-Prairie Girl Series #37

TwoCan XL Renamed…IRP

(Inheritance Reduction Plan)

Maintenance…Maintenance…Maintenance

EPISODE TWO

With the next weather window a few weeks later, the trek to Sidney was repeated, to have the shaft seal replaced, with Prairie Girl aboard. Their friends had to leave a day earlier than them, so no buddy boat accompanied the TwoCan XL that day.

All went well until they came out of the Sansum Narrows, before entering the NO SAIL area of the BC Ferries. Suddenly, the motor stalled and would not start.  Prairie Girl looked at husband and husband looked at Prairie Girl and then they sprang into action. Immediately, the sails were hoisted and the (somewhat inept) Prairie Girl was left at … Read the rest

May20

TENDER TUESDAYS-PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #28

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TENDER TUESDAYS-PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #28

SCHOONER COVE YACHT CLUB’S

NON-TRADITIONAL SAIL PAST 2019

It is the beginning of May and Yacht Clubs all over the Pacific NW are celebrating their opening day of the boating season with a dignified Sail Past ceremony. Schooner Cove Yacht Club, located in Nanoose Bay on Vancouver Island, had such a day planned for their membership. Now if you recall from reading other Prairie Girl Learns to Sail posts and previous COCKPIT CONFESSION stories, Prairie Girl’s husband became Commodore of the SCYC in November, 2018. Of course, the Sail Past is something that all members and guests love to participate in with the dock ceremony and the parade of boats sailing past to salute the Commodore and the Commander of … Read the rest

Feb6

TENDER TUESDAYS-PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES#25

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TENDER TUESDAYS-PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES#25

NEW BOAT DILEMMA

For those of you who follow my Prairie Girl Learns to Sail posts, you will know that husband recently decided that their 28 foot Catalina (the TwoCan) just wasn’t adequate anymore and became the proud owner of a 35 foot Beneteau (the TwoCanXL). And if you read my blog (Prairie Girl Series #23-Dec. 2, 2018), you will also know that Prairie Girl is somewhat challenged in the sailing skills department. This is noted in the author page of her book, WHO’S the CAPTAIN? that states:

“MARY LAUDIEN (alias PRAIRE GIRL) is a fair weather sailor (better known as a cruiser). She has never taken a sailing lesson or a power squadron/VHF Radio

… Read the rest
Feb2

VALENTINES’ DAY PRESSURE

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VALENTINES’ DAY PRESSURE

TENDER TUESDAYS- Prairie Girl Series #24

Each year, husband constantly reminds his Prairie Girl  how much he dislikes Valentines’ Day.  Why, you ask? Well, the long and the short of it is that he has an issue with feeling obligated to create a ‘HALLMARK MOMENT’ when someone else deems it necessary. Prairie Girl calls it his “BAH HUMBUG” syndrome. He pretty much feels this way about any contrived gift-giving celebration.  Now don’t get the wrong impression, it isn’t that he resents giving a gift and a card, (although one might regard husband as somewhat frugal); its really about being expected to celebrate something that he hasn’t bought into.  Prairie Girl understands his sentiments, but she does not let him … Read the rest

May31

TENDER TUESDAYS-PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #21

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TENDER TUESDAYS-PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #21

PACIFIC YACHTING MAGAZINE PUBLISHES A 3rd PRAIRIE GIRL BLOG ON COCKPIT CONFESSION PAGE

Prairie Girl loves a surprise, don’t you?  Last week husband and Prairie Girl found a couple of open days free to take the TwoCan out on the water for a short ‘shake down’ cruise to make lists of what they needed for provisioning before setting out to Vancouver after the upcoming BMW Lasqueti Island Regatta weekend. They really didn’t go far… from Stones Marina to Marks Bay – seriously! For those of you not familiar with this area, it is about a 15 minute motor  across to a buoy in the bay. However, in their defense, they did venture out both days for a couple of … Read the rest

Apr17

TENDER TUESDAYS-PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #19

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TENDER TUESDAYS-PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #19

PRIMED FOR SAILING SEASON

How did it happen to be mid-April already?   Some of Prairie Girl’s and husband’s friends already had their boats hauled out in March and have them in tip top shape, ready to sail when the weather clears up. They’ll be out on the water in a flash.

Not so for this sailor and her Captain. They’ve actually cancelled their haul- out twice now, believing they didn’t have a good weather window. Wrong! The sun shone after the morning showers and husband freaked out that he had let his coveted haul-out spot go. When will it possibly get done with the many Yacht Club executive meetings and regattas (He is a Vice Commodore, after all…) and … Read the rest

Sep6

TENDER TUESDAYS- Prairie Girl Series #16

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TENDER TUESDAYS- Prairie Girl Series #16

SAILS ARE HOISTED! YIPPEE!!

Prairie Girl knows that you were starting to think that she and husband never actually raise their sails… Admit it- you were! Well, seriously, with all the hurdles involved in getting out on the water this summer, including illness and loss of very dear family members, reduced strength requiring a new windless installation, Prairie Girl and husband finally made it out mid-July to find themselves experiencing a pesky transmission issue. And just when they thought they had that fixed, the instrument gauges started to go mad.  Back home again to find a mechanic to solve that mystery.  This only took a couple of weeks to get someone down to the marina to tell them the new … Read the rest

Aug16

GOOD OLD BOAT NEWSLETTER BOOK REVIEW AUGUST 2017

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GOOD OLD BOAT NEWSLETTER BOOK REVIEW AUGUST 2017

It has happened again! WHO’S the CAPTAIN? has been reviewed by GOOD OLD BOAT’S Newsletter Reviewer, Carolyn Corbett.  I am so thrilled with how she caught the complete essence of this humorous picture book targeted for  boating families, that I just had to share it with you!

GOOD OLD BOAT -August 2017 Newsletter

 

WHO’S THE CAPTAIN?

BY MARY LAUDIEN, ILLUSTRATIONS BY DAVE ALAVOINE (CREATESPACE, 2016; 56 PAGES, PRINT $13.99 USD/$14.99 CDN; EBOOK $7.99)

REVIEW BY CAROLYN CORBETT (LAKE SHORE, MN)

Who’s the Captain? is a 56 page picture book of sailing life according to Dad and his crew. The humor in the text is accentuated by clever, colorful cartoons. Older kids who are familiar with the ins and outs

… Read the rest
Aug7

Pacific Yachting Magazine (08/17) Book Review: WHO’S the CAPTAIN?

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Pacific Yachting Magazine (08/17) Book Review: WHO’S the CAPTAIN?

 

Imagine Prairie Girl’s delight when she opened up her August copy of PACIFIC YACHTING MAGAZINE and found a half page BOOK REVIEW of WHO’S the CAPTAIN?  it embraced the magic of the collaboration between David Alavoine (PY’s cartoonist/ COCKPIT CONFESSIONS page) and myself in creating a humorous book that would appeal to all members of sailing/boating families.

Both storyteller and illustrator must have been synced closely during this collaboration, as Alavoine’s cartoons seem to mirror so closely the mood of each of Laudien’s vignettes.

There’s something to resonate here for every sailor- or sailor wannabe, I’m betting. Laudien has fun with some of the curious and puzzling nautical terms and how they can be misconstrued, with family dynamics, and

… Read the rest