Tag Archives: sailing

TENDER TUESDAYS- PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #15

TENDER TUESDAYS- PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #15

WILL WE EVER SAIL AGAIN?

Last year’s sailing season turned out to  be a bust for husband and Prairie Girl. Husband had a 2 week window in his incredibly insane work schedule. And wouldn’t you know it? On their first night out, anchoring in a local, familiar bay- they hit a ROCK! (Refer to Prairie Girl Series #1 2016/07/27 in the archives.)

As you’re aware from former posts, husband’s 93 year old mother was hospitalized the week that he was discharged from the hospital after his emergency surgery. Let’s just say, the TwoCan wasn’t getting any attention whatsoever, the entire spring! (Other than the new installation of a windlass and a bigger dinghy…) Sadly for their family, husband’s mother passed … Read the rest

GOOD OLD BOAT NEWSLETTER BOOK REVIEW AUGUST 2017

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

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

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

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TENDER TUESDAYS- PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #13

TENDER TUESDAYS- PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #13

PRAIRIE GIRL CAN’T JOIN A YACHT CLUB!

(THEY MIGHT THINK SHE KNOWS WHAT SHE’S DOING ON A SAILBOAT!)

Moving to Vancouver Island meant finding a location that was handy to the marina, so that husband and Prairie Girl could get to the boat easily for maintenance and quick decision day sails and get-aways. Looking back on the last 6 years, it didn’t quite work out as perfectly as planned. It’s true the boat was within walking distance of their new home, but with husband still working, Prairie Girl writing and publishing books, and extensive travel (both work and pleasure related), the TwoCan hasn’t always had the usage one anticipated with the move.

Shortly after moving, husband was approached by SCYC Read the rest

TENDER TUESDAYS – PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES – #12

TENDER TUESDAYS – PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES – #12

WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE HAVE TO FINISH EQUIPPING OUR NEW BOAT?                               (…AND WHERE’S THE HEAT?)

 

Call Prairie Girl naive, but she was incredulously baffled when husband announced that there would be several expensive purchases to be made in order to completely outfit their brand new Catalina 28 Mark 11 Anniversary Edition. Prairie Girl just assumed that their DREAM BOAT was loaded to the max- complete with an anniversary plaque, a wooden hull to mount on their wall at home, a set of Catalina dishes, upgraded upholstery and blinds, a bimini and sunbrella protectors for the windows… What did husband mean when he said it wasn’t completely outfitted with everything necessary?

Prairie Girl can visualize her readers nodding their … Read the rest

TENDER TUESDAYS

TENDER TUESDAYS

SILVER LINING in WHO’S the CAPTAIN?

BOOK LAUNCH

THE BOOK LAUNCH DAYDREAM VERSUS REALITY

You can imagine it, can’t you? The venue chosen is unique, as the perfect spot for drawing the niche of people for which one’s book was written. (MARTIN MARINE –so ideal as a long established North Shore family business that boaters frequent.) It’s in a community that both the author and illustrator had lived in and sailed from, as contributors for many years. Thus, a full house of familiar faces was anticipated coming through the door to share in the celebration of their book. Perfect! Right? (Reality Check: Perfect on a sunny spring day- YES! Maybe not so perfect on a cold, … Read the rest

BOOK LAUNCH & SIGNING

BOOK LAUNCH & SIGNING

WHO’S the CAPTAIN?

AHOY ALL BOATING FAMILIES!

A BOOK LAUNCH & SIGNING EVENT at MARTIN MARINE

WHO’S the CAPTAIN?

FINALLY! A FAMILY SAILING BOOK that cracks the code of nautical terms through humorous cartoons and a sassy glossary! A delightful and recognizable story for any family that sails together.

whos_the-_captain_cover-336widejpg-1

            – Written by Mary Laudien, a 4th time B.C. children’s author and former Principal of West Bay and Cypress Park.

            -Cartoons by the talented, Dave Alavoine of Pacific Yachting Magazine’s COCKPIT CONFESSION.

DATE: Saturday, November 26th

TIME: 12:30 – 2:00

LOCATION: Martin Marine Services Ltd., 1176 Welch Street, North Vancouver

BOOK PRICEonly $14.99

For more information go to: https://www.marylaudien.com or email: mlaudien@outlook.com

DRAWS during the launch

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AHOY ALL BOATING FAMILIES!

AHOY ALL BOATING FAMILIES!

A BOOK LAUNCH & SIGNING EVENT

at

MARTIN MARINE

WHO’S the CAPTAIN?

FINALLY! A FAMILY SAILING BOOK that cracks the code of nautical terms through humorous cartoons and a sassy glossary!  A delightful and recognizable story for any family that sails together.

– Written by Mary Laudien, a 4th time B.C. children’s author and former Principal of West Bay and Cypress Park.
– Cartoons by the talented, Dave Alavoine of Pacific Yachting Magazine’s COCKPIT CONFESSION.
whos_the-_captain_cover-336widejpg-1 

DATE: Saturday, November 26th

TIME: 12:30 – 2:00

LOCATION: Martin Marine Services Ltd., 1176 Welch Street, North Vancouver

BOOK PRICE: only $14.99 CDN. ($13.99 USD)

For more information go to: https://www.marylaudien.com or email: mlaudien@outlook.com

DRAWS during the launch program… even

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FUN KIDLIT FRIDAYS

FUN KIDLIT FRIDAYS

WHO’S the CAPTAIN? is FINALLY AVAILABLE!

What is FUN KIDLIT FRIDAYS?

It’s a Picture Book/ Middle Grade Book Review post that will be shared every other Friday.  I intended to start this much sooner, but publishing WHO’S the CAPTAIN? seemed to take over my life for the last year.  Now that it’s finally available, I can start posting regularly the picture books and early novels that I cherished reading with students when I was a teacher/principal in West Vancouver schools.  I know many of you are always seeking out worthwhile, entertaining reads for you to share with your kids or grand-kids.  That’s the purpose of FUN KIDLIT FRIDAYS... to introduce you to KIDLIT that’s FUN! I‘ll … Read the rest

TENDER TUESDAYS – PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #7

TENDER TUESDAYS – PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #7

IMPATIENT TO CRUISE

Husband and Prairie Girl couldn’t wait for any opportunity to take the ON EDGE out on the water. Two busy professionals had to scramble to find extended periods of time to take off on their annual two week sailing vacation at the end of each July.  They would be so covetous of their time on the water that they usually chose to ignore the weather warnings.  Sometimes this worked in their favor, and other times…not so much! Prairie Girl ALWAYS trusted husband’s decision-making! (After all, he wouldn’t be trying to OFF his new wife, now would he?) Husband is responsible, but when getting out on the water might mean a delay, his common sense might have … Read the rest