NEW BOAT HEEBEE – JEEBEES

Did Prairie Girl have a premonition of something going awry on their virgin cruise aboard the TwoCan XL?  One might have  wondered after such a long dry spell of stories in the Prairie Girl Series. As you will recall, husband was ecstatic with his purchase of the 2006 Beneteau343 last fall.  He spent from March to mid June, getting acquainted with it- meaning – he pulled it completely apart from the V Berth to the stern, knowing where everything was on the boat and how it all worked.  Yes, he is a thorough man and has declared himself the Beneteau 343 expert in their marina. (Personally, Prairie Girl believes that he actually lives for PROJECTS and there is no doubt in  her mind that the TwoCan XL will be transformed into a brand new boat within a year! You’ll recall that when they bought their previous  new Calalina 28, Prairie Girl was shocked with the additional equipment husband required after our major purchase.  Well, you get the picture…’Das TwoCan XL vill become like a new boat, yah?’

Finally, with Sail Past and the BMW Lasqueti Race Around the Rocks behind them, husband and Prairie Girl provisioned their sailboat for a SPRING CRUISE with their Yacht Club and then onto their first ever Beneteau Rendezvous. Husband couldn’t wait to leave the dock and Prairie Girl was still puzzling over the best placement of dishes, linens and staples, marvelling over how much food could be stored in an organized fashion within the fridge.  This was such a perk, after years of ice box frustrations. The fridge won Prairie Girl over, as she curtailed mourning the sale of the TwoCan…. what a fickle woman!

The cruising, sailing and mooring in new port locations, made for a wonderful first trip aboard the TwoCan XL.  The only niggling issue throughout the trip was that, although husband had thoughtfully installed holding tank levelers and alarms, they didn’t seem to be working properly.  How did they know they weren’t working,… well after discharging the holding tank using the macerator pump, they still read FULL. Now every boater knows how disconcerting this can be whenever one’s holding tank becomes an issue.  Husband, being the able man who can think through an issue and problem solve, spent the entire 18 days, figuring out the Beneteau’s plumbing issues and seeking pump out stations.  This started right from the get- go until their last evening in Ladysmith before returning home. Imagine being on a club cruise and a rendezvous where other boaters love to come aboard and check out the layouts of each other’s boats… PHOOEY!  Yes indeed, the below decks were not exactly odorless!

A Thing of Beauty

Before the Boat Projects

So, the crunch came to a head (or should  she say ‘ribs’?) on the last night before returning home.  They docked in Ladysmith, after checking that they adtually did have an operational pump out (This isn’t always the case in the Pacific NW.).  Luck would have it that the pump out was just a boat’s length down the dock, so once the rain stopped, Prairie Girl and husband moved the boat.  After emptying the holding tank, once again, and rinsing it a few times, the TwoCan was moved back to their berth and husband asked Prairie Girl to go down and pump the head with fresh water, while he observed what was happening… Dutiful Prairie Girl scampered aboard to fulfill his request and the next thing she knew, she was lying face down on the floor in front of her beloved fridge and couldn’t get up. Oh my! Whether it was her wet soles of her boat shoes or she overshot the first stair… who knows?  The TwoCan XL has steeper and narrower wooden stairs than the Catalina and in her rush….. SPLAT!!! So since June 24th, Prairie Girl has been recovering from 3 BROKEN RIBS (urging them to heal quickly) and the TwoCan XL hasn’t left it’s slip since husband single handed it back to their marina. It has been at dock now for 5.5 weeks and can you imagine what husband has been doing since Prairie Girl has been recovering from her fall?

Post Broken Ribs

Yes, the projects have continued and the TwoCan XL has a brand new plumbing system, designed and improved by the Beneteau 343 expert himself and of course a new macerator. What else you ask?  Well the engine needed a new mixing elbow and some corrosion needed to be addressed, and  a new fuel/water separator was installed. Husband would be proud to show anyone interested what that looks like. He also added a new radio mic at the helm… And the sunbrella bimini and dodger are completely restored, after husband interrogated someone who had magical results on another sailor’s canvas package.  Let’s just say, that wherever he looks, he finds a need to improve upon what is there. Prairie Girl is holding her breath as she expects to hear more technical equipment needs updated… of course it does! (The boat is a 2006 model, after all.)

Tomorrow Prairie Girl goes to her doctor to find out whether her ribs are healed enough to get back on the boat.  Fingers crossed, as the sailing season is disappearing and Prairie Girl can’t afford to have husband continuing on with his boat restoration projects! IT’S TIME TO PUSH OFF THE DOCK!!

And FYI, for those of you who have not yet purchased a copy of WHO’S the CAPTAIN?, there is an Amazon Kindle Countdown Deal promotion happening: July 31st- Aug. 3rd ($2.99) and Aug. 4th-7th ($4.99) After those dates, it is back to the regular price of $7.99. GO TO  https//www.amazon.ca/dp/BO1MA4EMJ1    Hope you enjoy the humor with your kids and or grandkids!

Thanks for visiting my site and please do leave some comments.  Prairie Girl loves sharing these with husband…. You KNOW she does!