Category Archives: boating vacations

Jul12

TENDER TUESDAYS-Prairie Girl Series #35

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TENDER TUESDAYS-Prairie Girl Series #35

STERN TYING- 3 TIMES A CHARM-NOT!

Now I know you avid cruisers are asking yourself, “What’s the big deal about stern tying?” And for most, it doesn’t appear to be so. However, every time Prairie Girl and husband have attempted the manoeuvre- it’s been somewhat of a gong show.

This time they set off for Smugglers Cove on the Sunshine Coast. Husband had the TwoCan XL outfitted smartly with a new Sunbrella covered reel of floating rope chained to the upper rail.  Motoring into the cove on an unusually windless June heatwave day sounds simple enough. This should have been perfect conditions for stern tying in a tight cove, right?  Their buddy boat friends positioned themselves first and then … Read the rest

Feb23

TENDER TUESDAYS- Prairie Girl Series #34

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TENDER TUESDAYS- Prairie Girl Series #34

SAILING COVID-STYLE DURING the 2020 SUMMER

In spite of the pandemic and restrictions in place, the TwoCanXL became a welcome distraction from all of it.  Prairie Girl and husband would provision the boat and sail away from their marina  for 2-3 weeks at a time, without having the constant barrage of news updates invading their space each day.  Don’t take this the wrong way, they were still concerned with the progression of the Covid stats and read about it on their Globe and Mail downloads, but it just seemed easier to ignore the crisis from the deck of the TwoCanXL.  They weren’t alone in this, most boat owners made substantial use of their vessels last summer, as no one … Read the rest

Jan6

TENDER TUESDAYS-PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #33

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TENDER TUESDAYS-PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #33

PACIFIC YACHTING MAGAZINE’S TRIBUTE  to their “COCKPIT CONFESSIONS” CARTOONIST –

                       DAVE ALAVOINE

Returning from an extended sailing trip in August, husband and Prairie Girl opened up their August magazine to discover the five page feature: A TRIBUTE TO LONG – TIME PY ILLUSTRATOR DAVE ALAVOINE! And when you looked in the corner of the front cover, you saw that cheeky little seagull of his, saying, “ABOUT TIME!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dave Alavoine has entertained us with his clever cartoons found on Cockpit Confessions since 2005. He is a treasure to all his followers, and Cockpit Confessions will not have the same appeal without Dave’s wit pulling together the humour of the submitted … Read the rest

Jul11

TENDER TUESDAYS-PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #32

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TENDER TUESDAYS-PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #32

         FIRST SAIL OF THE SEASON AND IT’S THE MIDDLE OF JULY!

                                                                                              -UNHEARD OF!

How could it possibly be the middle of July and the TwoCan XL had just left the dock? Let’s face it, 2020 has been a most unusual year! It’s like nothing any of us have ever experienced. You will recall Prairie Girl and husband had a shortened sailing season last summer when she tripped descending the stairs on the last night of their first sailing vacation aboard their new (older) boat- the TwoCan XL.  This meant they had 2.5 weeks on the water last June and then couldn’t get back on the boat until 6 weeks later, as the 3 broken ribs took their time … 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

Mar4

TENDER TUESDAYS-PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #27

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TENDER TUESDAYS-PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #27

Didn’t Prairie Girl and Husband Plan the Perfect Snowbird Get-Away EVER?

Some people were a tad skeptical when Prairie Girl and husband announced that they would be flying to Florida mid-January and returning home at the beginning of March. A quaint little Beach House had been rented, half a block from the beach and they couldn’t wait to leave the damp cold of the Pacific Northwest for their extended stay.  Friends and relatives queried them about what they would do for a couple of months down there. Husband’s response was, “Live the life I’ve always wanted and become a BEACH BUM.” Productive Prairie Girl’s response was more like, “I’m not sure… I visualize long beach walks, beach time for … Read the rest

Dec2

TENDER TUESDAYS-PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #23

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TENDER TUESDAYS-PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #23

HUSBAND TRADES UP TO A TwoCan XL

It’s hard to believe when they visit the marina where husband and Prairie Girl moored their TwoCan, that it is not their sailboat any longer. How is this possible, you ask? Well, dear readers, read on…

It all started last summer when husband and Prairie Girl attended their first CATALINA RENDEZVOUS. They had a great time chatting with the other Catalina boat owners and having opportunities to board those boats of interest. Of course, the 28 foot TwoCan was one of the smallest boats in attendance. It quickly became obvious to Prairie Girl that a BIGGER BOAT for husband would be forthcoming.

After touring all the beautiful 36+ foot yachts… Read the rest

Aug11

TENDER TUESDAYS- PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #22

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TENDER TUESDAYS- PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #22

PRAIRIE GIRL AND HUSBAND SAVE A SEAL PUP

Anchoring out on the serene waters of Winter Cove in July, left Prairie Girl and husband with a completely unique and endearing experience. This post is not one of Prairie Girl’s usual humorous tales… this one actually is a perfect TENDER TUESDAY post.

It all started early morning, after a peaceful nights sleep on the hook. A thumping against the hull awoke Prairie Girl, but she never thought much about it. It wasn’t until they went out to the cockpit to have their morning coffee in the blissful sunshine that they discovered a baby seal pup, sniffing and trying to suckle the bottom of their dinghy. This little seal just never … 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