Tag Archives: Humor

TENDER TUESDAYS-PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #38

TENDER TUESDAYS-PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #38

TWO CAN XL Renamed… IRP

(Inheritance Reduction Plan)

Episode Three

Maintenance…Maintenance…Maintenance

Apprehensively, the next morning, Prairie Girl and husband departed Port of Sidney to return to the shop that had neglected to replace the seal.  To their mutual relief, they made it without incidence.

As expected, it took till after 5:00 that day to finish the job and splash the TwoCan XL. Their buddy boat friends were hailed and just before entering the BC FERRIES NO SAIL PASSAGE… SURPRISE! You guessed it! The motor was dead as a door knob and wasn’t coming back to life.

Luckily husband was prepared and set up his 20 litres of fuel to go directly to the motor and THEY … Read the rest

Tender Tuesdays-Prairie Girl Series #37

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

TENDER TUESDAYS-Prairie Girl Series #36

TENDER TUESDAYS-Prairie Girl Series #36

TwoCan XL RenamedIRP

                    (Inheritance Reduction Plan)

EPISODE ONE-  MAINTENANCE…MAINTENANCE…MAINTENANCE

Due to Covid restrictions and travel bans, husband was more anxious, much earlier than usual, to have the TwoCan XL serviced in preparation for an early spring sailing adventure.  We’re talking January, dear readers. You know, the time of year on Vancouver Island from which one normally escapes to sunny international destinations. The kind of weather that is hovering around 0-6 degrees Celsius, wet, and smattered with serious gale force windstorms.  Prairie Girl put her foot down and pressed for the end of March, early April to deliver the boat to Sidney for this IMPORTANT service. The compromise made, you’re wondering?  The next appointment booked in Sidney … Read the rest

TENDER TUESDAYS-PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #28

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

TENDER TUESDAYS-PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES#25

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

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VALENTINES’ DAY PRESSURE

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

TENDER TUESDAYS- PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #20

TENDER TUESDAYS- PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #20

A FISHY START to the BOATING SEASON’S

OPENING DAY

May 6th was the official start to the BOATING SEASON for our Yacht Club.  Members spent days ahead of the event with haul outs to power wash their boats, scrub the hull and paint the bottoms, finishing off with the onerous process of waxing and buffing.  Prairie Girl, in the past, had never shared in this part of the boat prep. Of course, it didn’t help that husband kept making bookings and cancelling them. (Apparently the forecast was for rain… which, she might add, did NOT materialize on the second booking!).

 

However, the real glitch in the booking process ended up being the timing.  Of course, the pull-out’s 3rd Read the rest

TENDER TUESDAYS-PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #19

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

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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