I have been silent for some time. Not for lack of thoughts; perhaps too many. My current assignment is to prepare the teak to its full beauty and durability. In some places the former varnish had raised up and I was able to carefully peel it off down to the bare wood. Other places have not been so easy. The most efficient method for removing the old varnish has been by using a knife to ease the bond between the old varnish and the wood. My incentive is to peel the largest piece of varnish possible! It is a painfully slow process... Once the old varnish has been removed I have sanded and taped the area, followed by 4 coats of Cetol Light and 2 coats of Cetol Gloss. All the areas where the teak comes in contact with the fiberglass will be caulked. Since I drafted this post I had an opportunity to talk with our dock neighbor about our restoration process (these are the people who have restored at least 24 boats) and the effect is powerful! Stop! Yes, it is true!
Teak is durable on its own. Though it will become gray
and dull, the wood will not rot. In the tropics we (I) will be varnishing at least every month to keep it maintained. I am not lazy, but let me tell you, I hope I have more meaningful activities than sanding and painting all the teak on Gypsy! I consider hand washing our laundry a more meaningful activity.
Revision: enjoy the shiny painted teak in the cockpit.
Continue to remove the old varnish on the toe rails and the handholds and sand with #80 sandpaper and breathe. Speaking of breathing: I have used this tedious process of varnish detail as part of my yoga practice.
The demands of the varnish application indicate not to paint if there is too much humidity, if the sun is bright,
if there is a threat of rain… well, that just about sums up the summer – and meanwhile I try to select times when we will not need to move over the tacky surfaces.
And I breathe… This varnishing is a HUGE job but it goes to the bottom of the list as other jobs seem to take priority. And I breathe…
It seems like getting ones thoughts on paper creates a framework in which to function. I need the grounding as there is a lot going on. Stocking the galley is a huge challenge for me. Over the years I recall families talking about shopping once a month for the staples and just picking up perishables every week or so. I was not that kind of cook. The pantry shelves would be stocked but dinner was formulated by random factors: the farm stand on the way home from work, a recipe shared at lunch by co-workers, something one of the kids would say... So now I find myself in charge of being sure we have the staples we need and the surprises that might make a trying day tolerable. I have been using Beth Leonard’s The Voyager’s Handbook as a guide. Keep the fresh vegetables in a place where there is good air circulation. Know which countries restrict incoming fruits and vegetables – including such things, even, as honey! Buy eggs that have never been refrigerated or washed – they keep the longest. Placing the eggs in a Styrofoam egg carton will probably afford the safest ride; and turn the carton over every day or so to lengthen the shelf life… I wake in the night with this litany of rules running through my head…
And I breathe…
