Busy weekend last week. We made some good progress on things that had to be taken care of. There is no better feeling (well, maybe) than crossing things off the punch list. From the really big things, to the smaller things that just need to get done at some point.
When we first bought the Morgan and started getting her into shape, the First Mate was a bit dismayed when I told her I wanted to start with refinishing the companion way hatchboards. She stated that there were a lot of things that needed to be taken car of that she thought were more important. Although I agreed with her, I persisted and started refinishing the hatchboards. I later explained why.
There are so many projects that we need to taken care of before our sailboat will be ready to push off for the last time. The list can seem overwhelming, at times. The last thing I wanted was to see an ugly cockpit when we arrived at the boat. I wanted to see the fruits of some of our hard work as my the sight when boarding our “home”. It has paid off, in that when we first board the boat we see the beauty of the teak as it was meant to be. What a motivation that has been when I think of all the other projects! That beautiful teak is a finished project, and also a reminder that projects can and will be
finished. Funny thing is that she undertook the daunting task of refinishing the hatch covers. She had to remove all the black grout, which by the way is really sticky and gets on everything, then sand the teak. Then she had to regrout between the boards with new black grout, which by the way is really sticky and gets on everything. Then comes the part where she has to wipe down the teak with a damp cloth to remove any dust, before she can
varnish. I told her that was one of my favorite parts of refinishing, because it is the first time you can really see the beauty of the teak as it will look when you varnish it. The colors start to pop as you get the wood wet with the cloth. After that comes the first coat, and wow, you’re really stoked at that point.
After that, the First Mate told me that she understood. She got it. Now every time we board, she just looks at her work on those hatches and tells me how great they look and how it energizes her to do other things. Thus far she has now sanded the companionway ladder and the sole in the aft cabin, and there is no stopping her. This past weekend she managed to get
the first coat of varnish on the aft cabin sole, and it was really starting to look beautiful. After she finished I told her, “you know that we can no longer wear our shoes when we’re below, right?”, to which she replied, “yes”.
Along with the sanding and varnished we are getting a few other more important projects completed, too. I guess you could say that the refinishing is important, too, because all that wood was exposed and unprotected. Teak weathers really well, but when you have the sun shining on it for 10 or so years, and the varnish probably didn’t last five of those years, teak will eventually start to rot and dry out and rot. It was important to protect what was left.
Now, onward to more important projects.