Brightwork - Beautification Project or Exercise in Futility

July is almost over, yet we are just getting to that brightwork which has been bouncing up and down our 'To Do' list since last fall. I'm the sander, sealer, primer, painter in the family. It's not that Dave can't do it, on the contrary; his talents and expertise are mechanical. His skills are not wasted on the aesthetic final touches of our projects. He is the designer, builder, remodeler and General Contractor in our partnership. He is the Captain and I am his First Mate!

One of the criteria we had set while looking for an ocean going sailboat was attractive lines. At 48 years old, Mystic is technically an antique. She is elegant with a graceful slender hull, low freeboard and long overhangs on each end. The transom is wineglass shaped with a gentle curve and the deck is surrounded with a teak toe rail and 12 inch cockpit coaming. Mystic is adorned with a four foot, white oak bowsprit which reaches out from the bow some two feet. It supports the windless, keeping it clear from the topsides. Both the main and v-berth hatches and the hand rails are teak. The coal heater Charlie Noble, (smokestack), is set on top of a teak base. The winches are also on teak bases. All that teak falls victim to the elements. All that teak needs to be nurtured back to a fabulous luster. Mystic's interior is filled with teak as well. Luckily the interior teak is oiled rather than varnished. Maintenance is just a fresh coat of oil. It is not so with the exterior trimmings.

Teak and Holly Floors

More than once we thought about looking for and purchasing a wooden boat; but the daunting reality of all that brightwork gave us cause to stop and reconsider. Mystic is a lovely combination of fiberglass hull and wood embellishments. Although she has more fiberglass than wood, she needs a lot of attention. We'd heard stories from our sailing friends about the hours spent sanding and varnishing teak. We were up for it, so long as we got the right boat. Mystic is definitely the right boat but we are beginning to wonder about being up for the never ending brightwork.

My first brightwork attempts were aimed at the main hatch, the hand rails and the Charlie Noble base. I hand sanded each piece but found that the old varnish had worn through in patches. I didn't like how this looked. I laid the first coat of varnish then cleaned up my supplies for the day. It seemed like I had accomplished very little. The next morning we woke to fog. Dave is always the first to rise. He starts his day by making a pot of coffee then he opens the hatch to greet the morning. This morning, he glances at my handiwork. Kindly, Dave waits until I have my first cup of coffee to tell me that my varnish has gone bad overnight. The clear finish is now as white as the thick fog which had settled in over Knife River during the night. It would all have to be sanded out and revarnished. I was not happy about that.

Main Hatch

Hand Rail - Before Brightwork

Hand Rail - After Varnish

V-berth hatch

Clearly I was in for a rough time with this brightwork. The reality of just how much teak I planned to hand sand became overwhelming for me. I needed an orbital palm sander, more tape, better paint brushes and lots of time! Dave took me to Duluth for supplies and I went back at it as soon as we returned to Knife River. I'm not sure if it was my attitude or the confidence that purchasing project supplies gave me, but things improved. I managed to get the main hatch, one hand rail and the Charlie Noble base sanded out and one coat of varnish applied before time ran out. These few areas looked GORGEOUS! I tried not to look at the yards of teak yet to be touched. Instead, I tried to focus on the results of my efforts and the euphoria I felt at bringing out the natural beauty of our sailboat. I know that one day I will lay the final layer of varnish over the last inch of teak. I will sit back to enjoy a job well done. There will probably be a bottle of wine and a fancy meal to celebrate. I expect we will be tired from a long day of hard work. We may go to bed early and we will need our rest. With brightwork, the end is really the beginning. The following day, one of us will notice that the main hatch, is beginning to look a bit worn.

Bowsprite

Looking through main hatch