The metaphorical light is definitely getting brighter but I would not like to speculate how soon we will exit this damn tunnel which is our refit in Docklands 5 and be sailing again. Nonetheless, I find myself starting to think about what to do with what will remain of the summer season when we do eventually get back into the water. Stuart Island is still our goal at this stage.

Meanwhile, back in the here and now, this week has seen most of the upholstery refreshed and renewed. The trusty old hand-cranked Singer sewing machine returned from servicing last week and Kate reports that it is performing much better than previously.

The other major achievement has been the tabletop. This morning we applied a coat of ‘Liquid Glass’ which is the first time I have used the product. I have to say I am quite impressed with the result, though because of it glass smooth finish it does show up all the minor blemishes. We chose this morning to apply the finish as the forecast was sunny skies and light winds, and the yard is a lot quieter on Sundays so less dust is generated. Unfortunately, bugs do not take Sundays off and I had to pick quite a few out with a pair of tweezers during the drying period. I actually did not intend to aim for such a high finish. In fact I had originally intended to make the new table out of solid timber but after all the new furniture was made there was still enough Remu ply left to make the table so it seemed rather wasteful not to use it. The problem with the ply, however, is that the veneer is very thin so I chose the ‘Liquid Glass’ finish primarily to protect the veneer from the inevitable knocks that will occur in the course of its life on board Sylph at sea.

Bloody bug!:

Lots of minor detailed jobs have been progressed as well, such as the vegie locker, varnishing the cabin sole floor boards, replacing a window, and Kate has started painting the coach house.

Spud locker almost finished:

Starboard aft window being replaced:

Coach house roof halfway done:

This week, as well as finishing things off down below, I hope to get the topsides painted.

All is well.