USCG is cooperating/I sailed the dinghy/stain varnish looking good

This picture is with our tarps on the boat. These tarps have made an enormous difference in the heat of the inside of the boat. It has cut it down by 10-20 degrees. It's amazing. We're the only ones with white tarps too. Apparantely Texas doesn't sell white tarps. Strange, eh? The tarps also make it so we can leave the hatches open when it is raining and it will keep the air flowing in there. This especially helps because we currently don't have ventilation. The two solar vents we need cost about $120 each and we just can't afford that right now...

The USCG called us back as promised. They reviewed everything and made the determination that they had enough paperwork to put the documentation through. So in a few days, Benevolence's paperwork will be in our hands! The most exhilirating and freeing feeling with this... This was one of our biggest obstacles and, after seven months of battling and patience, we shone through. yay!!!! I count the days I have that paperwork in my hands.

On Sunday, Brett went out on the dinghy with me and I sailed it by myself up and down the marina. It was nice to finally take control of the sails. Scary but confidence-building. I want to go out again but we've been so busy... When I go solo, Brett said he'd take a picture.

We've applied the three coats of stain/poly to the salon and locker areas. Looks awesome. We're very pleased with it. I am putting the satin finish, first coat, on today and staining/poly the nav area. We haven't decided yet on the trim. We are either going to leave the mixture of lighter wood clear with a gloss (teak, mahogany, etc) for the trim or we're staining everything with the Bombay Mahogany. What do you think? WE NEED VOTES.

The bamboo will look pretty nice in there on the cabinet doors and the flooring will be a natural teak color as well. The color of the stain is actually much redder than these pictures. Go look at my pictures under MY PICTURES link to the right.

I have been working diligently on putting my website together with more items, I worked on it ALL day yesterday from 7am-9pm.

I got to go work on the boat now. Talk to you all later... Talk to Y'ALL later. Love you. Enjoy the new pictures of the boat through My PICTURES link on the right of this blog.

Kyla (and Brett)