I'm nearing completion of my Shearwater Sport Sectional. The last stage, of course, is varnishing, and I had about a 1/2 quart of Interlux Schooner 96 left over from when I built my dory two years ago. I decided to use it up.

First I broke the layer of jellied varnish and mixed it up as best I could. Then I filtered it through a double layer of cheese-cloth. I was left with some impressively thick varnish -- perhaps made less viscous because I was applying it in 50-degree temps. I decided not to thin it.

I'm surprised and pleased by how well it went on the boat. Because it was so thick, each coat seemed equivalent to me of about two coats of new varnish applied on a warm day. Because it was so cold, it dried slowly, giving me more time to hunt down holidays. And in drying slowly, it could very gradually flow out to eliminate any streaks from the fibers of the brush -- without actually drooping or dripping.

Have I discovered the secret of applying varnish . . . or was I just lucky?