...more about Commissioning of Serenity

I told you this is a huge process, remember?  Not a day goes by that Tom and I don't bombard poor Gregg (and the other contractors working on Serenity) with a million questions and requests (thank goodness for them the requests are not as numerous as the questions).  Okay, so now we have our anchors, chain and rope rode, bottom paint, varnished capstrip (well, that's actually in progress).  Doing the capstrip the right way involves much sanding in between coat applications - while dealing with Mother Nature.  It can't be too hot or too cold, too wet or too dry, etc.

Now we need to work on the flybridge canvas - where to put this canvas, what color, what fabric, what style, how many cushions, where to put those cushions, back vs just seat cushions, sunshades for the pilothouse vs. no shades, white shades or a choice of several shades of beige?  It really is enough to make you cry UNCLE!  However, the KKY pros don't let things get to this point.  We were able to discuss the canvas work in sections, so that everything was logical and never rushed.  KKY mailed us several fabric books with recommendations as to which fabrics stood up best to the elements (Sunbrella).  We decided on a navy background with thin yellow and red stripes - very much like a rep tie.  The Sunbrella designation for this design is Navy Regimental Stripe.  Get the picture?

We are delighted with the cushions.  These cushions are also on the flybridge settee.  Very comfy to have both seat and back cushions.  Now we don't have to have a bunch of cushions to take out and put away at the beginning and end of each trip.  As we found on For Us, the sunshades are an absolute must.  Not only do they provide invaluable respite from the strong rays of sun heating up the pilothouse, but they protect the wood and fabric from fading and drying out.  We opted for a huge piece to wrap over the windows (and windshield wipers) and separate pieces for the port and starboard windows.  Jim of G and G canvas (the master craftsman behind our canvas) recommended we attach the sunshades to the bridge doors with suction cups rather than drill holes into the doors (we hate anything drilled into anything that wasn't there initially).
In addition to the cushions, we also chose to have the instruments covered as well as the helm chair and BBQ grill in solid navy.  Over all these creature comforts is a solid navy bimini so that we can remain (fairly) cool while underway on the warmest days.

We're very excited about the expanded flybridge on this model.  Tom and I ran For Us exclusively from the flybridge - even on the one day it rained on our way back from a rafting trip.  When on board with friends, we often sat on the flybridge listening to music and one night, even danced to great music up there!  The cabinet the BBQ grill sits on actually houses a refrigerator with a small freezer section so that we can entertain without making countless trips to and from the galley below (it was always me making those trips, so I'm especially delighted)!   Having a grill, frig, plenty of seating and a table makes the flybridge an additional party locale (I didn't even mention the Bose HomeTheater system we installed throughout the boat).  Though we don't yet have a dinghy, it will be mounted athwartships (horizontally to the flybridge) and behind the entertainment area for yet more room for dancing!  We can even get another small table and some chairs up there!  Party Central!

Tom and I opted for the largest size ensign the teak flagpole can accommodate on the flybridge.  The captain is very much into flag protocol and supervises the flag's raising and lowering very carefully.

We always mount the KKY burgee (pennant) on the bow jackstaff (impressed with these terms? Me too!) when underway.  It's very "proper" to display your flags the captain has been heard to say.
There will be a halyard (sort of like a clothesline for those of you who grew up in an urban environment) on the flybridge for different flags and burgees.  Right now all we have is the Kadey Krogen Cruisers burgee to display, but we're thrilled to have that!  Some folks who have made the Great Loop (a trip through the Great Lakes) proudly display that accomplishment with a burgee.  I'm telling you, there is an unbelievable amount of information to be learned in the boating world.  The terminology alone is mind boggling.  When you add what you actually MUST know for safety, it's enough to keep folks dockside drinking Bloody Marys all day.