Each boat that has Coast Guard documentation (federal) is required to display that unique documentation number somewhere in the interior of the boat. When we bought C Ghost, her documentation number was displayed on the interior of the starboard cockpit locker via a white board with black lettering. If the boat is boarded or inspected by the Coast Guard, they must view this number.

While in the Bahamas, we met folks who had a beautifully treated wooden board inscribed with their number in their boat’s salon, and we were taken with it. It is always neat to see a “necessary” item become a smart-looking addition to a vessel.

We therefore again enlisted the help of Paula’s Dad (Mort) and he produced a great tooled oblong of teak with the digits carefully routed out to a good depth. This was, by design, just the size of a planned hanging space on the bulkhead behind the companionway stairs in our galley. Mort decided to adorn each end with a five-pointed star surrounded by a circle. Only later did he and we realize that this bore a resemblance to the Island Packet star.

Paula hand-sanded the board to smooth consistency. We then chose black gloss acrylic paint (vs. our other considered choice, white) and Paula carefully filled in the depths and sides of the numerals with a very tiny brush and occasional swearing. A can of mineral spirits was kept close by for any mistakes. Two coats and a “touch-up” coat sufficed.

The board was then wet-sanded with 8 coats of tung oil and 400 grit sandpaper until it was soft, smooth, and faintly glossy.

Two brass screws fit into the center of the stars to mount it to the bulkhead. We now have an eye-pleasing addition to the salon that also serves a practical function. Our thanks again to Dad’s “Mortmade” workshop.