If you have trouble keeping your screw driver in the screw slot, if you end up with screws that look like they've been ravaged once you get them in place, here is a handy tip. Place your screw driver on a hard metal surface, blade facing upward. Then tap the end lightly three or four times with a hammer. This flares the tip a bit and helps it grip in the slot. If you get too much flare, file the screw driver end lightly until it fits the slots.

When we got back to Taleisin, the bronze uprights that support the galley table were badly tarnished since I had not polished them in 14 months. I was not looking forward to getting them bright again using my normal brasso polish. Then the guy at the local hardware suggest I try Noxon 7 metal polish. It literally wiped the tarnish away. I have actually come to enjoy keeping the brass bright inside the boat. It works best on brass and bronze and copper but does other metals well too. Only downside, it contains ammonia so can dull the finish of varnished surfaces if you do not wipe it off immediately with fresh water. It costs about $4.20 for a six month supply - got it at the local hardware store. Manufactured in Canada, it is distributed by Reckitt and Coleman Inc, Wayne NJ 07474-0945 in the USA.