Over the past weeks we at Shining Star Sailing have been very busy and have accomplished the following:

• Machine sanded the deck & Coach-roof of surface rust
• Painted a primer coat on the foredeck & Coach-roof
• Painted a white topcoat on the foredeck & Coach-roof
• Washed the inside of the boat of all dust and grime
• Drilled all the necessary holes (200 or so) in the frames of the boat for attachment of bulkheads (walls & frames of interior)
• Welded 6 mild steel poles into 2 mast poles.
• Had delivered 28 sheets of plywood to be used for the construction of the bulkheads.
• Employed a carpenter who joined us on Thursday 24 Apr. 08 to construct the bulkheads. He works really fast and does a superb job. Take a look at photos!
• Installed all the port lights (windows) on the coach-roof to seal the boat from the rain.

We are aware of God’s wonderful blessings in the ministry of Shining Star Sailing to date. We have been able to purchase the relevant materials involved in the above-mentioned tasks. The materials consist mostly of paint and hardware, but also include more expensive items such as the plywood and mild-steel poles.

In planning ahead, we have decided to break down the ongoing cost and tasks of yacht-building into specific projects. We have started with preparing the deck and interior to build, and this project is going well. Our next project is the keel.

The Keel is situated beneath (and attached to) the hull. It serves to keep the boat upright and not tipping upside down and thereby sinking.  The keel requires 3 tons of lead to be of suitable weight to keep the boat upright.  The scrap-metal price of lead is going at R14 per kilogram, and we need 3000 kg’s!  We need to fill the keel with lead within the next 2 to 3 months in order to keep up schedule. 

And so, this brings us to Our Need.

We have set a target to raise R42 000 by the 31 July 2008.  The good news is that we don’t necessarily need a lump sum since we can purchase the lead as the money becomes available. Our desire is to make you and others aware of our need in order to raise the necessary funds. We have also made arrangements to create awareness of this need within our local church, Fish Hoek Full Gospel Church. We are planning to raise a portion of the funds by way of tuck-shop evenings, selling lunch after morning services, displaying notices in church services (using slide shows and video clips) with information regarding the project, as well as other evening functions such as a barn dance!  Outside of our church, we are sending letters such as this one across the globe to generate awareness and response.

If you would like to become involved in assisting us with the keel then a number of options are listed below:

• You have a contact with a dealer/s in scrap metal.
• If you would like to contribute finances towards the lead please click here.
• You would like to forward this letter to others whom you believe would be interested and/or able to assist.
• You would like more information such as a DVD, website address or business cards with which to present to others in your church or at home.
• You would like to visit the yacht and see the project for yourself.

Yours assistance in this will be greatly appreciated. Thank you again for your interest and excitement with us as we pursue this project. We look forward to hearing from you in the near future.