Tom does it right... but I don't like the idea of using a high current heat gun at the dock. I use a ryobi 18v random orbit finish sander... yes, it does remove some of the wood... so I have to be very careful about how much and where. Last season I was never able to get on enough coats of varnish, so in several areas this year I had to sand down to bare wood and start over.

I switched varnishes also. I was using Captains before, which was like spreading honey... it was sticky from the moment it hit the wood, and thus hard to work. This year I switched to something I found in Good Old Boat, Le Tonkinois varnish. The Le Tonkinois feels and applies like a thick oil... and gets sticky within the hour, eventually slowly drying. It takes longer to dry, but this varnish can be applied in a wider range of conditions and the instructions don't call for sanding between coats. The stuff goes on so smoothly that I am able to do just about all the wood on the boat in about 4-6 hours.

The Sampson posts are next on the varnish list. The cap rails got attention first.