Hi Scott,
I don't think you'll have any problem at all, either with strength of the deck or its appearance. Having built a Pygmy Osprey HP, I noticed the glass overlaps some at the cockpit anyway. But with some elbow grease, a careful eye and strong sander, I was able to eliminate any sign of it.
Just try not to cut through the layer of glass closest to the wood. Otherwise, you should be fine. You'll notice that when you attach your deck and hull, you'll have a similar overlap of glass around the entire joint. Again, some sanding and a careful eye help smooth this transition out nicely.
Good luck! I've started another HP recently, and can't wait to get in the shop (which, unfortunately, is at a friend's house 80 miles away). Happy paddling and building.
Don't you wish Pygmy had its own web site?
Grambo

: This morning I glassed the deck of my artic tern. As I was laying out the
: remaining fiberglass, I realized that I did not have a whole piece of
: glass that would completely cover the foredeck. Alternatively, I put a
: 'patch' of glass down to cover the spot and overlapped it over the
: surrounding glass by an inch or two. Will I be able to sand this down to a
: smooth transition or am I completely screwed?

: Thanks!
: Scott