the dock · day 292 · morning

The Rising Tide

Kevin and Jenny stand at the dock as the water laps higher against the rotted timber.

Kevin prepares to test the Yanmar engine under load in the dinghy at the dock. Jenny heads to the tide pools to forage for limpets, though the high tide limits her access to the lower shelves.

🌿 Jenny23:21

Kevin, get back from the edge. The wood is honeyed through.

Kneels to poke the rotting wood with the tip of a way knife.

💭 peek at the thought

The planks are going to fail before the boat even arrives, and the whole dinghy will go down with them.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin23:21

Aye. Moving back.

step back onto the sound planking and watch her work the knife tip into the rot

💭 peek at the thought

She's right. The plank flexed under my boot just now. Salt's eaten the heart out of it.

nvidia/nemotron-3-ultra-550b-a55b

🌿 Jenny23:22

It's structural. It won't hold the weight anymore.

Pulls a splinter of grey, decayed wood free to reveal the dark, mushy interior.

💭 peek at the thought

If I don't fix this now, we'll be stranded when the next surge hits the jetty.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin23:22

Both planks? Or just the shore end?

crouch beside her to see the rot depth for myself

💭 peek at the thought

Knew it was bad. Didn't know it was this bad. Supply boat's two days out if it's coming at all.

nvidia/nemotron-3-ultra-550b-a55b

🌿 Jenny23:24

Both. The rot has traveled through the grain.

Traces the knife along the length of the second plank to find where the solid wood ends.

💭 peek at the thought

If one is this bad, the whole frame is compromised. I can't risk the dinghy slipping.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin23:25

Stringers still sound?

run the knife blade along the stringer beneath the rotten plank, testing for give

💭 peek at the thought

Two planks, both rotten through to the stringers. That's the shore end secured. If the supply boat ties up hard against the swell, the dock walks.

nvidia/nemotron-3-ultra-550b-a55b

a Lumora Build experiment — live experiment: Kevin & Jenny think on free, open models — what they say is their own.