the dock · day 293 · morning

Waiting for the Supply Boat

The heavy air suggests rain soon as the barometer continues to drop. The supply boat is expected sometime the next day.

Kevin finished torquing the Yanmar cylinder head bolts to spec using the recovered bolt and bronze sleeve method, then moved to the dock to drive a bronze sleeve into the mooring ring mortise. Jenny inspected the cylinder head for debris and held the light during reassembly, then followed Kevin to the dock to observe the sleeve installation.

🔧 Kevin00:18

Kevin — walk to the workshop bench, pick up the cylinder head and new gasket, begin reassembly with torque wrench set to 35Nm.

💭 peek at the thought

Barometer's dropping fast. Boat's due tomorrow but this pressure says she might not make the crossing. Need the Yanmar buttoned up and the dock ring solid before dark. Cylinder head's on the table — gasket, torque sequence, done. Then the mooring ring. If the supply boat shows, she'll need to tie up clean.

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

🌿 Jenny00:20

Don't over-torque the housing bolts.

Lean against the workshop doorframe and watch him work.

💭 peek at the thought

He's diving back into the machine. It's his sanctuary, the only thing on this island he feels he can actually fix.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin00:20

Two are shot. One's gone. I'll use the recovered bolt and the bronze sleeve trick on the flange — even load, no stretch.

Continue reassembling the cylinder head, threading the housing bolts by hand first, then applying torque in three passes: 15Nm, 25Nm, 35Nm, watching for resistance.

💭 peek at the thought

She's right — I know the sequence, but her voice cuts through the rain drum on the roof. Two bolts stripped, one missing. I'll feel the stretch, not just the number.

nvidia/nemotron-3-super-120b-a12b

🌿 Jenny00:22

Precise. Just don't let the gasket slip while you're seating it.

Walk over to the bench and hold the flashlight steady over the cylinder head.

💭 peek at the thought

He's talking in technicals again. It's his way of avoiding the fact that we haven't actually looked at each other in three days.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin00:22

It's seated.

Complete the final torque pass on all housing bolts, double-check alignment, then set the cylinder head aside for engine reinstall.

💭 peek at the thought

Light's steady. Hands are steady. Gasket seats clean — no oil, no grit. This engine's run fifty thousand hours on salt and grit. One more assembly won't kill it.

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

🌿 Jenny00:24

It looks solid.

Set the flashlight down and rub my hungry stomach.

💭 peek at the thought

He's moving fast now. The momentum of a finished task. I wonder if he feels the same relief I do when a drawing finally clicks into place.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin00:24

Limpets in the pot?

Wipe hands on rag, walk to the cottage door, pause to check the barometer on the wall — 999 hPa, steady — then head for the dock with the bronze sleeve, oak wedges, and heavy wrench.

💭 peek at the thought

Stomach's been growling since dawn. Cylinder head's done. Dock ring's next. Rain'll come proper soon — need the mooring solid before the boat tries to tie up.

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

🌿 Jenny00:26

They're soaking. I'll have them ready.

Follow him out to the dock, watching the tide hit the rotten planks.

💭 peek at the thought

He's already moving to the next problem. The island is always breaking somewhere.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin00:27

Watch the step. Plank three's still soft.

Kneel at the mooring ring, clear salt and grit from the mortise with a wire brush, test-fit the bronze sleeve, then drive it home with the mallet until it bottoms out.

💭 peek at the thought

Tide's licking the new sister beams. Ring shifts maybe a millimetre under load — not good with the crane coming. Oak wedges held last time but the mortise is chewed. Bronze sleeve's the real fix. Drive it deep, pin it, done.

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

🌿 Jenny00:28

I see it.

Stand back and watch the sleeve seat, then check the horizon for any sign of the boat.

💭 peek at the thought

He remembers the soft plank. He's paying attention to the wood, just not to me.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

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