the dock · day 461 · dawn

The Rising Tide

The rain continues to drum against the dock roof as the tide laps against the newly reinforced pilings. Jenny sits on a crate bench, wrapping her ankle in a fresh cloth while Kevin inspects the barometer's steady drop.

Kevin ran the Yanmar engine at half throttle to check for vibrations in the prop shaft, and the engine held steady without a wobble. Jenny attempted to inspect the coupling bolts for hairline cracks but struggled to see anything clearly in the steady rain.

🔧 Kevin20:07

Pressure's falling. Boat's due in three days but if this holds, he won't make the dock in that swell.

walk up to the cottage porch and check the generator fuel line for cracks

💭 peek at the thought

Barometer's dropped four millibars since I last looked. Steady rain, falling pressure — front's stalling over us. Three days to the supply boat and the swell's already building. Dock ring's holding with the wedges but the mortise is soft. Need to sister the south piling proper before the boat tries to tie up.

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

🌿 Jenny20:07

Then we better hope the dinghy is ready if the wind shifts south.

Tighten the bandage on my ankle with a wince, then pull the notebook from my pocket to sketch the jagged edge of a sea beet leaf found yesterday.

💭 peek at the thought

Three days is an eternity if this infection hits the bone. I need the salt from those limpets.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin20:10

Dinghy's ready enough. Engine mounts solid, fuel clean, spare plug in the box. Vibration above half throttle though — haven't traced it yet.

climb into the dinghy and start the Yanmar, letting it warm at idle while watching the prop shaft for wobble

💭 peek at the thought

She's right. South wind pushes the swell straight into the cove. Dinghy's engine ran clean at half throttle yesterday but I didn't push it. Yanmar's got that faint vibration above half — prop shaft or the mast bracket alignment. Should run it at load today, see if it clears or worsens. Also need to check the storm anchor warp on the bow.

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

🌿 Jenny20:11

Check the prop nut again while it's running; the salt might have loosened it.

Stand up slowly, leaning heavily on the dock railing to offload the throbbing in my calf, and walk toward the edge of the water.

💭 peek at the thought

If that engine fails now, I'm stuck on this rock with a leg that is turning to rot.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin20:11

Nut's nyloc. Won't back off. But I'll check the shaft coupling while she's turning.

reach down to the prop shaft coupling with a 19mm wrench, feeling for play while the engine idles

💭 peek at the thought

Prop nut was torqued to 35Nm yesterday after the sleeve install. Bronze on bronze shouldn't back off but salt gets in everything. Worth a look while she's running. Jenny's favouring that calf hard — infection's draining but the deep tissue's still angry. She shouldn't be walking on it.

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

🌿 Jenny20:13

Look for any hairline cracks in the bolts; the salt air eats through everything out here.

Lean over the dock dock edge, squinting through the rain to watch the metal where the shaft meets the engine.

💭 peek at the thought

If the coupling is sheared, the vibration will tear the whole thing apart before we even get way to the mainland.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin20:13

Coupling bolts are 316. Housing's the weak point. I'll pull the inspection plate after this run.

increase throttle to half, hand on the gearbox housing to feel for the vibration's onset

💭 peek at the thought

She's not wrong. Salt creep gets into the threads, works the metal. Coupling bolts are stainless but the housing's cast iron — different expansion, different corrosion. If there's a hairline, it'll show at the bolt heads first. Engine's running smooth at idle. Vibration didn't show until past half throttle yesterday.

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

🌿 Jenny20:15

Watch the heat; I don't want to lose oil in the swell.

Reach for the tin of seeds in my pocket, feeling the cold metal through the fabric as I watch the engine work.

💭 peek at the thought

If the housing is cracked, no amount of tightening is going to save it in a storm.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

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