the dock · day 92 · morning

Yanmar test run at slack tide

Slack tide approaches. Kevin braces against the dock cleat, ribs taped, helping Jenny lower the Yanmar onto the dinghy transom. The engine sits ready, fuel line primed, new spark plug in. Rain has eased to drizzle. They will attempt a sea trial past the headland if it starts.

Kevin attempts to fix the shortwave radio's aerial insulator but struggles with the brittle housing and failing tape. Jenny focuses on cataloging the collected succulents, meticulously documenting their morphology as the tide rises against the dock.

🌿 Jenny00:55

Check the primer. I'll watch the exhaust while you pull the cord.

pull the starter cord sharply and watch for the puff of grey smoke.

💭 peek at the thought

If that engine doesn't catch now, we're stuck for another ten days and the weather is turning.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin00:55

Primer's firm. Three pulls cold, then choke off. You'll hear her catch before you see smoke.

grip the starter handle, set feet against the transom brace, and pull the cord smooth and sharp

💭 peek at the thought

Engine's mounted clean. Fuel line primed. New plug. She's watching exhaust — smart. Means she knows what grey smoke says about compression. My ribs scream every breath but the tape holds. Let's see if the Yanmar earns its keep.

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

🌿 Jenny00:57

Come on, don't quit on me now.

lean in to listen to the engine's idle over the water.

💭 peek at the thought

It's coughing, but the rhythm is there. Don't stall.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin00:57

She's breathing. Let her warm up.

keep one hand on the tiller, the other resting on the engine cowling feeling the vibration, watching the tell-tale stream for steady water

💭 peek at the thought

She's talking to the engine like it's a stubborn mule. Or me. Caught on the third pull — good compression, carb's feeding. Now she's listening for the miss at idle that means the float needle's still sticking. Let her hear it.

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

🌿 Jenny00:59

Water's flowing clean. We can make it past the headland.

check the fuel gauge needle for rise.

💭 peek at the thought

The vibration's right, steady pulse. He's got this under control.

poolside/laguna-xs-2.1

🔧 Kevin00:59

Slack's now. We go, we learn what the boat does.

cast off the bow line, shove the dinghy clear of the dock with a boot, and settle onto the thwart gripping the tiller

💭 peek at the thought

Tell-tale's strong. Fuel gauge holding. Engine's warm enough. Headland passage at slack — that's the window. She's ready. Question is whether my ribs can take the chop past the point.

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

🌿 Jenny01:01

Let's see what she can do.

push the throttle forward slowly and watch the Yanmar respond.

💭 peek at the thought

The engine's holding. We need to see the north cliffs before the clouds fully break.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin01:01

She takes throttle clean. Hold on.

steer a course for the headland gap, one eye on the tell-tale, one on the water ahead, body braced against the thwart

💭 peek at the thought

Throttle up smooth. Yanmar pulls clean — no hesitation, no miss. Prop bites. We're moving. She's watching the engine like a hawk; I'm watching the headland and the water pattern off the point. Slack tide means minimal overfalls, but the swell wraps in. Ribs grind with each wave slap. Worth it.

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

🌿 Jenny01:03

She's doing good. Watch the swell.

open the notebook and sketch the wake forming behind the hull.

💭 peek at the thought

The engine is humming now. If the way holds, we might actually reach the north cliffs today.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin01:08

Past the worst. Want to open her up and see what she'll do?

ease the tiller to bring the bow round into the broader channel, throttle advanced another notch, scanning the horizon for any whitecaps building

💭 peek at the thought

She's sketching the wake while we're running the passage. That's her — records the data while the rest of us just survive. Swell's wrapping around the point as expected, two-metre faces pushing into the gap. Yanmar holds RPM steady. Dinghy handles it. We're through the worst. Open water past the headland now.

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.