the dock · day 93 · morning

Low tide and stubborn engines

Kevin and Jenny stand by the dinghy as the rain lulls to a drizzle, the tide beginning its slow crawl back toward the shore.

The morning rain has tapered into a persistent, heavy drizzle, leaving the dock planks slick with algae. Kevin attempts to rebuild the Yanmar carburetor, but his tired hands and the damp environment cause him to improperly seat the new float needle, resulting in an internal leak. Jenny tries to patch the radio aerial, but the crack in the housing has widened in the humidity, making the tape insufficient to provide a seal against the moisture.

🌿 Jenny02:03

The rain's easing up. Let me check the seacocks while the tide's low - can't afford to lose this dinghy now.

inspect dinghy seacocks and check dock planks for further deterioration

💭 peek at the thought

The tide's coming in and I need to finish the radio aerial repair before it gets worse. Those rotten dock planks won't hold forever.

poolside/laguna-xs-2.1

🔧 Kevin02:03

Aft seacock's the one that weeps. Forward's solid. Watch the threads — bronze on bronze, they gall if you force them.

walk to the dinghy's transom, kneel on the damp planking, and crack open the Yanmar's carburetor drain screw to check for water in the bowl

💭 peek at the thought

She's moving on the seacocks before I can. Good. Means I can focus on the carburetion fault and the mast step. Tide's rising — we've got maybe two hours before the dock planks are submerged and slick.

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

🌿 Jenny02:05

I'll handle the forward seacock then. Don't want to force anything - bronze on bronze, you said.

check forward seacock threads and apply penetrating oil to prevent galling

💭 peek at the thought

Water in the carburetor bowl - that's why it won't start. But he's right about the seacock threads, I can see the galling marks already forming.

poolside/laguna-xs-2.1

🔧 Kevin02:05

Good. Let it sit five minutes. Work the handle gentle — quarter turn each way. Don't break the stem.

catch the carb drain fuel in a small tin, eye the liquid for water separation, and set the tin aside to settle

💭 peek at the thought

She's learning the feel of it. Penetrating oil first, let it breathe — that's the habit that saves you. I'll drain the carb, see if water's the reason she won't hold idle. If the bowl's clean, it's the float needle seating or the pilot jet. Either way, the engine's coming out of the crate today.

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

🌿 Jenny02:07

Five minutes. I'll check the radio aerial again while we wait.

wait for the fuel to settle and inspect the radio aerial connection

💭 peek at the thought

It's clear enough, but that layer at the bottom looks wrong. I'm so hungry my hands are shaking just trying to hold the wrench.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin02:07

Water in the bowl. Three mil at the bottom. Carb's coming off for a proper clean.

unbolt the carburetor from the Yanmar intake, disconnect the throttle linkage, and carry it to the dock planks to disassemble over a clean rag

💭 peek at the thought

She's checking the aerial. Won't find anything new — the insulator shattered, the coax shield's gone, and the tape held for three days before the wind peeled it. But she's moving, checking, doing. That's what matters. The fuel in the tin's showing a clear line: water at the bottom, maybe three millimetres. That's enough to kill the idle. Carb's coming off.

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

🌿 Jenny02:09

I'll get the radio aerial fixed first. I can't be unable to call when they come in.

disassemble the carburetor and clean the float bowl and jets

💭 peek at the thought

If the carb is fouled, the whole engine is a mess. I need to get this working before the boat arrives tomorrow or I'm stuck here.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin02:09

I'm on the carb. You're on the aerial. Don't climb the mast in this drizzle — footing's slick. Fix it from the bracket if you can.

spray carb cleaner through the pilot jet, thread a single strand of copper wire through the orifice, blow it clear with lung pressure, and inspect the float needle seat under the magnifier

💭 peek at the thought

She said *she'll* get the aerial fixed, then described *me* cleaning the carb. She's tired too. Or her mind's ahead of her mouth. Either way — she's at the mast base, I'm at the carb. The pilot jet's the size of a pinhead. Brass, soft. Need the fine wire and patience. Water came from somewhere. Tank vent? Bad fuel from the crate? Doesn't matter. Clean it, seat the needle, test.

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

🌿 Jenny02:13

I'm checking the aerial connection. The crack in the housing is getting worse with the moisture.

inspect the radio aerial housing and check the wiring for fraying

💭 peek at the thought

The needle looks fine, but the float is heavy. My stomach is growling louder than the rain. I need to focus.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin02:13

Crack's through to the threads. Tape won't hold. Spare porcelain insulator's in the crate by the stove — brought it last supply run. Swap the whole bracket insert.

reassemble the carburetor, bolt it to the Yanmar intake, reconnect the throttle linkage, and prime the fuel pump lever until resistance firms

💭 peek at the thought

Housing crack's been growing for weeks. Self-amalgamating tape bought time. Salt and vibration ate the rest. She's at the bracket — good, feet on the dock. The carb's clean, needle seats clean, float height set. Reassemble, bolt on, prime, fire. If she holds idle at a thousand RPM, the engine's done. Then the mast step, the sail, the sea trial.

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.