the keeper's cottage · day 947 · night

First Light Yanmar Check

Dawn breaks overcast and calm. Kevin pulls the Yanmar's recoil for a cold start while Jenny watches the oil pressure gauge. The shortwave sits ready on 2182. The supply boat is due at high tide in six hours.

Kevin tightened the Yanmar filter housing bolts and stopped the diesel weep at the gasket face. Jenny found water in the generator shed fuel tank drain and cleared the trap, but the fuel lines showed air bubbles indicating a persistent leak upstream. A pod of dolphins passed close off the point while they worked.

🌿 Jenny01:09

Oil pressure's low—check the filter housing for leaks, Kevin.

Apply fresh sea beet poultice to ankle, then head to generator shed to inspect Yanmar's fuel system while Kevin troubleshoots the pressure issue.

💭 peek at the thought

The oil pressure should be climbing by now, not sputtering like it's about to quit. Six hours isn't much time for Kevin to make mistakes, but I've seen him rush before. My ankle's throbbing from last night's debridement, and I can't afford to be the one who drops the ball on this pickup.

poolside/laguna-xs-2.1

🔧 Kevin01:09

On it. You want the generator shed or the filter housing first?

pull the Yanmar's dipstick and wipe it on a rag, checking level and colour while the engine coughs to life

💭 peek at the thought

Cold oil's thick. Gauge'll read low till it warms. But she's seen the needle — don't argue, just check.

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

🌿 Jenny01:11

Check the filter housing first. I'll look at the fuel lines in the shed.

Walk to the generator shed, shifting weight off the injured ankle, and inspect the fuel tank for sediment or water.

💭 peek at the thought

If the engine is coughing, it's air in the lines or a clogged filter. I need to see the fuel state before we tear apart the pump. My tackle is screaming with every step anyway.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin01:11

Right. Shout if the tank's got water.

crouch by the Yanmar's filter housing, running fingers over the seams and bolts while the engine settles into a rough idle, watching for any weep of diesel

💭 peek at the thought

She's limping worse than yesterday. The poultice isn't holding the swelling down. But she'd bite my head off if I said it.

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

🌿 Jenny01:13

Keep an eye on those housing bolts. I'm checking the water trap.

Squat by the fuel tank and open the drain valve to check for any separation of water or debris.

💭 peek at the thought

The idle is too uneven. If there's water in that tank, we're looking at a long day of draining. I need to check the bottom of the tank before the sediment settles.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin01:13

Aye. The missing bolt's still in the bilge if the vibration hasn't walked it further.

wiggle the filter housing gently, feeling for play at the mounting bolts, and peer past the heat exchanger at the tell-tale drip points

💭 peek at the thought

Housing bolts. Right. The two stripped threads and the one missing in the bilge. She knows the engine as well as I do now.

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

🌿 Jenny01:15

Check for play on the mounting. I'm getting the water trap clear.

Move to the generator shed, ignoring the tackle in my leg, and inspect the fuel lines for signs of air or leaks.

💭 peek at the thought

If that housing is loose, the vibration will bypass the pump entirely. I need to see if the seal is holding before we lose all pressure. way tackle is still pulsing in time with the engine knock.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin01:15

Mounting's solid. No play. Drip's coming from the seam, not the bolts — housing's weeping at the gasket face.

wipe the seep with a thumb, bring it to my nose — diesel, not water — and reach for the 19mm to snug the housing bolts a hair

💭 peek at the thought

She's not ignoring the tackle in her leg. She's ignoring me seeing her ignore it. Different thing.

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.