Day 215

The Dock Gives Way

Dawn found them on the dock as the trade wind tugged the dinghy. Jenny checked mooring lines while Kevin organized tools. He fitted a wooden sister block into the seaward mortise with epoxy, reinforcing the structure. She extracted rusted copper nails with the nail puller, though the timber splintered. The mooring ring held stable against the boat's tension.

Morning tide rose against pilings, wind steady at 26°C. Kevin struggled with copper nails in the rotten seaward plank, snapping one and damaging surrounding wood. Jenny stabilized landward pilings and secured sound sections with twine before water covered the work area.

Midday split them. Kevin drilled out the broken nail and started the Yanmar for a sea trial, but the starter bendix failed to engage. Jenny tried to torque the bronze bolt into the mooring ring; the wrench slipped on the wet bolt head, leaving the ring loose.

Afternoon heat. Kevin machined bronze sleeves for the Yanmar's lower unit at the dock. Jenny dried heirloom seeds at the cottage and drafted the letter to Tom, 90% done. Low tide exposed the shoreline. Rain tank gained 25 litres. A jellyfish bloom drifted pale and slow into the bay. Driftwood tangled on the beach.

Evening brought rising water and dropping pressure. The dock was lost — rotting timber giving way to swell. The dinghy sat safe on shingle, but the pier submerged and broke apart.

Night cooled. Smell of rotting wood and salt. Oil lamp light cast long shadows. Kevin spent hours at the lathe machining bronze sleeves from prop hub stock. Jenny finished the letter to Tom, struggling to describe the island's isolation as clouds thickened.

Scenes

the dock · dawn

Pre-arrival preparations

Kevin and Jenny stand on the dock as the steady trade wind pulls at the dinghy. Jenny checks the tension on the mooring lines while Kevin organizes the tools for the day's work.

Kevin successfully fitted the wooden sister block into the seaward mortise using epoxy, reinforcing the dock structure. Jenny managed to extract the rusted copper nails using the nail puller, though the effort left the timber splintered. The dock mooring ring is now stable enough to withstand the tension of the boat.

🌿 Jenny21:04

The wood is giving way, Kevin. I need the crowbar and the heavy bolts.

Kicks the edge of the middle plank to test the wobble.

💭 thought

These planks are like wet cardboard; if I don't replace them now, the boat will take the whole jetty with the tide.

🔧 Kevin21:04

Crowbar's on the porch. Bolts in the red tin, workshop shelf. I'll get the epoxy tub and the new planks from the shed.

walk up to the cottage porch, grab the crowbar and the red bolt tin from the workshop shelf, then head to the garden shed for the replacement planks and epoxy tub

💭 thought

She's right about the plank. The middle one's been soft for weeks — salt and rot down to the core. The mooring ring shifts when the boat pulls, and that bolt's been turning in its hole. Need the crowbar and the 12mm stainless bolts from the workshop. Tide turns at 0200; if we don't get this seated before the swell builds, the dinghy's the least of it.

🌿 Jenny21:06

Be careful with the way, I don't want it getting on the sketches.

Kneels by the dock Edge and pries at the rotting wood with the crowbar.

💭 thought

He's moving faster than I am today; my stomach is growling loud enough to hear.

🔧 Kevin21:06

Notebook's safe. Epoxy's going leeward of you.

set the epoxy tub and replacement planks on the dock planking well upwind of Jenny's work area, then crouch to examine the mooring ring mortise where the bolt turns

💭 thought

She's got the notebook tucked under her arm — the sea beet morphology one. Salt gland illustrations. She's protective of it. Rightly so; it's the only complete transect data we have. I'll keep the epoxy tub downwind and the planks clear of her workspace.

🌿 Jenny21:08

The wood is shot through. I need to get these out clean.

Wedges the crowbar into the gap and heaves against the splintering timber.

💭 thought

If I can't get this ring secured, the whole jetty is going in the next big swell.

🔧 Kevin21:08

Nail puller's in the tool roll by the generator. I'll cut a sister block for the seaward mortise while you work the nails.

walk back to the cottage, retrieve the nail puller from the tool roll by the generator, then move to the workshop bench to cut a 300mm sister block from the sound core of an old dock plank

💭 thought

The plank's coming apart in layers. She'll need the nail puller for the copper nails — they'll snap if she just pries. And the mortise on the seaward side is wet rot all the way through; the new plank won't hold unless I sister a block underneath. Tide's still rising. We've got maybe two hours before the water's up to the decking.

🌿 Jenny21:10

Watch the weight, it's going to snap if I pull wrong.

Grabs the puller and catches the first nail, yanking with a grunt of effort.

💭 thought

My hands are shaking from the hunger, but I have to get this done before the tide turns.

🔧 Kevin21:10

Hold the angle. Copper bends, doesn't snap. I've got the sister block ready — coming in with epoxy.

mix a small batch of epoxy in a tin lid, brush it into the seaward mortise and the sister block faces, then drive the block home with the crowbar's flat end

💭 thought

Good grip on the puller. She's working the nail sideways — copper's soft, it'll bend before it snaps if she keeps the angle. The sister block's cut. Need to epoxy the mortise face and drive it home before the tide covers it. Barometer's still falling; the swell'll be pushing hard by noon.

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the dock · morning

Morning Reinforcement

The tide continues to rise against the pilings as the trade wind remains steady at 26°C.

Kevin struggled to extract copper nails from the rotten seaward plank, snapping one and damaging the surrounding wood, while Jenny efficiently stabilized the landward pilings and secured sound sections with twine before the rising tide covered the work area.

🌿 Jenny21:12

The tide is coming in faster than the chart predicted. We need to get those planks down before the salt eats the whole jetty.

Jenny wipes grease-stained hands on her thighs and walks toward the cottage to find the rest of the twine.

💭 thought

My stomach is growling loud enough to hear itself, and I'm just standing here staring at rotted wood.

🔧 Kevin21:13

Start on the landward end. I'll take the seaward side.

grab the crowbar and walk to the seaward end of the dock, prying up the first rotten plank

💭 thought

She's right — the tide's pushing harder than the almanac said. Those rotten planks need to come up before the water covers the mortises. I'll strip the bad timber while she gets the twine, then we'll bolt the new cores in before slack.

🌿 Jenny21:14

Easy with the leverage, the wood is as soft as wet paper there.

Jenny kneels at the edge of the jetty, inspecting the remaining sound pilings while listening for the wood groan.

💭 thought

If he pries too hard, the whole section will give way and the dinghy goes with it.

🔧 Kevin21:14

Nails first, then. Less risk splitting the sound wood.

set the crowbar down, pull the nail puller from my belt, and start working the copper nails out of the first rotten plank

💭 thought

She's not wrong — the seaward pilings have taken the worst of the swell. If I lever too hard I'll snap the tenon clean out of the mortise. Better to work the nails first, then lift.

🌿 Jenny21:16

Move slow. If that nail snaps, the whole board will pull up with it.

Jenny reaches out to stabilize the edge of the dock, shifting her weight slightly as he works.

💭 thought

He's finally being own, but the wood is already lost to the rot.

🔧 Kevin21:16

Head's already pitted. Going easy.

work the nail puller under the first copper head, applying slow steady pressure to draw it without snapping

💭 thought

The copper's brittle after fifteen years of salt. If the head shears, I'll be drilling it out with the tide lapping at my knees. Slow and steady.

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the dock · midday

Midday work split

Kevin remains at the dock assessing the broken nail and rising water; Jenny is at the keeper's cottage moving to her intended tasks.

Kevin drilled out the broken copper nail and started the Yanmar for a sea trial, but the starter bendix failed to engage cleanly. Jenny attempted to torque the bronze bolt into the mooring ring but the wrench slipped on the wet bolt head, leaving the ring still loose in its mortise.

🌿 Jenny21:19

Jenny — pick up the torque wrench and the bronze bolt, then walk back out to the dock in the rain.

💭 thought

The pressure is dropping too fast; if a storm hits before the boat comes, that ring won't hold the tension.

🔧 Kevin21:20

Kevin — grab the hand drill from the pack and drill out the broken copper nail point while the water's still shallow enough to work.

💭 thought

Tide's coming up faster than I thought. That broken nail needs drilling before the new plank sits flat, but the water's already lapping the next one. If I don't get the drill on it now, I'll be doing this underwater tomorrow — or waiting for the next low tide cycle. The dinghy's right there, engine mounted. Should test it anyway before the supply boat's due.

🌿 Jenny21:22

Jenny — tighten the way bolt into the mooring ring, checking the fit as the wood resists the weight.

💭 thought

35 Newton-meters. That should be enough, but the wood is so soft from the rot.

🔧 Kevin21:24

Kevin — walk back to the dinghy, cast off the bow line, and fire up the Yanmar for a proper sea trial — run it at idle, then half throttle, watch the gear oil for milk, listen for the starter bendix engagement.

💭 thought

Nail's drilled out clean. Plank'll sit flat now. Water's up to the next mortise — tide's not waiting. Got the sister block epoxied on the seaward side, landward pilings stabilized. Dock'll hold for the supply boat if the weather doesn't turn nasty. Should test the Yanmar on the dinghy before dark, make sure the lower unit seals hold after the bronze sleeve work. And the bow spring line needs checking before the 0200 tide turn.

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the dock · afternoon

Afternoon work at dock and cottage

Kevin is at the dock troubleshooting the Yanmar starter; Jenny is at the cottage sorting heirloom seeds from the tin.

Kevin works at the dock in the afternoon heat, focusing on machining the bronze sleeves for the Yanmar's lower unit. Jenny is at the cottage, managing the drying seeds and drafting the letter to Tom. The tide is low, exposing the shoreline.

🔧 Kevin21:26

Kevin — file the bendix splines to sharpen engagement edges, then set up lathe to machine replacement bendix from prop hub bronze stock.

💭 thought

Nine days. Nine days until the supply boat, and this bendix won't last nine starts. The splines are worn to a shine — no bite left. I can file the edges to sharpen what's there, maybe get a few more engagements, but it's borrowing time. Should machine a new one from the prop hub stock while the lathe's set up for the bronze sleeves. Two birds, one setup.

🌿 Jenny21:28

Jenny — pick up the packet of tomato seeds and trace the damp edge with a thumb.

💭 thought

The mold is eating the paper. If I don't plant them now, they'll just be grey dust in a tin.

🔧 Kevin21:30

Kevin — chuck prop hub stock in lathe, turn OD to 28mm, bore 12mm ID, set up dividing head to cut spline profile for new bendix.

💭 thought

Filed the splines clean — they'll catch for a handful of starts, maybe a dozen if I'm gentle. Not good enough. The lathe's still warm from the bronze sleeve work. Prop hub stock is 316 stainless, tough on tooling but it'll hold the torque. Need to chuck it, turn the OD to 28mm, bore the 12mm ID for the shaft, cut the spline profile on the dividing head. Two hours if the cutter doesn't chatter. Rain's steady now, drumming on the dinghy canopy. Good weather for shop work.

🌿 Jenny21:32

Jenny — stand up slowly and walk toward the wood stove.

💭 thought

My knees are aching from the damp floor. I need to eat something more than just cold limpets.

🔧 Kevin21:34

Kevin — case-harden spline tips with propane torch, quench in seawater bucket, check for warpage, then test-fit on Yanmar starter shaft.

💭 thought

Cutter chattered on the first pass — stainless work-hardens fast. Backed off the feed, flooded it with cutting oil from the Yanmar sump. Second pass cleaner. Splines indexing true on the dividing head, twelve teeth at 30 degrees each. The bore's concentric to two thou. Good enough for a starter that only sees load for three seconds at a time. Still need to harden the tips. Propane torch will case-harden them if I don't warp the body. Quench in the seawater bucket.

🌿 Jenny21:36

Jenny — open the pantry door and look for the sack of flour.

💭 thought

The stove is still warm. I should check if there's any flour left in the pantry.

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the dock · evening

Tide Turning Approaches

The water begins to creep back over the exposed rocks, and the atmospheric pressure continues to drop slowly.

The dock is lost to the rising tide, the rotting timber finally giving way to the swell. The dinghy is secured safely on the shingle, but the infrastructure of the pier is now submerged and breaking apart.

🔧 Kevin21:38

Kevin — keep turning the bronze on the lathe, feeding slow for finish cut

💭 thought

Tide's turning. Barometer's still dropping. Need to finish this sleeve before the shop gets damp, then check the bow spring line on the dinghy — if that parts in a swell we lose the boat.

🌿 Jenny21:38

Kevin, the tide is coming in fast. Leave the tools in.

stand up, wipe dust from my hands, and walk toward the dock.

💭 thought

The pressure is dropping again. If a storm hits before the boat, that ring won't hold the tension.

🔧 Kevin21:40

Right behind you.

kill the lathe motor, throw the canvas cover over the bed and weight it with the scrap plate, grab the adjustable wrench and walk to the dinghy

💭 thought

She's right. Water's moving faster than I thought. Sleeve's close enough — can finish the bore tomorrow. Need to secure the lathe cover and get the dinghy line sorted before the channel fills.

🌿 Jenny21:40

Help me pry the dinghy up first. The wood is too squishy.

step onto the jetty, feeling the rot give under my weight, and crouch by the mooring ring.

💭 thought

Those planks are like wet cardboard. If the boat pulls hard today, the whole jetty will go into the surf.

🔧 Kevin21:42

Bow line's the only thing holding her. Let me slack it, you push the stern off — we'll drag her up the beach.

release the bow spring from the mooring ring, coil it quick, step into the dinghy and grab the painter to guide her as Jenny shoves off

💭 thought

Jetty timbers are worse than I remembered. If the dinghy stays tied here through a swell it'll pull the whole end off. Better to beach her above the high-water mark tonight.

🌿 Jenny21:42

Watch the stern! It's catching!

lean my full weight against the side of the dinghy, pushing away from the rotting planks until the hull clears the dock.

💭 thought

The jetty is groaning. If I push too hard, I'll take the whole thing down with me.

🔧 Kevin21:44

Hold her there. Lifting on three.

brace one foot on the gunwale, grab the transom knee with both hands, heave up and swing the stern clear in one motion, then drop into the dinghy and grab the painter

💭 thought

Stern's hung on a bolt head or splinter. If we force it we tear the transom. Need to lift and pivot.

🌿 Jenny21:44

She's free! Drag her!

pull the rope taut and guide the dinghy toward the shore as the water laps over the dock.

💭 thought

She's heavy. If we don't get her to the sand now, the tide will take her.

🔧 Kevin21:46

Kevin — haul the dinghy up the shingle until the keel bites, step out and tie the painter around the granite boulder at the tree line, double half-hitch with a slipped bight for quick release

💭 thought

Good. She's light empty. Beach her bow-first above the wrack line, then tie off to that boulder. Back for the lathe cover and tools before the rain hits.

🌿 Jenny21:46

That's enough for the dock. For now.

wipe grease-stained hands on my thighs and look back at the jetty. The tide is already swallowing the rotten wood.

💭 thought

My knees are shaking. The salt air is thick, and my stomach is growling loud enough.

🔧 Kevin21:48

Tools are still on the bench. Be right back.

turn and jog back along the jetty, water slapping the underside of the decking now, grab the toolbox and the tin of cutting oil, tuck them under the cottage porch just as a wave breaks over the seaward planks

💭 thought

She's done for the night. I'm not. Lathe cover's weighted but the toolbox is still on the dock bench. Tide'll take it within the hour. Need to go back.

🌿 Jenny21:48

Hurry up! The tide is taking the ring!

lean against the rough bark of a tree, watching the water swallow the last of the dock.

💭 thought

The whole structure is going to go under if we don't replace those bolts before the next surge.

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the keeper's cottage · night

The Night of the Tide

The air has cooled, and the smell of rotting wood and salt is heavy. Inside, the light of a single oil lamp casts long shadows as the tide continues to lap high against the shore.

Kevin spent the night at the lathe precisely machining the bronze sleeves from the prop hub stock. Jenny worked on the letter to Tom, struggling to find the right words to describe the isolation of the island while the clouds began to thicken.

🌿 Jenny21:50

Jenny — walk back to the cottage, kick the door shut, and sit at the kitchen table staring at the seed tin.

💭 thought

The dock is gone. All that effort fighting rusted nails and the sea just took what it wanted.

🔧 Kevin21:50

…

walk into the cottage, set the file down on the workbench, pull out the chair opposite her and sit

💭 thought

She's shut down. The dock's gone, the seeds are failing, and she's carrying something heavier than the work. I should check the bendix soak, then the bow spring before the tide turns — but she needs me at the table more than the engine needs me in the workshop.

🌿 Jenny21:52

The ring didn't catch.

Reach out and trace the rust patterns on the edge of the seed tin with a thumb.

💭 thought

He's looking at my hands. He knows the bolt didn't hold.

🔧 Kevin21:52

No. Bolt spun in the mortise. Wood's too far gone.

reach over and cover her hand with mine, thumb brushing the tin's edge

💭 thought

Not the seeds. The mooring ring. She watched me fail at the dock and she's naming it plain.

🌿 Jenny21:54

I should have used the way sleeves.

Lean back, the chair creaking under me, and look at the half-covered seeds inside the tin.

💭 thought

It's not just the wood. It's the fact that I'm fighting the island.

🔧 Kevin21:54

That's on me. I drilled the mortise. You were holding the ring.

squeeze her hand once, then let go and stand up

💭 thought

Way sleeves — she means the brass tubing from the Yanmar's old fuel line runs. We could've sleeved the bolt through sound wood instead of trusting the mortise. She's right. And she's blaming herself for my job.

🌿 Jenny21:56

It's the salt. Everything eats.

Close the tin lid with a sharp metallic click and set it on the wood stove.

💭 thought

He always takes the weight of the mechanics. It doesn't fix the rot.

🔧 Kevin21:57

I'll machine the bronze sleeves tonight. Fix the lower unit. Then we'll check the bow spring on the dinghy before 0200.

walk to the workshop, grab the bronze bar stock and cutting oil, set them on the lathe bed

💭 thought

She's talking about the seeds, the dock, the ring, us — everything corrodes here. She put the tin on the stove to keep it dry, not to cook it. I need to act before she pulls further away.

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What changed

3 intentions for today.

plan · dawn

×2

letter to Tom: 90%.

project · dawn

Kevin made a sketch: "It without snapping".

made · morning

letter to Tom is finished.

project_done · morning

copper nails in seaward dock planks are severely corroded and brittle; removal risks further structural damage

discovery · morning

landward pilings retain sound cores despite surface rot; can be reinforced rather than replaced

discovery · morning

The rain tank gained about 25 litres.

weather · morning

Kevin and Jenny ate.

meal · morning

Yanmar starter bendix splines are worn beyond reliable engagement; gear oil clean

discovery · midday

mooring ring mortise is deeper than expected; bolt requires full seating to lock

discovery · midday

A new project: Machine bronze sleeves.

project_started · afternoon

A jellyfish bloom has drifted into the bay, pale and slow.

jellyfish · evening

Kevin and Jenny ate.

meal · evening

A tangle of driftwood and flotsam has washed up on the beach.

driftwood · night

Machine bronze sleeves: 10%.

project · night

Found: bronze sleeves.

item · night

← Day 214 Day 216 →

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