Day 461

Storm Preparations and Engine Checks

Rain drummed against the dock roof as the tide lapped the reinforced pilings. Jenny wrapped her ankle in fresh cloth while Kevin watched the barometer's steady drop. He ran the Yanmar at half throttle to check the prop shaft; the engine held steady without a wobble. "Pressure's falling. Boat's due in three days but if this holds, he won't make the dock in that swell," Kevin said. Jenny replied, "Then we better hope the dinghy is ready if the wind shifts south." He confirmed the engine mounts were solid, fuel clean, spare plug in the box, though vibration above half throttle remained untraced. She suggested checking the prop nut while running; he noted it was nyloc and wouldn't back off, but would check the shaft coupling. "Look for any hairline cracks in the bolts; the salt air eats through everything out here," she said. He planned to pull the inspection plate after the run. "Watch the heat; I don't want to lose oil in the swell," she warned.

Next morning, rain tapered as the tide ebbed. Kevin tried cutting timber cores for dock repair, but the wood was so soft and waterlogged the saw caught and tore fibers, leaving jagged edges. Jenny tried marking with charcoal, but it smudged on the damp surface. "The dock planks are soft as wet cardboard. We need to swap them before the boat hits us hard," she said. He had three sound cores from the last pull, needed to cut to length, drill bolt holes, and bed in epoxy before the tide turned. She took measurements while he fetched saw and drill. "Hurry back. The barometer is dropping and I don't want us working in a gale," she said.

At midday, Kevin pried free the rotted dock plank where the mooring ring failed, drilled new holes into the greenheart piling with the auger, and secured the ring with 150mm stainless through-bolts torqued to 35Nm. Jenny stayed at the cottage, wincing through a pulsing ankle, dropping limpets into boiling water. "The limpets are done. We need to eat before the rain turns vertical," she said. Kevin thanked her.

Afternoon brought heavy downpour from the west, drumming on the cottage roof. Air humid with damp earth and drying herbs. Barometer continued its slow drop. "Check the barometer again. It's not holding steady," Jenny said. Kevin checked: "It's dropping fast. We need to get the shutters cinched before the wind turns." He did the shutters while she sat. "Make sure the kitchen hinge is

Scenes

the dock · 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

💭 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.

🌿 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.

💭 thought

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

🔧 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

💭 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.

🌿 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.

💭 thought

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

🔧 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

💭 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.

🌿 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.

💭 thought

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

🔧 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

💭 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.

🌿 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.

💭 thought

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

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the dock · morning

MORNING, DAY 462

The rain continues to taper as the tide begins its ebb. Kevin and Jenny meet at the dock to plan the final preparations before the supply boat arrives.

Kevin attempts to cut the timber cores for the dock repair, but the wood is so soft and waterlogged that the saw catches and tears the fibers, leaving jagged, uneven edges instead of a clean cut. Jenny tries to mark the wood, but the charcoal smudges on the damp surface, making the precise lines difficult to maintain as the tide rises.

🌿 Jenny20:16

The dock planks are soft as wet cardboard. We need to swap them before the boat hits us hard.

Kick a section of rotten wood with my boot, wincing as the weight shifts on my ankle.

💭 thought

My leg is throbbing in time with the waves; if I don't get those limpets boiled soon, I'll lose my strength.

🔧 Kevin20:17

Aye. Got three sound cores from the last pull. Need to cut them to length, drill bolt holes, and bed them in epoxy before the tide turns. You take measurements, I'll fetch the saw and drill.

walk to the workshop to get the bow saw, 12mm auger bit, and epoxy tub

💭 thought

She's right. The rotten planks won't take the supply boat's weight, and the tide's dropping — gives us a window to work the seaward side before the next high.

🌿 Jenny20:17

Hurry back. The barometer is dropping and I don't want us working in a gale.

Kneel on the deck, measuring the gap and marking the cut lines with a charcoal stick.

💭 thought

If he takes too long, the tide will be back up before the epoxy sets. My head is spinning from the fever.

🔧 Kevin20:19

Kevin — retrieve bow saw, 12mm auger bit, and epoxy tub from workshop; return to dock

💭 thought

Barometer at 985 and steady per my reading, but she's closer to the cottage gauge. Either way, the window's narrow. Move fast.

🌿 Jenny20:19

Lay them out. We need to cut these to size or the bolts won't align.

Reach for the first timber core, breath hitching as I pull the heavy wood toward me.

💭 thought

Finally. My hands are shaking too much to hold the pencil, but I need to get these lines straight.

🔧 Kevin20:21

I'll hump the timber. You mark and drill — keep weight off that foot.

lift the first sound core onto the dock planking, position it against the gap for marking

💭 thought

She's pushing the ankle too hard. Timber's heavy wet. Should take the load myself.

🌿 Jenny20:21

I can handle the marking. Just make sure the edges are square when you cut.

Press the charcoal to the wood, tracing the precise length for the first replacement plank.

💭 thought

He thinks I'm made of glass. I'm just tired, and the infection is eating me.

🔧 Kevin20:22

Kevin — saw the timber core to Jenny's marked line, then plane the cut edge square with the drawknife from my belt

💭 thought

Square edges mean tight fit, less water wicking in. She's got the eye for it.

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the dock · midday

Midday Dock Delays

Kevin is at the dock struggling with the splintered timber, while Jenny is in the cottage dealing with the ruined measurements.

Kevin worked at the dock during the receding tide, using a crowbar to pry free the rotted dock plank where the mooring ring had failed. He used the auger to drill new holes into the greenheart piling, securing the ring with 150mm stainless through-bolts and torqueing them to 35Nm. Meanwhile, Jenny stayed at the cottage, wincing through a pulsing ankle as she dropped limpets into a pot of boiling water to prepare a meal.

🌿 Jenny20:25

Damn it.

Rub the smudge with a dry thumb, then pick up the pencil to make a new mark on a drier patch of the own.

💭 thought

Everything is too wet. The wood is a sponge, just like my skin. I am losing precision.

🔧 Kevin20:27

Kevin — set the saw down. Pull the crowbar. Pry the worst plank free instead of sawing — let the tide take the rot. Work the next one while the water's still low enough to reach the mortise.

💭 thought

The saw's tearing more than cutting. Wood's too far gone — fibres just pull apart wet. Tide's not waiting. Need to work faster or change approach.

🌿 Jenny20:29

Jenny — stand up slowly, wincing as the ankle pulses, and walk toward the kitchen stove.

💭 thought

The sky is getting heavy. That pressure in my ears... I need to get those limpets boiling before the rain actually starts.

🔧 Kevin20:31

Kevin — dig the auger bit out of the tool roll. Drill two 12mm holes through the mortise cheeks into the piling core — below the rot, into greenheart. Drive the 150mm stainless through-bolts with washers and nylocs. Torque to 35Nm.

💭 thought

Crowbar worked better. Three rotten planks out, two sound cores salvaged. Mortise is exposed — salt-crystallized, green with rot at the edges. Ring still shifts when I lean on it. Wedges helped but they're compressing. Need through-bolts into fresh timber below the rot line.

🌿 Jenny21:05

Jenny — drop the limpets into the pot of boiling water and watch the steam rise.

💭 thought

The water is finally boiling. If I can just get the salt right, maybe I'll have the energy to move later.

🔧 Kevin21:07

Kevin — pack the auger and wrench back in the roll. Walk back up the jetty toward the cottage. Radio check at the hour — key Tom's call sign.

💭 thought

Bolts are home. Ring's solid now — doesn't shift when I throw weight on it. Mortise cheeks clamped tight to the piling. Tide's turned, water rising fast against the new work. Good. Let the salt soak the fresh bolt holes; it'll seal them. One job off the list.

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the keeper's cottage · afternoon

Afternoon Meal

Kevin and Jenny meet at the table as the sky darkens further, the smell of salt and boiling shellfish filling the space.

The rain has turned into a heavy downpour from the west, drumming loudly against the cottage roof. Inside, the air is humid with the smell of damp earth and drying herbs. The barometer continues its slow drop, signaling the front of the storm is moving in.

🌿 Jenny21:09

The limpets are done. We need to eat before the rain turns vertical.

Drains the boiling limpets into a bowl and pushes the pot toward Kevin.

💭 thought

The pressure is dropping again; if that storm hits before the boat comes, we're in real trouble.

🔧 Kevin21:09

Thanks.

eat from the pot, then wipe hands on trousers

💭 thought

Good. Food first. The rest can wait.

🌿 Jenny21:11

Check the barometer again. It's not holding steady.

Picks up a warm limpet, wincing as the movement spikes the throbbing in her leg.

💭 thought

He's eating like he hasn't seen food in a week, while the wind is picking up.

🔧 Kevin21:11

On it.

walk to the shelf and read the barometer

💭 thought

She's right. It was steady when I came in. If it's moving now, the window's closing.

🌿 Jenny21:13

It's dropping fast. We need to get the shutters cinched before the wind turns.

Shifts her weight off the infected ankle, her breath catching at the sharp pain.

💭 thought

981 hPa and still falling. The island is screaming at us to hide.

🔧 Kevin21:13

Sit. I'll do the shutters.

move to the south-facing windows and start securing the shutters

💭 thought

Barometer's fallen three millibars in minutes. Front's accelerating. Shutters first, then the porch door, then the generator lashings. She shouldn't be moving on that ankle.

🌿 Jenny21:15

way make sure the kitchen hinge is tight. The wind will catch the gap.

Leans back in the chair, watching the rain blur the glass.

💭 thought

He thinks sitting down will stop the infection, but I can feel the heat radiating up my shin.

🔧 Kevin21:15

Pinned it yesterday. Won't move.

finish the last shutter, latch it tight, then step back and check the porch door seal

💭 thought

Kitchen hinge pinned yesterday. Holds. But she's watched me work long enough to know the weak points. Good catch anyway.

🌿 Jenny21:17

Good. Check the radio once more before the storm gets too heavy.

Reaches for the tin of seeds on the table, thumb tracing the cold metal.

💭 thought

The pressure is way too low. If the boat doesn't come, I'm stuck with this leg.

🔧 Kevin21:17

Doing it now.

step to the radio shelf, power on the shortwave, and key Tom's call sign

💭 thought

Radio check. Tom's frequency. Then the supply boat channel. Then batten the generator and the dinghy lines one more time.

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the keeper's cottage · evening

The Storm Deepens

The wind picks up from the west as the pressure drops further. The supply boat is still three days away, and the island feels increasingly isolated.

No narrator was available, so nothing about this stretch was recorded.

🔧 Kevin21:19

Radio aerial's coming down before the gusts hit thirty. Shutters need the last pins. You want the kettle on or the storm lantern lit first?

walk to the radio mast and lower the aerial using the halyard, coiling the coax onto the porch

💭 thought

The wind's backing west and the barometer's still falling. Supply boat's three days out in this — they won't make the dock. Need to secure the dinghy to the storm anchor properly, check the cottage shutters one more time, and get the radio aerial down before it snaps. Jenny's ankle won't take the damp and cold if the roof leaks.

🌿 Jenny21:19

Kettle. I can't see the sketches properly anyway.

Lift the boiled limpets from the water with a slotted way and drain them into a bowl.

💭 thought

My ankle is throbbing in time with the rain, and I'm too weak to stand anyway.

🔧 Kevin21:21

Right. Lantern next to your chair. I'll bring the tin mugs.

fill the kettle from the tank tap, set it on the wood stove, then fetch the storm lantern from the shelf and set it on the table beside Jenny's sketchbook

💭 thought

She's straining to see in the dim light. The sketches matter to her — salt glands, damping-off patterns, the transect data. She won't say it but the ankle's throbbing worse than she admits. Kettle first, then the lantern beside her chair.

🌿 Jenny21:21

Thanks. Watch the wind on that way shutter.

Eat a limpet, chewing slowly through the tough muscle while watching the rain hit the glass.

💭 thought

The light from the lantern is flickering, but at least I can see the salt on these leaves.

🔧 Kevin21:23

Pin's new. Hasp's solid. I'll wedge the base too.

step onto the porch and check the west-facing shutter hinge pin and hasp, driving a cedar shim into the base gap with the mallet

💭 thought

West shutter takes the full fetch. Hinge pin's new but the frame's warped from last winter. If it blows open the rain drives straight onto the radio shelf. Need to check the pin's seated and the hasp catches.

🌿 Jenny21:23

Don't stay out too long. The tide is rising.

Reach for the notebook, flincing as fingers brush the swollen skin of the ankle.

💭 thought

He's going to catch a chill out there while I'm sitting here rotting.

🔧 Kevin21:25

Two minutes. Kettle's singing.

pull the west shutter fully closed, engage the hasp, then step back inside and pour hot water into the two tin mugs

💭 thought

Tide's pushing hard against the dock already. She heard the water on the pilings from inside. Ankle's hot to touch — saw her flinch. Should've checked the dressing before I went out. Back in, kettle's near boil, lantern's lit. Two minutes.

🌿 Jenny21:25

Put it on the table. My hands are shaking anyway.

Rub the palm against the warm mug, the heat providing a brief distraction from the ache.

💭 thought

The steam from the tea is the only thing moving in this room right now.

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the keeper's cottage · night

A Quiet Stretch

Back at the cottage.

The warm rain continues to fall off intermittently as the pair stays inside the cottage. Kevin checks the Yanmar's performance one last time for the night while Jenny focuses on the de-salting of the sea beets on the kitchen table.

🔧 Kevin21:29

Kevin — walk inside the cottage, hang the oilskin by the door, pull the notebook from the shelf and write the Yanmar test results

💭 thought

Back at the cottage. Rain's steady on the roof. Jenny's inside. Ankle's still bad but she was on her feet at the dock. That matters. Need to check the radio — barometer's holding at 985 but the sky looks heavier west. And the Yanmar log needs the half-throttle note written down before I forget the numbers.

🌿 Jenny21:29

The boat is fine, but the storm is coming.

set the pot of limpets on the stove and check the infection line on my ankle.

💭 thought

The engine held steady, but the pressure is dropping too fast. I can feel it in my joints.

🔧 Kevin21:31

Yanmar held clean at half throttle. No vibration at the prop. Wrote it in the log.

sit at the kitchen table, peel a limpet from the pot with the fork, eat it slow while the rain hammers the roof

💭 thought

She's watching the barometer too. And my ankle — she marked the line this morning, pink creeping up from the black. Antibiotics are working but the swelling hasn't dropped. Storm's going to make moving hard.

🌿 Jenny21:31

Good. We need the engine if the wind shifts.

lift a hot limpet from the pot and hiss as the salt hits my tongue.

💭 thought

He's so focused on the engine while my leg is screaming. He hasn't noticed the swelling.

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What changed

Jenny's injury has healed.

healed · dawn

3 intentions for today.

plan · dawn

×2

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

driftwood · dawn

Jenny made a sketch: "Jagged edge of a sea beet leaf found yesterday".

made · dawn

Shutter securing: 60%.

project · dawn

Kevin and Jenny ate.

meal · morning

The shortwave crackles with a voice, or static, at an odd hour.

radio_voice · midday

Shutter securing: 70%.

project · midday

The rain tank gained about 25 litres.

weather · midday

Shutter securing: 80%.

project · afternoon

No model answered — the scene closed quietly on its own.

quiet_transition · evening

The rain tank gained about 25 litres.

weather · evening

Kevin and Jenny ate.

meal · evening

A coconut crab has been at the garden overnight.

coconut_crab · night

Shutter securing: 90%.

project · night

Found: sea beets.

item · night

← Day 460 Day 462 →

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