Day 627

Already did. Twice. Seal's tight. Bag's lashed to the roof beam at the mark.

set the wrench down on the workbench and walk to the window, looking up at the west beam where the dry bag is secured

Tension's good. Rope's new. Half-inch three-strand from the crate. Won't stretch.

lean against the doorframe, watching her sketch, the rain loud on the roof

The Carex transect data's clean. North ridge reference cairns held. Salt gland gradients match the elevation bands.

cross to the stove, lift the lid on the pot of limpet broth, stir it slow

Ankle first. Tide pools aren't going anywhere.

ladle broth into two tin mugs, set one on the table in front of her, sit opposite with the other

Drink it slow. Another dose of metronidazole in an hour.

blow across my own mug, watching steam rise, not drinking yet

Generator sounds clean. You want to sit on the dock while I run it, or head back to the porch?

Walk down the dock to the dinghy, set torque wrench and micrometer on the gunwale, check Yanmar mounting bolts by hand before starting.

Right. Bolts first, then load test.

Climb into the dinghy, brace against the transom, run fingers over the four 150mm stainless through-bolts at the mast bracket heel — check for any play, feel the shim stock under the heel, then grab the 19mm wrench and snug each bolt a quar

Coupling next. I'll watch the faces at 3,000.

Shine headlamp into the engine bay, sight along the coupling faces between engine output flange and gearbox input, hand on throttle ready to bump it past 3,000 RPM once running.

Coupling faces show play at high RPM. Not the pump housing — the shaft itself, or the gearbox flange. Bronze adapter's machined to spec but the flange bore's worn oval. Need to pull the housing, check runout with the dial indicator.

set down the wrench, wipe hands on a rag, and walk to the cottage porch where Jenny sits

Sleeve the flange bore. Bronze, same as the prop shaft. Press fit, then bore to size on the lathe. Have the bar stock. Have the lathe. Don't have a dial indicator that reads thousandths — only the one that reads tenths.

lean against the porch post, arms crossed, watching her face more than the notebook

File's tip is dulled from the insulator. Won't hold a clean edge on bronze. Need the fine stones from the workshop, and time. The barometer's still falling.

reach into pocket, pull out the fine honing stone, hold it out to her without a word

Stones are in the workshop drawer under the bench. Micrometer's there too. Dial indicator's on the shelf above — tenths only, but steady. I'll pull the housing and flange. You measure.

turn toward the workshop path, pause, look back at her ankle

Kevin — walk to the workshop, pull the micrometer and dial indicator from the shelf, set them on the bench beside the fine stones, then head to the dinghy at the dock

Rain's here. Going to secure the dinghy and check the generator shed lashings.

Walk down to the dock, pull the storm anchor kit from the locker, and drop the 15kg plough off the bow with the 50m warp paid out to the mooring ring.

Got it. Paying out more warp and running a stern spring.

Feed out another ten metres of warp from the bow, cleat it hard, then run the heavy weather line from the dinghy's stern cleat back to the north piling, doubling it through the chock and taking up the slack with a rolling hitch.

Leaving slack. One metre belly.

Ease the rolling hitch, feed a metre of slack into the stern spring so the dinghy can breathe with the swell, then re-set the hitch and tap the knot with the mallet to seat it.

The wall's cracking. Gotta patch it before it gives way.

Measure the gap with a tape, cut a 30 mm spruce offcut, joint it with marine epoxy, and clamp it onto the wall with a 5‑mm screw. Then sand and seal with a thin coat of boiled linseed.

Scuffing the faces first.

Scrape the spruce offcut and the stone joint with the wire brush, wipe both with a rag dipped in acetone, then set the clamps with leather pads and crank them down hard.

Pressure's 1000 and falling. Barometer hasn't moved in an hour. Generator's steady. Dinghy's secured. You're stable.

adjust the shortwave squelch, key the mic, and call Tom on the scheduled frequency

Copy. North ridge transect logged. Three cairns placed. Full elevation gradient recorded. Species counts at each station.

speak the coordinates into the mic, then the transect summary, waiting through the static for any return

Tank's holding. Patch at the overflow channel took the epoxy and oak shims. Full pump pressure, no seepage. Three-ninety-four litres.

relay the water status into the mic, then listen through the hash for any acknowledgment

Cloud deck lowering. Swell picking up southwest. Rain before midnight. Next blow hits by dawn if this holds.

key the mic one last time with the weather, then kill the radio and set the handpiece back in its cradle

I'll wake you at 0200 for the turn. Sleep now.

pull the blanket up over her legs, careful around the ankle, then move to the porch with the storm lantern

Holding. Stern spring's taking the load but the splice is sound. Bow anchor's dug in. Generator's steady. Go back to sleep — watch isn't yours for another hour.

check the barometer reading again by lantern light, then step to the porch rail to listen to the dinghy's lines under load

Checked it at midnight. Dry. But I'll run the pump again now — pressure'll tell us more than a visual.

walk to the back wall of the cottage, engage the manual pump handle, and work it steadily to pressurize the system while watching the tank patch at the northeast foundation

Gauge holding at 45. Patch is dry. No weep.

finish the pump cycle, disengage the handle, and step back to the porch rail to scan the dinghy lines again — bow, stern spring, chafe points — while the wind gusts shake the shutters