Day 636

Brace is holding. Gap's three inches at the top, half that at the mudline. Piling sheared clean — no splintering. That's storm force, not rot.

crouch at the dock edge and run calloused fingers along the shear face of the north piling stump, checking grain direction and salt penetration depth

On it.

walk the length of the dock to the south end, testing each piling with a shoulder shove and checking the come-along tension on the temporary braces, eyes on the rising water

Not pushing. Just feeling.

lay a flat palm against each southern piling in turn, sensing movement through the heels of my hands rather than shoving, calling out measurements to her — "South-one: three mil play at tide line. South-two: solid.

Got it. Sketch is in the notebook on the porch. Page with the tide-pool topography — flipped it over for the dock profile.

turn back toward the cottage, stepping careful on the listed planks, and call over my shoulder — "South-three: one mil. South-four: solid. Come-along on two's tight. One's got slack — needs a turn before high water."

Back in ten. Radio check at 0800.

head up the path toward the cottage, boot heels striking the worn timber of the dock-plank transition, one hand automatically checking the shortwave aerial tension where it runs from the mast to the cottage eave

Aye. Finishing the shim, then lines.

Tighten the last brass shim bolt to torque, wipe hands, and move to the dinghy's bow and stern lines — take up slack, double the turns on the mooring ring and north piling, check chafe points.

On it.

Step to the bow, ease the line just enough to shift the chafe point, re-seat it in the fairlead with a fresh wrap of canvas, snug it hard and cleat it off.

Back in a minute.

Give the stern line one last hard pull, verify the spring line's holding the dinghy off the piling, then walk back up the listed dock toward the cottage workshop.

Two minutes.

Enter the workshop, set the torque wrench and micrometer back on the pegboard, lift the kettle from the stove, check the water level, and carry it to the porch where the stove's already warm.

Let me.

Set the kettle down, crouch beside the bench, take the saline bottle and clean gauze from her fingers, and wait for her nod before touching the wound.

Reading 987 and rising. But the swell's backing southwest — feel it in the dock planks. Going to check the come-along on the south piling before the next set hits.

walk to the dock and inspect the come-along tension on the south piling sistering

Aye. Got the crowbar if the ratchet binds.

step onto the dock, testing the first plank with weight before committing, then move to the south piling to check the come-along tension

Won't force it. Just checking the wedges first.

crouch at the south piling, run fingers along the oak wedges driven into the mooring ring mortise, feeling for movement or gaps while the swell lifts the dock beneath me

Shutters are battened. Generator's lashed. Dinghy's got double stern lines and the storm anchor out. You need anything before the power cuts?

Check the Yanmar's raw water intake strainer one more time, then top off the day tank from the drum.

Saline's ready. Batteries... I think I've got some in the workshop box. Let me grab them. Batteries checked. They're good - kept dry in the sealed box. Radio's live now. I'll key the mic on Tom's frequency at first light.

Head to the workshop, check the radio's battery compartment, then the box on the shelf where I keep spare cells. </think>THOUGHT: Batteries in the workshop box. Might be corroded from the humidity, but worth checking.

Checked. Clean. No corrosion. Radio's got power for at least a week of scheduled calls.

Set the spare cells on the radio shelf, then pull the chair closer to the stove to warm my hands.

Kevin — walk down to the dock, pull the Yanmar gearbox and shim the driveshaft coupling with brass from the old prop shaft

Aye. Got it.

set tools on the driest plank, crack the gearbox bolts while the coupling's accessible at low water

Not forcing. Persuading.

tap the bolt heads with the hammer, let the vibration work the oil deeper, wait thirty seconds before applying torque

Got the tap set. Got the helicoil kit. Got the bronze drift if the threads go.

work the 19mm ring spanner slow, feel for the give, back off a quarter turn each time the resistance spikes

Flat and square. Same as always.

keep the spanner perpendicular to the flange face, crack the third bolt free with a steady pull, catch the washer before it drops into the bilge water

Not dropping them.

hold the last washer with two fingers against the flange as the bolt clears, set it in the magnetic tray, ease the gearbox back on the alignment studs

Checking.

run the dial indicator across the coupling face, note the runout at four quadrants, pull the brass stock and micrometer from the tool roll

On it.

Walk to the dinghy at the end of the dock, inspect the bow line and stern spring for chafe, verify the storm anchor warp is holding clear of the bottom, and reinforce any wear points with the remaining sail twine and canvas strips.

Got it. Slack the bow line a hand's breadth — I'll feed the spring through the chock and serve the rub point.

Step aboard the dinghy, ease the bow line off the cleat just enough to take tension off the stern spring, pull the spring forward through the stern chock to shift the chafe point, wrap the worn section with canvas strips and bind it tight w

Holding. Moving back.

Shift weight carefully off the soft plank onto the sound stringer beside it, crouch low, and work the stern spring serving from the dinghy's gunwale instead of the dock — finish the wrap, seize it with sail twine, then ease the bow line bac