the dock · day 249 · morning

Low tide and clouds

The tide remains at its lowest point as the clouds thicken overhead, and the barometer shows a steady further drop in pressure.

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

🔧 Kevin06:43

Yanmar's holding steady at load. Vibration's still there past half-throttle — cutless bearing. Spare's on the boat if it shows.

check cutless bearing clearance on Yanmar prop shaft

💭 peek at the thought

Pressure's dropping faster now. If the front comes through before the supply boat, we're looking at days of easterly swell — no landing at the dock. Yanmar's running clean at load, but that vibration above half-throttle means the cutless bearing's worn. Need to check clearance before we commit to any crossing.

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

🌿 Jenny06:45

Check the clearance properly. I don't want it seizing halfway out.

wipe sweat from my eyes with a gritty forearm and step into the dinghy to inspect the engine housing.

💭 peek at the thought

If that bearing is shot, the whole setup is a liability, and I can't have the engine failing when the swell picks up.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin06:45

Pulling the prop now. Gonna check the wear on the cutless bearing.

remove propeller from Yanmar shaft and inspect cutless bearing for play and wear

💭 peek at the thought

She's right — can't afford a failure in the channel. Need to pull the prop and measure the bearing wear against the shaft. If it's out of spec, we wait for the boat or rig a sea anchor and ride it out.

nvidia/nemotron-3-super-120b-a12b

🌿 Jenny06:47

Look for any scoring on the rubber.

open my notebook and make a quick sketch of the rot on the dock planks while I wait.

💭 peek at the thought

If there's play in that shaft, the vibration will tear the housing apart before we even reach the mainland.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin06:48

Rubber's cracked in two places, surface is pitted. Definitely scored. Not safe for open water.

measure cutless bearing inner diameter with micrometer and compare to prop shaft OD for clearance specs

💭 peek at the thought

Scoring on the rubber means grit's gotten in — abrasion from sand or corrosion. If it's torn, we're gambling. Sketch of the dock planks? She's tracking the rot spread. Good. Means she's still watching the details, even if she's not talking.

nvidia/nemotron-3-super-120b-a12b

🌿 Jenny06:49

Then we aren't running the load test. We need that part first.

close my notebook with a sharp snap and stare at the grey, rotting wood of the jetty.

💭 peek at the thought

I knew it. The salt is eating everything, and we're just watching the decay in slow motion.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

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