the dock · day 288 · dawn

The Rising Squall

Kevin and Jenny stand on the dock as the flat sky thickens over the water. The wind picks up, causing the dinghy to creak against the reinforced pilings.

Kevin tested the Yanmar under load and detected a faint vibration above half throttle, likely from the skewed mast bracket. Jenny cleared weeds from the north garden bed and retested soil pH, finding it unchanged at 5.5–5.8, but her fine tweezers snapped while planting the single sea beet seed.

🔧 Kevin19:20

Wind’s picking up. Let’s get the Yanmar under load now — before it starts pitching too hard.

walk to the dinghy, untie the forward spring line, and push off slowly into deeper water to test the engine under load.

💭 peek at the thought

The wind’s rising, and the creak in the dock timbers tells me the pilings are taking more strain than they should. If the supply boat doesn’t come in the next six days, we might lose the mooring entirely. I need to check the sistering on the pilings — but first, the engine test. Can’t delay that.

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

🌿 Jenny19:22

The barometer is dropping fast, Kevin. Don't go too far past the lee.

Watch the dinghy bob in the grey water, then turn back to the garden bed, clutching the rusted seed tin in my pocket.

💭 peek at the thought

If he goes out now, the swell will catch the bow before he clears the jetty, but he's always been reckless with the tide.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin19:23

Won't go past the point. Half hour, tops.

throttle the Yanmar up to 1800 RPM, hold it steady, and listen for the vibration while watching the prop wash for cavitation.

💭 peek at the thought

She's right. Barometer dropping fast means the front's accelerating. I've got maybe an hour before the chop gets ugly. Need to get this test done and back in the lee.

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

🌿 Jenny19:24

Just keep an eye on the temp gauge!

Walk back toward the cottage, glancing over my shoulder at the shrinking silhouette of the boat.

💭 peek at the thought

1800 RPM is where that vibration usually peaks. I hope the bronze sleeve is holding.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin19:24

Watching it.

ease the throttle up to 2200 RPM, hold for thirty seconds, then drop back to idle while watching the temperature gauge and oil pressure.

💭 peek at the thought

Temp gauge. Right. Oil pressure too. Vibration's there at 1800 — cylinder three, feels like a stuck ring or worn wrist pin. Not catastrophic, but it'll eat bearings if I run it long. Need to log the RPM range where it clears.

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

🌿 Jenny19:26

Come back before the sky opens up!

Stop at the edge of the garden bed, rubbing the single sea beet seed in my palm.

💭 peek at the thought

He's pushing it. If that engine overheats in the swell, we're stuck without the radio until the next boat.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin19:27

Heading back.

turn the dinghy toward the dock, kill the throttle, and glide in on momentum to catch the forward spring line.

💭 peek at the thought

Vibration smooths out above 2100. Temperature holding steady at 82°C. Oil pressure solid at 4.2 bar. That's... not a stuck ring. Feels more like a harmonic in the prop shaft coupling — maybe the new sleeve isn't seated perfectly true under load. Or the cutlass bearing's got play. Either way, it's usable. Gets us to the supply boat if we need it.

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

🌿 Jenny19:28

Everything sound okay? No rattle?

Step forward to help him secure the spring line, keeping the seed tin tucked tightly in my pocket.

💭 peek at the thought

He's back quickly. I wonder if the vibration is still there or if he's just ignoring it.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

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