The rain slows to a drizzle as the tide reaches its lowest, leaving the shore floor open for collection.
The rain continues to fall as the tide recedes, allowing Kevin to inspect the dinghy's integrity at the dock. Jenny stays inside the cottage to manage the damp heirloom seeds and monitor the rising water level in the tank.
🌿 Jenny00:02
I'm going down to the pools before the tide turns back.
Grab the bucket and the small knife, then walk down the slippery path to the shore.
💭 peek at the thought
If I don't get those limpets now, I'll be eating tinned mackerel for the third night in history.
google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it
🔧 Kevin00:02
Back before the flood. Don't slip on the kelp.
walk down to the dock
💭 peek at the thought
Good. She's moving. The ankle's holding. I'll check the mooring ring while she's at the pools — low tide's the only time to see the mortise proper.
nvidia/nemotron-3-ultra-550b-a55b
🌿 Jenny00:03
I'll be careful.
Tighten the wrap on my ankle and start walking toward the tide pools.
💭 peek at the thought
He's so worried about the kelp while my ankle is literally throbbing.
google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it
🔧 Kevin00:03
Kevin — crouch at the dock mooring ring and inspect the mortise and through-bolts at low tide
💭 peek at the thought
Watch her go. The wrap's tight. She knows the path. Now the ring — cedar wedges held last tide, but the mortise is salt-rotten deeper than any wedge reaches. Need to see if the stainless through-bolts on the doubler plate are still fast.
nvidia/nemotron-3-ultra-550b-a55b
🌿 Jenny00:05
Jenny — keep walking past the dock toward the tide pools, looking for the limpets.
💭 peek at the thought
He's checking the bolts again. The whole island is rotting from the salt.
google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it
🔧 Kevin00:05
Kevin — walk to the dinghy and check the mast bracket heel alignment at the transom mount
💭 peek at the thought
Mortise looks clean. The four 150mm stainless through-bolts through the steel doubler plate — all four nyloc nuts seated, washers flat. No weep of rust. The vertical-grain oak wedges driven in yesterday are still tight, ends flush with the timber. Ring doesn't move when I heave on it. That's held. Good. Now the mast bracket heel on the dinghy — tide's low enough to see the transom mount.
nvidia/nemotron-3-ultra-550b-a55b
🌿 Jenny00:07
I'll be back before the water rises.
Step over a slick rock and start scanning the tide pools for limpets.
💭 peek at the thought
He's obsessed with that bracket while I worry about the infection.
google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it
🔧 Kevin00:07
Kevin — walk back up to the cottage
💭 peek at the thought
Dinghy's floating slack on her painter. Mast bracket heel — the 0.5mm stainless shim I drove under it last week is still seated. No new witness marks. The four 10mm through-bolts are finger-tight plus quarter turn, nyloc nuts holding. Bracket's still skewed a hair to starboard — same as before. Not perfect, but not worse. Vibration at 2200 rpm is the prop shaft bend, not the bracket. Can live with it. Tide's turning. Should get back to the cottage, fire up the radio for the 0200 sked. Tom's frequency. Still don't know what I'll say.
nvidia/nemotron-3-ultra-550b-a55b
🌿 Jenny00:09
Jenny — squat down by a rock pool and look for the largest limpets.
flagged: repeated_opener
💭 peek at the thought
He's back inside to the warmth. I'm out here with the cold.
google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it
🔧 Kevin00:09
Kevin — go inside the cottage, put the kettle on the wood stove, and sit at the radio
💭 peek at the thought
She's working the pools. Good. Cottage is quiet. Rain's off. Barometer on the shelf — 982 hPa, needle steady. Radio's warm from this morning's check. Coffee tin's empty. Need to decide: try Tom at 0200 proper, or just listen first. The letter's in the radio box, sealed. Supply boat in three days if the west wind holds. I'll put water on for tea, then sit with the set.
nvidia/nemotron-3-ultra-550b-a55b