the dock · day 592 · morning

The Receding Tide

The tide continues to fall, revealing more of the rocky floor as the pair prepares for the final assembly of the Yanmar sleeve.

Kevin finished the Yanmar hydraulic ram assembly at the cottage, machining the sleeve to final tolerance and pressing it home with a clean fit. Jenny worked in the garden, debriding her ankle with the last of the saline before sketching sea campion morphology along the wall, though pain and stiffness slowed her hand.

🌿 Jenny13:31

Hold the light steady, Kevin. I need to see the clearance on the bronze edge.

wipe grease from the sleeve with a clean rag and check the micrometer.

💭 peek at the thought

If this sleeve doesn't seat perfectly, the whole engine is dead weight and I'm stuck here until the seeds rot.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin13:33

Clearance holding at one and a half. You want me to lap it or call it?

Hold the headlamp steady over the workbench, watching the micrometer face over her shoulder.

💭 peek at the thought

She's steady at this. Better than steady. My hands would shake at this tolerance after three hours in the cold, but hers don't. The sleeve's within two thou. That's good enough for sea work.

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

🌿 Jenny13:35

Call it. It needs to fit before the boat gets here in two days.

press the sleeve into the housing to check for any way binding.

💭 peek at the thought

One and a half is tight, but I don't have the patience to lap it today with this ankle throbbing.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin13:35

Called.

Set the headlamp down on the bench, beam aimed at the housing bore, and pick up the dial indicator to verify the press fit as she seats it.

💭 peek at the thought

She's right. Two days. The supply boat doesn't wait. If the ram binds at load we're dead in the water anyway. She knows that better than I do.

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

🌿 Jenny13:37

Watch the indicator. If it jumps, we start over.

watch the needle move as she slides the bronze into place.

💭 peek at the thought

If it's skewed, the vibration will tear the sleeve apart and I'll be stranded without a boat.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin13:37

Holding. Zero to two. You're good.

Keep the dial indicator visible, finger braced on the base so it doesn't shift, eyes on the needle as the sleeve seats home.

💭 peek at the thought

Needle's steady. Zero to two thou and holding. That's the fit. She knows it before the gauge tells her.

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

🌿 Jenny13:39

Good. Let's check for any burrs.

run a finger along the edge of the sleeve to Ensure it's flush.

💭 peek at the thought

It's seated. If this fails under load, I'm dead on this rock.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin13:39

Clean.

Pick up the fine stone and break the edge on the chamfer — just a kiss, two passes — then wipe it down with the rag and set it aside for the ram assembly.

💭 peek at the thought

Clean. No burrs. No high spots. She'd feel a hair caught in that fit. The sleeve's home.

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

🌿 Jenny13:41

Pass me the grease. I need to check the fit on the piston.

reach for the grease jar on the workbench, wincing as the weight shifts on my ankle.

💭 peek at the thought

The sleeve is ready. Now I need to get the ram fitted before my leg gives out completely.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin13:41

Kevin — pick up the grease jar and set it in her palm before she stretches for it, then pick up the piston and hold it steady for her.

💭 peek at the thought

She's favouring the left side. The ankle's not right yet. She won't say it.

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

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