the dock · day 699 · morning

Yanmar load test at rising tide

Kevin and Jenny stand on the dock as the tide pushes in. The dinghy floats at its mooring, Yanmar mounted and idling. Kevin holds the throttle, ready to run it under full load. Jenny braces against the piling, notebook tucked under her arm, watching the prop wash for vibration. The barometer reads 1012 hPa. Wind gusts slap the palms.

Kevin runs the Yanmar engine under load in the dinghy to test the injector pump seal while the tide rises. Jenny works near the north ridge transition, sketching soil composition and managing her throbbing ankle infection.

🌿 Jenny05:43

Easy on, Kevin. Watch the intake.

Lean weight against the salt piling, eyes fixed on the dinghy's hull.

💭 peek at the thought

If he pushes it too hard, the rotten wood will give way before the engine does.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin05:44

Got it. Bringing it up slow.

advance throttle smoothly to three-quarter, one hand on the tiller feeling for vibration through the hull, eyes on the tell-tale stream and the prop wash Jenny's watching

💭 peek at the thought

She's right to watch. The intake's clear but I've seen clean water suck debris at load. Last thing we need is the impeller shredding after the bronze sleeve held.

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

🌿 Jenny05:45

Watch the way planks. They're soft today.

Tighten grip on the notebook, shifting weight off the throbbing ankle.

💭 peek at the thought

He's always so careful with the engine, but the wood is what matters.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin05:46

Transom's solid. Sister brace took the torque yesterday.

hold throttle steady at three-quarter, feel the hull through the tiller, glance at the tell-tale — strong, clear arc — then at the transom seam where the greenheart meets the old wood

💭 peek at the thought

She's not talking about the dock planks. She's watching the dinghy's hull flex where the transom meets the stringer — the greenheart scarf joint I sistered. Smart. If the epoxy's still curing under load, the planks will breathe.

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

🌿 Jenny05:47

Just don't jar it. The tide is heavy.

Step back from the edge of the dock, watching the water lap against the pilings.

💭 peek at the thought

The brace is holding for now, but the rot goes deep into the grain.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin05:49

Won't. Bringing her down easy.

ease throttle back to idle in three deliberate steps, let the dinghy settle against the spring line without snatch, kill the engine and listen to the silence after

💭 peek at the thought

She's protecting the work. And me. The tide's pushing hard against the bow line — I can see the dinghy surging against the spring. If I chop the throttle now the slack'll snatch the transom. She knows that. She's seen me break things rushing.

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

🌿 Jenny05:49

It's quiet for now.

Wipe a smudge of salt from the notebook cover and look toward the north ridge.

💭 peek at the thought

Finally. The silence is louder than the motor anyway.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin05:53

Yanmar's done. Seal held. No vibration at load.

step onto the dock from the dinghy, secure the painter to the ring, wipe salt from my hands onto my trousers

💭 peek at the thought

She's reading the ridge, not the engine. The wind's shifted — coming off the north cliffs now, colder. Barometer's still falling. She's seeing what I'm feeling: the window for the stringer bolts just closed. Tomorrow's low tide'll be under swell.

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

🌿 Jenny05:53

Good. I need to check the tin again.

Shift my weight and start walking back toward the cottage.

💭 peek at the thought

The engine is fine, but the island is still eating itself.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin05:54

I'll carry it up.

fall in beside her on the dock planks, match her pace without crowding, ready to take the notebook if she needs a hand free

💭 peek at the thought

The tin. She's been back to it three times since the crate came up. Something in there bothers her — or she's using it to stay moving. Either way, her ankle's taking the weight bad. I see the hitch in her left step.

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.