the dock · day 83 · morning

The Storm Breaks

The first heavy drops fall as Kevin and Jenny meet under the overhang of the dock. The wind picks up, rattling the radio.

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

🌿 Jenny14:31

The way ring is screaming, Kevin. We need to double the line before the surge comes in.

pull the plastic tarp over the seed trays and check the mooring ring for stress fractures.

💭 peek at the thought

The pressure is dropping too fast; if that ring doesn't hold, the dinghy is gone before the tide turns.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin14:32

Aye. I’ll ream the holes and drive the bolts through with washers both sides. You keep the line taut and watch for chafing.

Grab the crowbar and start prying the rotted dock planks loose to access the mortise from underneath, then clear out debris so I can ream the bolt holes true.

💭 peek at the thought

The barometer’s still dropping and the wind’s getting teeth. That ring’s been loose since the last squall—I can feel it working in the mortise. If it pulls free, the dinghy’ll swing into the pilings or worse, take off downwind. We’ve got minutes before the surge hits.

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

🌿 Jenny14:33

I'll watch the line, but don't over-torque the bolts or the wood will just split.

crawl under the dock with a flashlight to inspect the way ring for stress fractures.

💭 peek at the thought

If those planks are that rotten, the whole jetty might give way when the boat pulls in.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin14:35

Twenty-five on the torque. No more. I’ll use the through-bolts with the doubler plate—spreads the load.

Slide under the dock with Jenny, flashlight in my teeth, and start reaming the mortise holes with the taper bit to clean out the rot and get them round and true for the bolts.

💭 peek at the thought

She’s right—green timber splits easy when it’s wet and under pressure. I’ve got the torque wrench set to 25Nm now, not 35. Better to let the bolts settle than crack the dock trying to be strong. The ring’s got to hold, not the wood.

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

🌿 Jenny14:35

Just make sure the washers are wide enough; I don't want the bolts pulling through the soft grain when the surge hits.

shine the flashlight on the mooring ring to check for hairline cracks in the iron.

💭 peek at the thought

If the wood is that soft, the doubler plate is the only thing keeping that ring attached.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin14:36

Got four fender washers in the roll. Three-inch OD. They’ll cover the soft grain. You see any white on the iron—flaking, scale—call it.

Pull the fender washers from the tool belt, thread them onto the two 10mm stainless through-bolts, and start driving the bolts up through the reamed holes from below, working by feel and flashlight.

💭 peek at the thought

Wide washers—fender washers, the big ones from the engine spares. I’ve got four in the tool roll. They’ll spread the load across three inches of grain instead of biting into it. The iron’s holding so far, but if there’s a hairline crack, it’ll open when the boat snatches. I’ll tap-test it with the drift punch once the bolts are through.

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.