# Turn Report: Keelstrand — Mid-Autumn, Year 1

### Structural Underpinning of the Boat Shed
The temporary props have been replaced with a permanent timber and stone foundation. Mara and Ivo jacked the shed cross-beam with timber wedges to relieve all downward weight from the weakened corner, excavated through softened earth down to firm subsoil, and seated a broad, flat river stone plinth. After sawing away the decayed foot of the post, Mara charred the cut end over coals to deter fungal rot. A seasoned squared timber block was fitted onto the raised stone plinth and sistered to the sound post with heavy hardwood splints, bored through and pinned with treenails before being sealed with pitch. The shed frame now rests securely above ground moisture, stabilized against the autumn winds without temporary shoring.

### Timber Hauling and Yard Reserves
Taking advantage of dry weather before continuous rains softened the ground, work crews corduroyed boggy dips along the uphill track and cleared obstructive stones. Using the two heavy drag-sleds, logging teams brought down straight trunk timbers for planking, naturally curved framing knees for the hull, and bundles of windfall deadwood. At the yard, the timbers were stripped of bark to ward off wood-boring grubs and stacked on raised skids beneath thatched lean-tos beside the boat shed, where they will air-dry through winter in preparation for spring construction. Deadwood and yard offcuts were split and stacked along dry leeward walls to build household fuel caches.

### Swales, Hearth Safety, and Fiber Works
Tor directed households in digging runoff swales along the uphill sides of the dwellings and boat shed, channeling surface drainage safely into the creek to protect wall bases and interior floors. Tor also inspected central hearths and stone surrounds across all dwellings, ensuring smoke-hole flues and framing poles have proper clearance to avoid ember hazards as indoor fires burn continuously. Straw-lined root and bean storage pits were culled for softening produce, which was diverted to evening stew pots before spoilage could affect the main stores.

During wet stretches that prevented outdoor hauling, labor shifted indoors. Under Pell's instruction, apprentices processed harvested nettle and bast fibers, retting, stripping, and spinning them into binding twine and light cordage. Near a sheltered fire, workers rendered gathered resin, wood ash, and powdered charcoal into troughs of black caulking pitch to supply future boatwork and seam repairs.

### Scouting the Western Beach and Southeast Ridge
Ivo completed both reconnaissance missions, adhering to strict turnaround times before dusk:
* **The Western Marker Beach:** Ivo reached the beach via the half-day coastal route. He confirmed that the marker stake remains standing and intact, and noted faint tracks along the shore gravel nearby, showing recent passage along that stretch of coast, though no boats, encampments, or travelers were present.
* **The Southeast Ridge:** Following the pack trail to the first ridgeline, Ivo occupied a concealed observation point overlooking the broad basin. He observed managed herds of pack goats grazing across the distant upland shelf before withdrawing at midday. The presence of herded pack animals confirms organized pastoral activity beyond the ridge, though no contact was initiated.

### Immediate Pressures and Open Decisions
* **Approaching Late Autumn:** Weather patterns point toward heavier late-autumn winds, shortening days, and oncoming frost. Outdoor hauling and drying opportunities will soon close entirely.
* **The Upland Pastoralists:** The managed pack goat herds confirmed on the upland shelf demonstrate that neighbors inhabit the grazing basin southeast of the ridge. Their numbers, camps, and intentions remain unknown.
* **Activity at the Marker Beach:** The faint shore tracks near the western stake verify human movement along the coast, though it is not yet known who passed or whether they will return.
* **The Spring Hull:** Building timbers and knees are seasoning on skids, pitch and cordage are accumulating, and the unfinished vessel remains protected under thatch. Arel and the fishing households continue to rely on the overhauled creek boat, awaiting the fulfillment of the yard's promise to complete the larger vessel once winter passes.