Turn 002 · Keelstrand — Submission

1. Structural Repair of the Boat Shed

The temporary props have kept the shed steady against the first autumn gusts, but leaving a rotted post-foot in place through late-autumn gales and winter snow is an invitation to collapse. During the first dry interval of the month, Mara, Ivo, and our strongest woodworkers will carry out a permanent repair:

Relieving and Jacking: Using timber wedges and the existing shores, we will gently raise and hold the cross-beam’s weight, taking all downward pressure off the damaged brace and corner post.
Excavation and Stone Plinth: We will dig out the softened, wet earth beneath the post down to firm subsoil, then seat a broad, flat-topped river stone as a raised plinth. Elevating the post above ground level will prevent standing moisture and runoff from rotting the wood again.
Surgery and Sistering: Mara will saw away the rotted base cleanly above the decay line, char the cut end lightly over coals to deter fungal growth, and fit a seasoned squared timber block between the stone and the sound upright. We will sister the junction on both sides using heavy oak or hardwood splints, bored through with augers and pinned tightly with dried hardwood trunnels (treenails), then caulked with pitch.
Shed Envelope: Tor’s crew will inspect the roof mats, lashings, and wall battens of the boat shed, securing all edges so autumn winds cannot catch or tear them.

2. Timber Hauling & Fuel Reserves (The Uphill Track)

With the two wooden drag-sleds finished, we must move straight timber down from the uphill stand before mid-autumn rains turn the stony track into a slick mud chute.

Track Preparation: A small crew with crowbars and levers will spend one morning walking the track, clearing the sharpest protruding stones and laying corduroy logs across two low, boggy dips.
Felling and Sledging: On fair-weather days, Mara will lead a logging party up the track. They will selectively fell straight timber required for the spring keel completion (straight trunk sections for planking and selected naturally curved branches for framing knees).
Dual Haul (Timber and Fuel): Logs will be lashed securely to the drag-sleds. To maximize every trip down, workers walking beside the sleds will carry bundles of dry deadwood, windfall, and thick offcuts from the logging site.
Yard Curing: Once dragged into the settlement, logs will be stripped of bark to discourage wood-boring grubs and stacked on raised skids under lean-to thatched eaves near the boat shed. This ensures the wood begins air-drying through the winter, ready for the spring build.

3. Settlement Drainage, Fire Safety & Shelter

Mid-autumn brings continuous, drenching rain. Keeping the ground dry around our living spaces is critical for health and the longevity of our buildings.

Runoff Swales: Tor will organize households to dig shallow perimeter drainage ditches (swales) along the uphill sides of all dwellings and the boat shed, directing surface runoff away from wall bases and channeling it toward the creek.
Firewood Hoard: Offcuts from the boat yard and firewood brought down from the hill will be split and stacked tightly along the driest leeward walls, covered with overlapping bark strips and thatch hurdles. Every household hearth must have access to cured, dry fuel.
Hearth and Flue Inspection: As indoor fires become constant, Tor will personally inspect each home’s central hearth, stone surrounds, and smoke-hole baffles, ensuring thatch and roof poles have adequate clearance to eliminate chimney and ember fire hazards.

4. Wet-Day Indoor Labor: Cordage, Pitch & Tools

When heavy rains halt outdoor hauling and logging, we will pull all available labor under the boat shed and longhouses for essential material preparation.

Pell’s Fiber Works: Pell will lead his newly trained apprentices in processing raw fibers. Before the hard frosts arrive, harvesting teams will gather nettle stalks, willow bast, and inner cedar/linden bark from along the creek banks. Under Pell’s direction, workers will ret, strip, and spin these fibers into cordage, twines, and binding lines. This will conserve our dwindling reserve of manufactured rope for critical rigging and sled hauling.
Resin and Pitch Rendering: Outside under a sheltered hearth, workers will slowly melt gathered pine and spruce resin with wood ash and powdered charcoal in an iron pot to produce durable caulking pitch. This pitch will be poured into wooden troughs to cool, stockpiled for boat seams and building joins.
Tool Husbandry: Mara will supervise the maintenance of our edged tools. Axes, adzes, drawknives, and chisels will be honed carefully on whetstones with oil or water. Edge abuse (such as hacking into stony ground or hidden knots) will be strictly reprimanded; dull or notched tools cost irreplaceable labor.

5. Sustenance & Stores Management

Creek & Sound Fishing: Arel’s crews will take the overhauled fishing boat out into the creek and sheltered sound mouth whenever sea conditions and wind allow. Catches will be divided according to our agreed shares: fresh fish distributed to hearths, and all surplus immediately gutted, split, salted, and hung in the smoke sheds.
Storehouse Monitoring: Venn will make regular weekly checks of the straw-lined root and bean storage pits. Any vegetable showing signs of softening or rot will be pulled immediately for the evening stew pot so it does not spoil the cache. Straw linings will be checked for moisture and replaced if damp.

6. Reconnaissance & External Awareness

We have neighbors nearby—uphill grazers to the southeast and unknown maritime travelers to the west. We need clear information without overextending our people or provoking conflict.

The Western Marker Beach (Half-Day Route):
- On the first calm, dry morning, Ivo will take one light-footed companion along the western coastal path to the marker beach.
- Objectives: Carefully examine the stake and salt-smelling cord. Has the cord been retied or replaced? Are there fresh boat keel scrapes in the gravel, ashes of campfires, footprint patterns, or discarded refuse? Look seaward from the point for passing coastal craft.
- Discipline: Take notes and observations without disturbing the stake or leaving footprints near high tide mark. Leave no tokens or markers. Return to Keelstrand well before dusk.
The Southeast Grazing Ridge (Day Watch):
- Later in the month, Ivo and a quiet woodsman will make a second planned ascent along the pack trail to the first ridge, carrying dried rations.
- Objectives: They will take up a concealed observation post among the rocks and brush on the crest overlooking the grazing basin for three to four daylight hours.
- Questions to Answer: What animals make up the herds (sheep, goats, cattle, horses)? How many people tend them, and what gear or weapons do they carry? Are there fixed structures (stone enclosures, sod shelters, yurts, tents) or are they merely moving through? Are pack animals hauling goods along trails that connect toward our sound?
- Strict Protocol: Maintain absolute concealment. No shouting, no waving, no descending into the basin. If a herder approaches the ridge crest, withdraw silently down our side of the ridge. Break camp at the predetermined midday hour to ensure safe return before twilight.

7. Leadership & Yard Cohesion

I will spend my days actively circulating between the projects: working alongside Mara at the shed footer, helping guide sleds down the track with Ivo, and sitting with Pell’s apprentices during rainstorms to learn and test the strength of their cordage.

At the midpoint of the month, I will invite Arel, Tor, Venn, Ivo, Pell, and Mara to share a hot smoked-fish and root stew in the boat shed. We will review our stores, assess our timber piles, examine Ivo’s scouting reports, and verify that every family remains dry, warm, and well-fed. Shared hardship is endured easily when labor is fair, promises are kept, and the entire village sees the winter fortifications rising day by day.