The story
I found the loose rivet while putting the tools away. It was the sort of detail that can keep a person on the dock all evening, especially when that person built the boat from parts with several previous careers. I checked it, fixed it and checked it again.
The skiff slid into the harbour just as the workshop lights came on. For a few minutes I listened to the hull rather than the water. Nothing rattled. Nothing needed an immediate explanation. This felt like an achievement worth taking for a short trip.
A bass rolled beside the slipway before I had even reached the first piling. I laughed at the timing. After an afternoon of careful preparation, the harbour had placed the first story almost exactly where I started.
The launch log begins with an ordinary repair and an unexpected welcome.