“Will you be taking the ICW?” Asked an old man while washing down his fancy motor yacht with a brand new white hose.

“I’m not sure.  We’ll see as we get closer.  What do you see will be the benefit of doing that?”  I asked, doing my best to act as if I knew what the man was talking about.

“The ICW??? …the intracoastal waterway?    …traveling all the way down the east coast without going out into open ocean?…” He answered with a humorous sarcasm.

“I understand,” I responded as if I knew what the ICW was all along, “…but this is a very solid sailboat, designed to travel across the Atlantic.  I really don’t think I’ll be interested in the ICW!…”  Focusing back on my work of epoxying the deck, I pondered, “Note to self: I have to remember to stay away from this ICW thing. How boring…”

This was an interaction I had the previous summer with a retired yacht owner.    At the time I was in the process of repairing Aleph Tav for this journey, and I had not yet taken the time to research how to navigate a vessel from Rhode Island to Florida.  All I knew was that we would be sailing on the Atlantic ocean next to the United States from north to south, and I was sure the details would come together as we went along, but this ICW was definitely out of the question.  Yet here we were many weeks later, tired, beat, exhausted, some of us even traumatized, Aleph Tav looking like it came through a war zone, towing a beat up Navi.  And now, that ICW, the very place I was suppose to make a mental note to avoid, was highlighted on the chart plotter, and I sailed for hours out of the way, looking for it’s entrance.  Interesting how a journey, and the things we suffer  through it, can so give us a different perspective, and cause us to change our mind.

“Good morning Capt’n, maintain your current speed as I raise the bridge.”  Came a voice on the radio as we approached the first lift bridge on the ICW…  I slowly crossed under it as we entered the smoothest of waters, and I knew we had crossed a very special threshold.  It was so peaceful that the crew slept soundly through the entire grand entrance.

For the next several days and actually weeks, we motored across the most beautiful, untouched wetlands, amazed by the tranquil beauty that surrounded us.  Slender crane birds watched us pass by while bands of pelicans glided in perfect formation behind one another with the tips of their wings barely grazing the still water.  The beauty of each sunrise was topped only by the glory of its setting, and the smooth water was disturbed only as families of dolphins came up for a gulp of fresh air, then vanished.

As we entered deeper into what seemed like paradise, we noticed the bars on our cellphones slowly dropped, then vanished all together.  We were completely cut off from civilization, unable to contact friends and family…  How ironic; it was while we traveled through paradise that our loved ones worried the most and prayed the hardest for us.

Day after day, we traveled slowly through the connecting rivers and lakes, hurrying to take pictures until we realized  it was impossible to miss a perfect shot, as immediately after that moment, there was another, and another, and yet another even more perfect shot moment without ceasing …

I pondered: “What a blessing it is to be bendable; being willing to turn from a place where you are 100% convinced of going in one direction, and go another way…”  Someone may argue that bending and going another way is only good if you are turning in the right direction, other wise, you should stand firm.  But I would ask: unless you remain bendable, how will you ever know the difference?…

The sun was about to set while we prepared to dock for the night.  At the same time, an old man was also approaching the dock paddling  his kayak.  By now I was pretty well acquainted with boating etiquette, and right of ways, but this was new; a twenty thousand pound vessel, verses a fifty pound kayak with an old man in it… Who should go first?

To be continued

“Military police vessel, this is the sailboat to your bow, do you need me to stop… Over?”  I asked several times as the blue lights following us lit up our surrounding, revealing even more gun ships.

“Military police vessel, this is the Captain of Aleph Tav to your bow, do you need me to stop… Over?”

The military police vessel approached with no radio response and followed us for a while.    I slowed down to about one knot… The intimidating vessel matched our speed and continued following.    It was unnerving trying to navigate in an unfamiliar shallow area, surrounded by gunships in the middle of the night, with flashing lights following us.

I pondered: “Come on Father, the Aleph Tav is completely  invisible in every non Hebrew translation of the Bible; why can’t we be invisible now?…”

Then, without explanation the military police vessel backed off and returned back to its post.

I increased our speed to three knots and continued on the same course, past many other war ships as Andre scanned for obstacles with a spotlight.  Then we saw several docks completely full of boats, so I proceeded on course heading deeper into the canal which eventually would lead us to a dead end.  Then right there to our starboard, a long old dock with all the slips empty.    Gabriel and Andre tied up the boat while I walked all around looking for some one, some number, some office… any way I could communicate with the dock owner that we were there, but nothing.  There was nothing but a long empty dock all to ourselves, so we settled for the night.

In the morning, I was awakened by the squeaking sound of a rusty bicycle. “Hey!… You can’t leave here unless you come speak to the BOSS!” Demanded a homeless looking man.  He was dressed poorly and several of his teeth were missing.  He did not look like any one of importance but he stood next to his old bicycle with determined authority, so I responded: “Yes, absolutely, I’ll be right out.”  I went below to look for my wallet.

He seemed upset as he escorted Andre and me down the long dock without saying anything.  Then he led us to a small building, and with a frown pointed us to a door.

“What is his name?” I asked “… Your boss?”

“It’s not a he, it’s a she… And you can call her Miss B!” responded the man in a stern voice.

Andre and I walked into the quiet office.  There was a middle aged woman on a computer.

I took a deep breath; “Miss B?” I asked as I called her attention.

“Yes? That’s me…” She responded turning away from her computer.

I explained who we were, what our mission was, and that we had stayed on her dock overnight.  She looked at us for a moment then said: “ok, so… what can I do for you?”

I paused for a moment.  “Well… We just wanted to check in before we headed off.”

Miss B just looked at us…

“The Dock Master brought us here.” I said while pointing at the door.

“Ahh… Randy; I see.  That dock has been closed for years, so… Have a nice trip…” She said while turning back to her computer.

Outside, the man was waiting next to his bicycle; “What she say?…” He asked.

“She told us to have a nice trip…” I responded.

“Alright, see what I’m sai’n? Miss B is the Greatest, I’ll do anything for her. She treated me good and I’ve been here for over 20 years.  I’m Randy, Dock Master, and I will not let any one come to this dock and leave with out speaking with the BOSS, Miss B.  If she say you all right, you alright by me…”

With that, he led us to see how well he cleaned the bathrooms.  We told him we didn’t need to use the bathrooms, but he insisted so he could show us his work.  After going through a detailed tour of the bathroom, we headed back across the long empty dock careful to avoid the holes where boards were missing.

We untied Aleph Tav and Randy the Dock Master stood next to his bicycle waving us off as one waves goodbye to an old friend…

Fascinating, I realized in the end that Randy was neither unfriendly, or friendly.  He was not some homeless man, nor do I know if he actually had a home.  In fact, I don’t even know if he was employed at that marina at all… What was clear beyond the shadow of a doubt is that Randy was loyal… He was loyal to someone who had been kind to him some 20 years back, and for that, he was the perfect Dock Master.

From there, we sailed straight into Heaven… Or better known as the ICW, the intranational coastal waterway.

To be continued

For a length of time that seemed to never end, Andre continued fighting  with the helm to hold Aleph Tav on course at a painful 2.5 knots.  We had been in the storm for 28 hours.

When I finally woke up, I was beat, exhausted, with every bone and muscle in my body aching, but It was good to see the sun which by now had been up for quite some time.  Mid day was approaching and we seemed to be on much smoother seas.

I climbed up the steps to the upper deck and looked around.  Sure enough, the sea had calmed down with but a few gentle swells.  It was  over…

Reflecting back on my futile attempt to silence the evening’s storm, I realized why the disciples were told “…oh you of little faith.”  It wasn’t because they were unable to command the wind and seas, but rather because they didn’t go to sleep and trust they would eventually arrive on the other side safely despite the storm…

White knuckled, and fists clinched, Andre sat there holding onto the helm, motionless.  With blood shot eyes, he gazed straight ahead with a blank look.  His hair, a still picture of the evening’s angry seas.  Nothing moved or made a sound except the curly whiskers on his chin with a passing breeze and an occasional clang of the empty Full Throttle cans rolling up against his slippers as the boat gently swayed back and forth.

“Are you ok… Andre?…” I asked as I stood in his line of vision.

“Hmmm?…”  He mumbled.

“It looks like the storm finally ended… Wow that was tough…” I exclaimed.

“Hmmmm?…” He mumbled.

“Where are we now?…”  I asked.

“Hmmm?…” He continued to mumble as he began pressing random buttons on the chart plotter.

Andre waddled past me and murmured: “Ok… Can I go to sleep now?…” Then he plopped face down on the salon couch.

I navigated Aleph Tav through the afternoon enjoying the warm sun and the calm sea.  At last, the sun set in yet another breathtaking scene as we slowly entered the Pearly Gates.  We were greeted by a majestic four story tall Cherub who stood perfectly still at attention as we passed before them.

Smaller guardian angels came around us, with twinkling lights of sapphire as we prepared to dock for the night…

Actually, we simply entered Norfolk Virginia, but after the storm and the journey we had had up to that point, Norfolk was our pearly gates, and the huge US aircraft carriers based there, our welcoming Seraphim…

So… What were the smaller guardian angels that came around us with twinkling sapphire lights?… Well, those were the military police boats that are dispatched when an unauthorized vessel comes into military restricted waters…

To be continued

The sea was smooth with few gentle swells as we motored away from Ocean City.  Shortly after sunset the night darkened the sky, and a fast wind came from that place; you know… the place,  “where it pleases”.  The ocean responded immediately.  We were too far out to turn back, and even if we tried, the 40 to 50 knot wind gusts would have just pushed us further out.  The wind blew furiously in the same direction we were heading but we could not use our sails as they would rip to shreds and we could even be de-mast.

A sailboat is designed to be balanced under sail.  With the sails put away, it acts as a pendulum due to the massive weight of the keel and tall mast.  So there we were, being tossed violently back and forth, surrounded by what looked like countless angry lions jumping in and out of the ocean with their mains thrashing in the wind.

Lisa returned to the cosey sleeping bag where everything that could go wrong goes away when she falls asleep.  Somehow, Gabriel and Noah slept soundly through it all.

Andre and I took turns keeping Aleph Tav heading in the right direction.   The large unpredictable waves came from every angle, slowing us to the point where the chart plotter was delayed in giving us an accurate heading.  The only way to keep Aleph Tav on course, was to stay fixed looking at her floating compass.

It is difficult to describe what happens to your mind after endless hours of staring at nothing but a compass wobbling from side to side, while you grasp for every last bit of strength to hold the helm steady.

“Peace be still!” I spoke over the ocean with my best Yeshua voice.  I even waved my hand over the waters,  but nothing… Then I asked Ad-nai to silence the storm, but nothing…  Then I resorted to using reverse psychology on the storm by shouting the words of the disciples; “Who is this that even the wind and waves obeys Him?” I figured perhaps the wind and waves might have remembered what happened when Yeshua silenced the storm, but still nothing… the wind and waves were  undeterred.

Then I remembered how right at the height of that storm, some 2000 years ago, Yeshua was sleeping peacefully in the back of the boat, so I handed the helm to Andre and joined Lisa in the cozy sleeping bag on the back of the boat…

Alas, all was peaceful and still as I fell asleep… Or should I say: my dreams were peaceful and still once I fell asleep.

To be continued

“We received a call from the yacht club president, informing us someone left a sailboat on their dock and it needed to be removed… Are you the owner of this vessel? What’s your name!”  The officer asked removing a notepad from his coat.

I gave him my information and let him know I tried to ask someone about docking but there was no one around.

“Well, there is someone around, the president, and he wants this vessel moved immediately!”

I reminded the officer about the incoming storm…

“Well…”he responded, “looks like you have a dilemma, but at any rate, you have to move this boat now!”

I asked the officer if he could give me the president’s phone number so I could apologize and explain our situation in light of the coming storm.

“He won’t give out his number, you’ll have to call the commodore.”

The officer handed me a small piece of paper with a phone number written on it.  I dialed the number and waited anxiously for someone to answer the phone.  Finally, after several attempts, someone did answer: “This is Keith, Yacht Commodore, can I help you…”

I apologized for having used his dock, and explained our dilemma considering the oncoming storm.

“If I don’t call you back, don’t worry about it.”  Came a surprising response from the commodore .

Hours past and no call back…  Eventually the storm came, and it was as bad as predicted, however, we remained nice and warm inside Aleph Tav.  The snow storm left the sea very rough and the wind remained dangerously high.  As a result, we had to wait several more days, and still, no call from the commodore.

During our extended stay, we took the opportunity to do some much needed grocery shopping.  When we were done, Gabriel and I stuffed a large garbage barrel with grocery bags and placed it on a small dolly.  We had a very long walk ahead of us.

A Muslim woman walked all the way across the grocery store in our direction.  “Where are you heading ?…” She asked.

I just looked at her and said nothing, while trying to figure out what she wanted.

“Where are you going?…” She continued to inquire.

“I’m not sure I understand what you mean…” I answered, prepared to firmly keep that information to myself.

“The grocery bags in the barrel… the dolly… Your coats… Your walking… I don’t have the heart to let you walk away in the cold without giving you a ride.  Never mind: wait right here, I’ll have one of my workers take you.  You can tell her where your going.”

The woman called one of the cashier over to us,  “Take them where ever they are going.  You can go on break when you come back.”  She instructed.  The cashier was not very talkative, she simply drove us as we directed her to Aleph Tav.

Finally, a small window in the weather opened up, with yet another storm coming in 24 hours.  On our way out, I called the commodore to thank him.  “No problem at all”. He continued; “My son is a pastor and he does humanitarian work like you in Jamaica.  I told the club officers, we don’t get many chances to do humanitarian work out here, so they appreciated the opportunity.  God bless you, have a safe trip…”

We headed out onto a smooth sea as the sun began to set.  Not our favorite time to be out to sea, but it was the only 24 hour window we had according to the coastguard and all the weather forecasters.  Well, all that is but ONE… The One who said: “The wind blows where it pleases.  You hear it’s sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going…”  And THAT, unfortunately for us, was the accurate weather report…

To be continued

“Who is this?…”  I asked.

“Did’ya take the Sound like I tol’ya?”  Asked the strange voice.

“Did I take the sound?… What sound?… Who is this?” I asked trying hard to recognize who I was speaking to.

“Ya, I figure you must have taken the Sound, if you’re all still ok.  I don’t know what the heck you were thinking, trying to go on the outside of Long Island… It’s me, Michael, the fisherman from Connecticut.  I’ll be checking on you from time to time.  You’ll be just fine, just take it slow…”

Sure enough, it was the grumpy fisherman that called me Polish, way back on the beginning of our journey.  Amazing, though his life is full of sorrow, brokenness, and appears to him as being meaningless, he remembered us, and took the time to check in to see if we were ok.

It is easy to judge a person.  Being accurate on that judgement however, is very difficult;  in fact, it may be near impossible.

Aleph Tav motored fast, straight toward the shore of Cape Henlopen… 10nm… 7nm… 5nm… 3nm… 1nm and closing…  Several people on shore stood up with their hand covering the sun glare, as Aleph Tav cut through the water full speed heading straight at them… 20ft depth, 15… 10… 9… a jeep on the fast approaching beach came to a full stop… What could have gone wrong?…  Absolutely nothing, just lining her up for a perfect west wind. Yipeeee!…

With powerful elegance, Aleph Tav turned parallel to the beach as I spun the helm hard to port and unfurled her majestic genoa.  With a full sail, Aleph Tav heeled over as she picked up speed along the sandy beach.  The jeep took off after us, and we raced side by side for almost an hour, until they ran out of beach and we sailed on to victory…

Docked at a marina closed for the season, we enjoyed a couple of very peaceful nights.  Then a severe weather warning came over the radio: blizzard conditions, wind gusts 45 to 50 miles per hour, 15 to 25 foot seas, 10 degree temperatures.  This was all coming in the next 24 hours.  But we were well docked in a protected area, so we prepared to wait out the storm.  The next leg of the trip would be a 24 hour non stop sail to Norfolk Virginia, with absolutely no place to fuel up, rest, or duck away from a storm, so this dock was a priceless blessing.

Nestled in front of a cozy propane heater we were enjoying a delicious hot chocolate when there was a harsh knock on the window.  I stuck my head out of the companion way.    “Good morning officer, how can I help you…” I asked with a nervous smile…

To be continued

“Actually… Yes.  We had come for fuel yesterday, but you were closed, so we had to wait over night.”  I explained, hoping to have a good excuse as to why we were using the marina’s dock without checking in.

“Will you be needing water as well?” Asked the marina worker.

“Oh… Well, that would be great…”  I replied relieved to see there was no issue with us having docked overnight.

The marina had a small convenience store so we browsed up and down the one or two isles looking for an excuse to buy something… anything.  Being out at sea, you never know what you might need.

Meanwhile, Lisa kept watch on the water tanks while Andre turned on the faucet at the end of a very long hose.  As the tanks slowly filled up, Lisa was glad to have water, yet she was remembering how she had so wanted me to install a water filtration system, but lack of time and funds, made it impossible for me to do so.

“Where are you heading?” Asked the worker.

“South.” I replied “…eventually Haiti.”

“Haiti!?… We don’t meet to many people heading to Haiti…” He replied, as a lady working in the office peaked around the corner.

I told them about our orphanage, then I shared about the change of heart Haiti had when she voted in favor of Israel.    I also shared how we had been led to return the blessing…  The man listened quietly, then he looked around.  He picked up a large box of raman noodle soup,  “Can you use this?…”  He asked as he handed me the box…

“Sure…” I replied.

By this time, Lisa and the boys had come in.

“How about it Mom…” He asked “Can the boys have soda?”

“Sure, it’ll be a special treat.” Lisa replied with a chuckle.

The man opened the cooler and emptied it out; Pepsi, juice, tea, you name it.

“Ice cream?…” He asked as he opened the freezer.  The boys huddled around the freezer gathering their favorite flavors.

There were several bags of groceries on the floor.  He handed them to Lisa as well.

As we prepared to untie Aleph Tav, the man came out once again holding several more boxes.  It was clear he was the owner of the marina by now.

“Are you handy?… If I give you this water filtration system, will you be able to install it in your boat?… I figure you’ll need it in Haiti.  It removes bacteria, parasites, and all kinds of other things” he explained handing me the boxes.    I noticed his voice seemed to quiver, then I saw he had tears in his eyes.

I took the boxes from his hands and thanked him.

“What you’re doing moves me…” He said as he stood on the dock.

“What you’re doing moves me…” I replied, “I’m going to sound my shofar over your place to bless it.  Thank you for your kindness.”

I brought the water filtration system and showed it to Lisa.    She jumped out of the boat and ran back inside the little marina store.

“What’s Mom doing?…” Asked an inquisitive Noah on his toes, peaking out the salon window.

After some time, Lisa returned to the boat… “Ok… Now that we’re all crying like little babies… Let’s go!”

“Who, what?… What the heck just happened?…” Asked Gabriel as he put his headphones down.

“Nothing, alright?… I just wanted to thank them.”  Responded Lisa as she wiped her rosy nose.  A special thank you to Chris and Stacy at Kammerman’s Marina!  http://www.kammermansmarina.com
Aleph Tav slowly pulled away from the dock as I sounded the shofar, and off we were headed to Ocean City Maryland.

For hours we motored, needing only to adjust the auto pilot occasionally.  Miles and miles of smooth waters rolled beneath us.  The warm sun turned the sea to glistening gold and put every one to sleep; every one but me, that is.  I was enjoying the peace and tranquility of an occasional sway, and the creaking sound of ropes, or should I say “sheets” as they are properly called on a sailboat.  While the hours past, I had time to ponder on the infamous twenty minutes that frustrated me so much the day before;  How we would have most likely missed a wonderful blessing, had things gone my way…

Suddenly the GPS on my iPhone turned itself off as an unmarked call came in.  I normally would be frustrated, as a phone call turns off my phone’s GPS, and I would most certainly not answer the phone, but as I was pondering how my way is not necessarily the right way, I made an exception.

“Hey!…” Came a strange raspy voice over the phone, “where the heck are you now?”

To be continued

We had missed the place by twenty minutes.  “Twenty lousy  minutes… Now we are stuck here over night AGAIN!!!” I complained.

Speaking of complaining; I have found that when things don’t go one’s way, one becomes aggravated. Aggravation then leads to a complaint.  And although the complaint is somewhat of a release, it doesn’t make one feel any better until every one else is aggravated as well…

“Twenty MINUTES!!!” I continued to broadcast.

“Hey Dad, there’s a pizza place right down the street from here, Tony Boloney’s”, said Andre as he swiped his iPhone.

“…woe …woe, what? I’m in!” Responded Gabriel as he promptly paused yet another episode of “24”.

“This is ridiculous; when it’s time to go, every one needs to get going to get things ready, so we can go when it’s time to go, and not TWENTY MINUTES later!!!”  I insisted.

“Yay, pizza!… Mom, do they have gluten free? …do they have gluten free?” Asked Noah with a cheer.

“Hold on Noah, I’m checking.”  Answered Lisa, as she swiped her smart phone.

“Ok! This is simple; when I say ‘IT IS TIME TO GO’, I don’t mean like, ‘Hey everyone, perhaps we should mosey on in a bit…’ No. When I say: ‘IT IS TIME TO GO’, I mean NOW!  Not twenty minutes later.” I clarified.

“Oh honey, it’s ok, let’s just have a peaceful evening, it’s almost Shabbat”, comforted Lisa.

About twenty minutes later, every one was bundled up, ready to head out to Tony Boloney’s Pizza, winner of the best steak subs on the food network show.

We walked for approximately twenty minutes through the cold windy streets of Atlantic city.

“Why can’t things go according to plan… Twenty minutes… all this because of twenty minutes… now means NOW! not twenty minutes later!” I mumbled as we passed by a convenience store named Alpha Omega…

“…HEY …Honey look!  Alpha Omega… Boys! look!!!” I called everyone’s attention as I stood in the middle of the street looking for the picture app on my phone.

“Ok, now I’m embarrassed …” Said Lisa as she walked off with the boys.

“Honey!  Alpha Omega… Do you see it? What are the chances?…”

“Oh Mom, can we stop and get some candy?” Asked Noah.

“We’re not having candy before we eat!” Came a firm reply from Mom.

After waiting for about twenty minutes, we were presented with an array of tasty goodness.  The mac and cheese pizza with a sprinkle of fresh cilantro was especially good, not to mention the juicy pesto and cheese steak sub, and the cheese garlic fries…

Very full and satisfied, we walked back to Aleph Tav, but not before we stopped at Alpha Omega for some candy.

The next morning I heard footsteps on the dock.  “Were you docked here overnight?”  Asked a marina worker.

To be continued