We found a hotel…  Although we were completely exhausted, damp, and numb, we dared not sleep under the bed covers.  This place was horrible.  There was a crack pipe under a mattress, a black rosary, and where there should have been a Gideon Bible, there was an opened… Well let’s just call it a balloonish procreation-inhibiting devise.  Yet, much more upsetting to me, was thinking about Lisa and Noah way out there all alone in that cold, dark, stormy night.  I was comforted only by knowing they were in Aleph Tav (Hebrew for Alpha and Omega).

After some time, exhaustion finally prevailed over the smell, dampness, and cold.  We fell asleep fully clothed on top of the beds, while the one fuzzy TV Channel lit the room.

In the morning, I was delighted to hear Lisa’s voice over the phone.  Although she didn’t sleep much, Lisa and Noah were just fine snugly and warm.  The boys and I hurried back to the shore to assess the damage.  It was bad… It was worse than bad.  Navi was swamped and completely frozen. Being low tide, she laid on her side, revealing two large gashes in her hull.  If that was not bad enough, the subfreezing temperatures overnight turned the entire shore into 3 to 4 inches solid ice.    It was over, we had lost the boat.  We would do well to simply get out of there before the ice reached Aleph Tav, and we were all stranded there.

Neither I, nor the boys said much of anything on our long slow walk to a nearby marina.  As we neared the gate, I looked for the marina’s name.  Perhaps in it, I would find some encouragement, like the Mount Sinai and Mustard Seed names we had come across several days earlier, but no, not this time.  Great Kills Marina…

The place was closed and looked pretty devastated, apparently a victim of hurricane Sandy.  We stared into a locked office wondering were to go next when a car pulled up and a man with keys approached the door.  He let us in and we told him our sad story.  Before he could react to it, another employee entered and he eagerly said: “listen to this story!!!” then proceeded to tell it as we stood there as exhibit A.  As each employee came in, he just kept telling them the story over and over.  I got sick of hearing the dumb story so I left the office to call Lisa. I let her know that Navi was gone.  Lisa was very sad and asked if there was any way we could save it.  I assured her there was no way.    Navi was swamped frozen and her hull was badly breached.  Even if we pulled it out, she would simply sink…

I walked back into the office where the man was telling yet another person about our story, and I interrupted:  “Look, it’s like this, we neither have the time, funds, or ability to save the boat.  I have to get my family out of here before we get frozen in, so can someone please give me a name and address? I will mail you the title, and you can salvage it as best as you can when the ice melts… It’s a Novurania…”

Not a single hand went up.  The office was quiet with all the employees staring at me… The man who had been telling the story spoke:  “You can’t do that… You have to go get that boat!”

I protested: “I’m really sorry.  I have no desire to abandon the boat next to your marina, but it’s not like I’m littering; that’s a Novurania!…”

“I know that’s a Novuraia, that’s why you can’t just leave it here.  You have to go get it.  Look” he continued, “…you get it here and I’ll take it out of the water so you can repair it, then you’ll be on your way.”

We got a ride back to Aleph Tav from some kind construction workers who were working on the marina docks. With icicles dripping from their eyelashes, they held their small boat next to ours and helped us climb aboard.

After some great tight hugs and kisses, I received a text from Captain Raymond encouraging us to salvage Navi if at all possible.  I didn’t see how it was possible, never the less, I was willing to try.  It had to be done before the ice became even thicker. And I had no idea how Navi would stay afloat once we pulled her out into deep water.

We motored slowly as Aleph Tav would rise then settle as she broke through the ice.  We headed toward the shallow shore with a two hour high tide window to perform the rescue.  We went until the ice was too thick to continue.  Novi was now completely embedded in solid ice.  A couple of rangers strongly deterred us from the operation due to the unsafe conditions, but I confidently assured them we knew what we were doing, so they stood aside and watched.

With about 400 feet of one inch thick line tied to Navi and our back cleats , I thrust Aleph Tav full throttle.  The rope ran and ran until it lifted clear up out of the weather and ice.  Twenty thousand pounds of brute thrust came to a full stop as the rope stretched to its full capacity.  I backed up and got a huge running start, but the result was the same.  The ice would not release it’s grasp on Navi.  A small crowed endured the cold to witness this event.  I backed up even further, and again thrust all of Aleph Tav’s massive weight forward.  After repeated attempts, success!!! Navi began to move very slowly.  Each thrust brought Navi through the thick ice three to four feet.

Still we had no idea what would happen once Navi broke through the ice completely.  About two hours later, just at the end of our high tide window, Navi broke through the last sheet of ice… And…stayed afloat!!!! The audience of on lookers who had gathered on the shore cheered, waving their fists, clapping, hollering, and giving us thumbs up. Navi couldn’t have made it on her own,  but Aleph Tav did.

Interesting… on the other side of Hell Gate, at Great Kills, we found hope, and even strangers cheered to see Navi’s salvation…

Just before Shabbat, we brought Navi to the place where the marina manager said he would lift her out of the water for us. Mission accomplished… And off we all walked looking for a place to have a special Shabbat meal.

My GPS lead us to a nursing home.  One of the workers there was adamant about sending us to some deli.  “It’s a pork deli, you’ll love it!'”  I smiled and went in the opposite direction.

“Dad,” insisted Andre, “bourbon steak at Applebee’s!!! …”

As we walked, we passed by a Russian synagogue that was opened for erev Shabbat.  Were we about to have another interesting addition to this story?… Lisa and I looked at one another for a brief moment as we stood in front of the synagogue then said in one accord: “Applebee’s!!”

To be continued