The crane operator waited patiently for quite a while, as what looked like two waterfalls poured out of Navi’s hull.  “Your gonna have to dry this hull completely, before you can repair it!”  said a marina worker who was assisting.  I was aware of this, but how would I manage to do that with a waterlogged hull, at night, in the rain, with no electric outlets, and a small amount of repair materials?…

There I was with Andre soaking wet in mud and rocks, under a very wet hull with towels, Lisa’s hair dryer, and our small space heater…  I heard footsteps come to a stop near us.  I peaked from under the boat.  It was the marina worker with his hands in his pockets.  “Your never gonna get that hull dry that way!.. You would need electricity, but the power is out, and you would need an industrial heater…”  He said as he walked away.

Andre and I continued on our futile attempt to dry Navi’s hull, but water just kept coming out.

There was a construction company repairing the marina from the damage that Hurricane  Sandy caused one year prior.  When one of the workers saw Andre and I under the boat with a hair dryer, he called me.  “Come with me.” I followed.  “Here!.. You see this button? On… Off… You got it?… Use it as long as you need it.  Good luck.”

There I stood in front of a brand new, very large generator.  The kind that you have to tow behind a truck.  Now with a working blow dryer and a light, we continued our work under the boat, but the water just kept leaking with a steady flow…

The crane operator came over and said: “Boy, you sure are inconveniencing a lot of people today!…”

I responded: “Well, if it’s worth anything, this boat belongs to orphan children in Haiti…”

“Oh I see… It’s a good deed… That’s suppose to make it all better?…” He responded with a chuckle, “Here, maybe you can use this…” He said, as he handed me an old can of bondo hair fiberglass.

Some time later we heard the squealing of rusty wheels bouncing over the rocks and pushing through the mud.  As the sound drew closer, I looked. It was the marina worker; he was dragging a very large industrial shop heater.  “Here, try this… It’s all fueled up.  Just don’t put it to close to the boat or else you’ll torch it.” He said as he walked away.

These moments amaze me… If something is impossible, and you do nothing, it remains impossible… However, if you do ONE thing in the face of impossibility, regardless of how futile it may be, just keep doing it… That action sends an unstoppable wave that resonates all around beyond infinity… On its path, hearts are moved, drawn to that ONE place where it began, and when they come together, the letters I and M vanish from impossible…

Several hours later, Navi’s hull was dry, patched, and ready to return to the water.

The following morning, the crane operator lowered the boat into the water and drove away.  We all left Aleph Tav and went to the office to thank them and ask what we owed them for their services.  They wished us well and told us there was no charge.  The Crane operator was the marina manager…  We extend our thanks to Nichols Great Kills Park Marina.

Relieved to finally be free from what turned out to be 8 days in a frozen Staten Island, we sailed south onto a smooth sea.  For hours we sailed in perfect conditions as the warm sun glistened on the water.    With the autopilot set, the Perkins motor humming and the genoa fully out I left Andre and Gabe on watch as we all were rocked to sleep…

Three hours before our scheduled shift change, I woke up at 7am. We were surrounded by a very thick fog.

“How’s it going Andre?….” I asked.

“Great, we will be coming into the harbor soon.” He answered with great confidence, as his long hair curled out of his hood and he adjusted his cool shades.

“HARBOR???….. What harbor!!!!!!!  We are three hours away from adding fuel to our tank and THEN there’s a harbor!!!! Where are we?!….” I asked,as I came around to look at the chart plotter…

To be continued