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