A little before 2 AM this morning, we crossed the equator. I was disappointed that we crossed in the middle of the night, but got up, nonetheless, to film the moment using the ship’s current location feed. Here you can see 00:00:01S and 00:00:00N at 11:47 UTC which was 1:42 AM, ship’s time.
And a moment later, we were in the Northern Hemisphere.
Earlier, on Wednesday afternoon, we witnessed the crew Crossing the Equator Ceremony, presided over by King Titan and his court. The pollywogs, those who have never crossed before, we forced to kiss the kings feet, covered with various slimy foods and then later hosed down with a firehose. My only thought, was that this is far tamer than on board US Navy ships in the 70s. Of, course, I suspect a lot of what was allowed then, would not be sanctioned today.
By now the pollywogs are covered in puddings, jams, ice creams, and who knows what else.
And finally, the newly initiated Shellbacks, are given a cleansing rinse from the firehose.
It was fun to watch and gave some of the crew a break, from what I am sure are long and tiring days at sea.
We continue on our path to Honolulu. We arrive there early Sunday morning. Until then!
John and William- On the Road Again 