Crossing the Equator 12th February

Kissing the Fish

We crossed the equator today at 11.24 am.  The ship organised a traditional ceremony for the Pollywogs (people who had not crossed before) to meet King Neptune and get permission to enter the southern seas and become “Shellbacks”.  As it involved kissing a dead fish and then having what looked like fish innards and blood  poured over you before jumping into an increasingly murky pool we were quite glad we had decided that as we had crossed the equator by air we didn’t have to take part – actually there is no way I would have kissed a dead fish!  It was fun to watch though – particularly at the end when the new crew got some particularly enthusiastic treatment and finally the captain jumped into the filthy pool in his immaculate white uniform!  Of course they then had to set to work and drain and clean the pool, I can imagine those sailors didn’t think the ceremony was so much fun!

Captain with King Neptune's Court

In the evening we won a prize (bottle of champagne, worth a fortune at shipboard prices!) for best-dressed couple at the Venetian masked ball!  Lots of people took photos of us but we don’t have one on our camera –  it was the same outfits we wore at a New Year’s Eve do a couple of years ago – the Madame Pompadour wig and Keith’s tricorn hat (both courtesy of ebay) clinched the victory!

We have now officially entered The Doldroms where the wind has died down and it is very hot – when we reach Pago Pago tomorrow the sun will be directly overhead at mid-day.