Location: Underway to Borneo
Our day began with all hands on deck prior to 8:00 am, at which time we sailed the line and crossed the equator. Everyone was tatted with marine animals in order to please Poseidon’s wishes. When our latitude hit 00 degrees, 00.000 minutes, offerings were thrown into the abyss; some sent love notes, and others sent tokens of their appreciation: change and bracelets. Spirits were high, and watch teams resumed their duties as normal. At 11:30, Pollywogs (those who have not yet crossed the equator) was called on deck with a ringing of the gong. King Neptune (Kris) sat on his throne at the helm and began the Shellback initiation process. To start, all he’s dressed as she’s, and all she’s dressed as he’s, and we Pollywog’s strutted our stuff along the side of the chart house. Following the catwalk, everyone lined up in front of the boat’s hairstylist, Annie, in order to provide an offering to Poseidon and the Gods. Caroline and Anna were brave souls and chopped off half of their hair. The shrieks that followed were ones of awe and jealousy; they both looked fantastic. Forrest shaved his head, and the rest of us guys have appointments with Annie tomorrow, some going in for a trim, others going in for a buzz. Otherwise, the rest of the crew tossed a lock or two in the ocean. The initiation continued, and gifts were provided for King Neptune. Gummies and chocolates were encouraged. Towards the end of our day, a sesame chicken satay and rice dish was prepared by our very own Laurie, and our boat full of shellbacks ate happily with the setting sun to our backs. Hopefully, the southern hemisphere will give us some luck and some wind. It feels good to be a Shellback. A shout-out to all those special ladies celebrating their birthdays today