Day 14 Crossing the Equator

Pictures - The Captain after his dunking. A polywog being "taken care of" by the butcher and the formal court hearing.

The most notable observation for today's comment is that we crossed the equator. It wasn't much of a bump at all in fact we never felt it. We are now truly in the south pacific. There were festivities on deck that converted polywogs (those who had not crossed the equator before) into shellbacks. King Neptune was seated poolside and various participants were brought before him for judgement. Of course all were found guilty of a variety of offenses and sentenced to see either the butcher or the barber, who doused them with all kinds of vile yet colorful concoctions and were forced to kiss a fish before they were thrown into the pool. It was quite a jolly good time. Most surprisingly, the Captain who joined the festivities and led much of the revelry when a sentence was conferred on one of the unlucky polywogs, was call out as a scoundrel and sentenced to the same dreadful concoctions being poured over his head and all over his dress white uniform. Clearly, he was not suspecting to participate in that manner but when the master of ceremonies called him out in front of the entire mass of passengers he could not avoid the punishment. He was wearing dress whites, a nice pair of shoes a watch, etc. Needless to say he beat a hasty retreat as the ceremony concluded with his dunking in the pool.

The weather has been slightly overcast with a temperature of about 83 degrees. We are hearing of a cyclone to our south that contained 80 mile per hour winds at Bora Bora but we have been assured that the majority of it should be past by the time we arrive.

Chris - WHAT CYCLONE!!!!!!!!!!??!!!!!!! What does majority mean...getting only 40 mile an hour winds or 80 mile an hour for less than have the time? humm. Did the Captain have to mention it?