ECUADOR, GALAPAGOS ISLANDS: CROSSING THE EQUATOR

 March 24, 2022, Late afternoon and evening

The first time Bob and I crossed the equator was in 2009 when we flew over it on our way to Peru. The first time we crossed the equator at ground level was on our trip to Kenya in 2014. We crossed the equator by air several more times before this trip, and we crossed it on foot and by car in Quito, but our trip to the Galapagos was the first time we crossed the equator on the water.

We were not quite prepared for what it means to cross the equator on a boat.

First, we all gathered in the wheelhouse with the captain to take a look at the instruments that indicated exactly where we were on the earth's surface.

Somewhere out there was the equator, but we couldn't see it.

In days past, a sextant was used to determine latitude, but these days a sophisticated, digital instrument panel makes it much easier. We all crowded in and got our cameras ready to take a picture of the GPS display when we crossed the equator.

The equator is at 0*00.000, but I missed it by .003. (We were traveling south to north, so this is just after crossing.)

Then the fun began. The Line Crossing Ceremony, which began with the Navy over 400 years ago, is an initiation rite for seafarers who have never crossed the equator before. In the past, sailors might be thrown overboard, a true baptism into the brotherhood of seafarers.

Often the ceremony includes Neptune, the Roman god of the sea (aka Poseidon in Greek mythology), and his assistant Davy Jones, which is who joined us in the wheelhouse.

Another common figure is her Highness Amphitrite--in Greek mythology the wife of Posidon and the queen of the sea. Our Amphitrite was Angel, our favorite panga captain. He had borrowed a sundress from one of the women on board and was the de facto leader of the rabble rousers. 

The rest of the crew were pirates.

We were provided with the beverage of our choice, and there was a lot of dancing and singing going on:

But what's an initiation rite without some embarrassing task to perform? Neptune took us out on deck and assigned us various tasks, including dancing with Amphitrite/Angel

. . . followed by picking a piece of paper out of Neptune's box that had the name of an animal the lucky initiate got to act out until his/her shipmates guessed what it was.  I got a manta ray. Have you ever tried to act out a manta ray?

When it was over, we got a certificate that read: We hereby certify that Robert Cannon crossed the Equatorial Line that divides the world in two hemispheres, aboard the ship Alya Galapagos Catamasran while navigating the wild and wonderful waters of the Galapagos Islands of Ecuador. As such the bearer of this certificate should be known henceforth as Galapagos Luxury Class Argonaut.

More traditionally, those who have crossed the equator on the sea are known as "shellbacks."  Prior to the crossing they are known as "pollywogs."

We had worked up a good appetite dancing and doing sea animal charades on deck, and dinner was waiting. I can't say enough about how good the kitchen crew of the Alya was. Our tables always looked beautiful.

I forget what the item on the left was, but the main course  for me was delicious fettucine with calamari, octopus, and fish. Bob had something with chicken and eggs and papaya.  Dessert was meringue with fresh pear and some kind of compote.

Not bad.