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we crossed the Equator at Longitude 153.40 degrees (our latitude was, of course, 0.0 degrees). Papua New Guinea is now to lapping in our wake en route to Micronesia. We have been underway for almost 2 days now, charging into the blue ocean, crossing this imaginary line we use to segregate the poles of the earth.There is an old Navy tradition of sorts that goes along with onboard equator crossings. Essentially there are 2 kinds of people, those that have crossed the equator on a ship (they are called shell backs, and those that have not—these are called pollywogs).
Somehow the (its not as scientific as you might think—in 5th grade science we learn a pollywog turns into a frog, not into a turtle).Nonetheless, once you have successfully been hazed and cross the equator you care dubbed a shellback—someone who is tough, tried, and true, knows the ways of the sea, and is a true sailor.
A pollywog, on the other hand is a slimy, limey, slithery nothing, who is too afraid to leave the shallows of the mucky-muck pond.On your virgin voyage across the equator on a ship you are eligible to join the ranks of the shellbacks. But it comes with a price. The hazing involves sitting all the pollywogs together in the m idle of the deck wearing ridiculous clothing, tying you up with ropes, making you eat strange kitchen remnants,
slither around while hosed down with water, and belittling you while you are expected to answer tough maritime and nautical questions. Passing this arduous pollywog flogging you get your shell.Fortunately today they didn’t do the hazing bit (this was reserved for the FIRST time they crew passed the equator) so I guess we earned our shellbacks the easy way—or maybe we are still pollywogs? Anyway, we didn't get one of the 11x15 poster sized certificates.
As an interesting aside,
once we pass the International Date Line (180th meridian) on a ship, we get inducted into the Order of the Golden Dragon. Whoo whoooo! That's definitely going in my resume!Bon Voyage,
~Nic
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