Day Nine – At Sea -- Clock set forward one hour at 0200

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Swells and winds are up a bit this morning, so a little more rolling around. Big graduation for us today! Although this will not really happen until tonight while we sleep, this will be our first crossing of the Equator on a ship, which of course, means that we were low-life, scurvy-infested pollywogs requiring punishment, which was altered at 1100 this morning. Called to the Sun Deck by the Captain of the ship, all pollywogs were required to attend trial by King Neptune and his Court, and supplicate to his orders for torture and punishment for our crimes against the sea. They picked a few passengers to stand in for the rest of us (Thank God), but the ship’s crew really took some serious gas. Neptune’s “Doctor” (ship’s physician) really got into “disemboweling” a ship’s officer accused of frequenting Jimmy too many times. They surrounded the Dr. with sheets and they began throwing all kinds of ugly stuff on the deck. Another elderly passenger was “shaved” by the Royal Barbers (e.g., doused in whipped cream) for his crimes of “Riding the elevator to the Fitness Center to work out.” Everyone else had to “Kiss the Fish” (a real one from the ship’s stores) and then everyone got tossed into the pool. Not nearly as raucous as the traditional ceremony on a U.S. Warship in the stuff Steve has read, but great fun was had by all. We are now and forever Shellbacks. Later in the afternoon two of the ship’s artisans had an ice carving contest, and you can check out the final product (took each of them about 15 minutes to complete their project) in the photos.

Tonight is a “Formal Night,” so tuxes and formals, lots of partying and a Broadway type show and a juggler on the menu for tonight. We hit South America tomorrow when we dock in Manta, Ecuador. A number of people are heading out to the Galapagos or Machu Picchu at O’Dark Hundred and will re-join the ship in Lima. We will make this leg of our journey after we disembark in Buenos Aires next month, but we will be missing a few new-found friends for a couple of days.

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