Sun Jun 05 2022 19:00:00 GMT+0800 (Singapore Standard Time)
From Pollywogs to Shellbacks: A Long Tradition of Crossing the Equator
Crossing the equator has a long tradition of ceremony. Well-known sailor, Jimmy Cornell, for example, dressed up like Poseidon when his family crossed the equator. The ceremony marks the transition of the pollywog (someone who has not crossed the equator) to shellback.
Navies have honored the tradition by sometimes subjecting new sailors to embarrassing, hazing-like rituals, which are examined in intellectually meaty fashion in a 50-page essay called Crossing the Line: Sex, Power, and the US Navy at the Equator.
How We Celebrated Crossing the Equator
Rick had something else in mind.
“There’s no wind. I was thinking we should motor along the equator for a full day. Then, our kids can look back and say they have travelled the entire distance between longitude 82 to 83 West along the equator.”
I felt the deep stir within. I was afraid. Yet, quicker than you can say Thalassophobia, I responded: “I’m going to swim naked.”
The kids reacted with hilarity, and teenage embarrassment and we weren’t in the water yet.
The Day We Crossed The Equator
Before our swim, I asked Rick if he was afraid. Without a hint of eye contact, Rick said “Well, I don’t really know what to expect.”
We can draw our own conclusions as to Rick’s innermost feelings. Suffice it to say that our collective fears may have dovetailed nicely in a show of unity.
When Rick proposed a swim, I suddenly announced that I had just done the dishes, which, I added, were “meaty”. This prompted Rick to motor along the equator for an hour to throw any monster beasts off our scent.
When we finally got in the water, we did not see any sharks. In fact, we did not see any fish. The water was 31.1 degrees Celsius. My kids thought it was jarringly cold. But, they jumped in repeatedly, until I made good on my aim to skinny dip.
As my intentions became known, Paul (age 14) made a quick exit from the water (to return later), and Henry and Karen (twins – age 11) thought it was hilarious and lined up to get a better look. Meanwhile, Betty’s (16) memory is seared by the image of my skin rising and jarring as I leaped into the water.
The water was absolutely clear, quiet, bright, blue and cavernous. Later, Henry (age 11) would later say that the experience of swimming at the equator forever changed him. From that point on, Henry would describe events as happening “before the equator, or after”.
After the Equator: Our Life as Shellbacks
One day, my kids will look at a map, knowing that they travelled by boat along the equator from 82 to 83 degrees west longitude. My kids can say they swam in the Pacific Ocean at the equator and jumped into impossibly deep water – 3000 meters to be exact. This was about 50 miles off the coast of Colombia.
The purity of the water is something I hope to always remember. The water was a deep spectrum of blues, without any hints of green or yellow. It was amazing to experience this natural wonder with my family.
I leave you with this natural wonder, dolphins on the bow. If you listen closely you can hear them whistling.
Originally written at 6º 05.608 S 103º 39.488 W.
Becoming a Sailor 