On a ship, there is a ceremony for those who are crossing the equator at sea for the first time. Those who have not yet crossed this line are called Polliwogs. After crossing, they become Shellbacks. Ken and I have crossed several times, but we still enjoy watching the festivities.
All Polliwogs onboard were invited to sign up for the special ceremony. About 20 were picked to participate and act as proxies for the large number of Polliwogs on board. At the appointed hour, King Neptune and Queen Taineetitee held court.
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| King Neptune and his (Drag) Queen Taineetitee |
In groups of four or five, the Polliwogs were put on trial for infractions such as “eating too much.” Most of the Polliwogs were passengers, but some were crew members. Some were even officers. All of them were found guilty. They were subjected to “goop treatments” by “doctors.”
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| The “doctors” get ready |
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| The verdict is reached |
In the photo above there is a blond woman in a blue print dress. She is Liz from Virginia. She will reappear on October 18. Take note. She is also in the next photo, standing right in front of the lectern with her arms stretched out.
The doctors applied sticky goop quite liberally to the guilty Polliwogs.
The most serious offenders were required to kiss a fish on the lips.
Until today we have not seen another ship except in LA and Honolulu. We have sailed through vast empty spaces of ocean. One day we saw a glide or a squadron of flying fish. Every once in a while we would see a bird. We saw a lot of empty ocean. We are thankful that it has, so far, been quite benign.
The most serious offenders were required to kiss a fish on the lips.
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| Even Neptune must kiss the fish to become a Shellback |
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| Suitable for framing |
Until today we have not seen another ship except in LA and Honolulu. We have sailed through vast empty spaces of ocean. One day we saw a glide or a squadron of flying fish. Every once in a while we would see a bird. We saw a lot of empty ocean. We are thankful that it has, so far, been quite benign.
Tonight we had a chance to see a production show called Fantastic Journey. It was a lot of fun. It didn’t have much of a story line, but the costumes and choreography were very entertaining.
Today’s fabric is Floating Hibiscus Blue, by Kaffe Fassett Collective.
Had never heard about Polliwogs, and Shellbacks, much less the ceremony. Thanks. Kate
ReplyDeleteThat goo sounds like a very strange custom😀my dad was in the Navy and sailors were supposed to get a tattoo when they crossed.
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