From Polliwog to Shellback

Welcome to the southern hemisphere!

Our ship is now south of the equator, but it took some doing to get all the people aboard to be officially in the southern hemisphere.  You see, anyone who has not crossed the equator is called a polliwog.  There is a ceremony to complete the transformation to "shellbacks."  First everyone must gather around the pool, either on the deck around the pool or at the railing above that area.  Then the Cruise Director calls forth the Vikings in very bad verse.  They appear in helmets (with horns of course) followed by the Norse King of the Sea. 

Some of the crew had never crossed the equator, so they were summoned to pay for their sins, such as using akavit to scrub the floors instead of soap.  The surrounding mass called out "Guilty" and then the punishment began.  "Kiss the fish" the cries rang out.  And so each in turn kissed a very real and very dead fish and jumped into the pool, clothes and all.  Having now been transformed from polliwogs into shellbacks, they were rewarded with a glass of akavit, the potent Norwegian liqueur.   They were followed by a long line of passengers who, in turn, kissed the fish, jumped into the pool and received their reward.  Fortunately the passengers had been warned about the dunking, so most were wearing bathing suits. 

I am now a shellback!

Not so the Captain and Chief Engineer.  They had been tolerantly watching the ceremony until the last passenger had been transformed.  Then Heather, the Cruise Director asked the crowd if they thought we should be sure we were being led by true shellbacks.  The Captain was found guilty of taking 7 days to get to this point when we could have flown the distance in a mere 6 hours.  To shouts of "Guilty" and "Kiss the Fish" he followed instructions, and kissed the fish.  Stopping only to remove shoes and the shoulder boards which showed his rank, he too jumped into the pool.  I do not think he drank the akavit.  As the detectives do in the books, he refused it because "he was on duty."

Heather on the right.  This was at the beginning.  I am watching (far left.)

Even Heather did not escape although I am sure she has crossed the equator many times, she too kissed the fish and jumped in the pool in her tailored dress.