There are five brand-new shellbacks aboard Wondertime today! At 3pm local time we crossed over the equator and are now in the South Pacific Ocean.
The girls and I worked on making turtle hats for everyone to wear today for the crossing. I can’t wait to show you the pictures. The adults celebrated with our Special Equator Beers (tasty brews from the UK we’d found in a specialty beer shop in La Paz and have been saving for this day). We also inhaled half a Costco-sized bag of Kettle chips. The girls enjoyed pineapple popsicles from our tiny frosty freezer, some special candy treats and another viewing of Finding Nemo afterwards.
It was just exhilarating, watching those numbers count down to 0, then switch from north latitude to south latitude. All five of us sat in the cockpit with our eyes on the GPS numbers counting down. It was like the most exciting New Year’s Eve ever, except the sun was directly overhead, blinding white and the sea a color of turquoise I’ve never seen before all around us.
We are on the last leg now, although still waiting for wind that will carry us faster than 2 knots. But we’re moving, so we’ll wait. The last three nights we motored through seas so glassy the stars were reflecting on the water. We didn’t have any more wind today so kept on motoring until we were a few miles north of the line, then put up the main, mizzen & genoa. Amazingly the wind came up a bit at the same time and we drifted across the equator at a blazing 2.5 knots. No matter, it gave us plenty of time to savor the moment and our new status as shellbacks.
Total miles at noon: 1808
Miles since yesterday: 98
Current latitude: 0 3′ S
Finding Nemo viewings aboard, including today’s: 174 give or take
Congrats!! Great post. š
Woo hoo! Congratulations. We repatriated the crabs, found all their brothers and sisters and cousins. They seemed very active and eager to rejoin. We have been trying to call you guys on the net for three nights, but nobody hears us. Windy is trying to learn why–something about duplex channels? Eager to see all of your pics and the posts to come. We are back in La Paz today, but headed out of here to BC in the next few days. Best wishes, all of the crew of Del Viento.
What an awesome event! Don’t forget to tattoo the kids when you get to shore.
Kidding. Congratulations.
Congrats, guys!!!! That’s so awesome! I remember our moment so well š but it was far too long ago. Thanks for the inspiration!
xxoo
Whoot! Congratulations, Mr & Mrs Shellback, and mini-shellbacks too! What a great story! “The last three nights we motored through seas so glassy the stars were reflecting on the water.” Wow, I can see it just as you describe, and the beauty around you sounds so apropos to your vessel’s name: Wondertime. Thanks so much for sharing it all with us landlubbers, watching from inland nests too far from a hint of ocean air, a found shell or a pebbled starfish.
That’s great! can’t wait to see pics of the turtle hats.
Thank goodness your children can watch movies. I remember when I was a young girl I would also watch over and over and over again. It’s amazing how kids can do that.
Hope the rest of your trip is safe and sound.
Dani