March 01 (#1 of 2): Second Day of a Four-Day Passage to French Polynesia

Originally, this would have been the first sea day of a three-day passage, but skipping Tabuaeran added a day at sea, making this the second sea day.

We are now on the south side of the Equator. 

During the day, Nieuw Amsterdam crossed the International Date Line (IDL) back into the western hemisphere. Since we were already into today, March 1st, tomorrow will also be March 1st. 

Since we crossed the Equator, there was a ceremony for any crew member who had never been in the southern hemisphere - a "pollywog." They must be tried and deemed worthy to enter the waters of the southern hemisphere.

The "court" is composed of a judge and a jury - Neptune, Salacia, and several senior ship's officers.

picture taken by Pam

The pollywogs come forward in groups. The verdict is inevitable. They have offended Neptune and must be cleansed.

picture taken by Pam

The first part of the sentence requires the kissing of a large fish. 

Next, the 'medical team' welcomes each pollywog to their table to receive a 'treatment' for their crimes.

The treatment is enthusiastically applied.

picture taken by Pam

The judge then asks the jury if the pollywogs should bake or plunge.

The lucky ones, like this group, are ordered into the pool where the treatment washes off. The less lucky groups are ordered to stand in the sun so their 'shell' can bake onto them.

At the end of the ceremony, everyone who went through it is officially a "shellback."

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At 1430 (2:30 PM) local time, Nieuw Amsterdam's position is identified
by the blue teardrop. Our next port of call, Raiatea, is circled in blue.

Mid-afternoon, I took a peek to see what other ships were located in this vast area of the Pacific Ocean. It was apparent that this area is much less trafficked than further north.

While we do not cross the International Date Line until midday tomorrow, before going to bed, we made sure we had set every electronic device and gadget with a date on it back to February 28 from March 01, so when we awake, it will be March 01.

What about changing the clock as well as the calendar? Thanks to the Kiribati Adjustment, this was not necessary. We went from +14 UTC to -10 UTC, a change of twenty-four time zones, keeping us on exactly the same time.