A visitor... and a libation

Rhapsode
Wed 24 Nov 2010 13:35
00 00 N 26 54 W
 
Yes, I know that the equator is 00 degrees without the N or S but I don't know if Google Earth knows it so today we are 00 00 N!
 
In fact we are just passing over it as I write ... NOW ... this but since I'm in the cabin I can't see the red line that marks its place.
 
What's it like on the equator today? Cloudy, squally and with sky the colour of battleship grey with a sea to match. The sea temperature is 25C. The air temperature is about 28 C. Michael says that since we are now officially in summer the weather should start to get better! I hope so.
 
We had a visitor on board for about three hours last night. I think it was a shearwater. It just sat on the grab rail on the cockpit roof facing out into the wind.  Quite a balancing act since the boat was tossing and turning in the beam swell.
 
This morning I had been giving serious consideration as to the correct libation to offer Neptune and his windy counterpart for when we crossed the equator. They must have been listening because every time I thought 'libation' the wind would back to the east and increase in strength. Clearly the gods liked the idea of the offering of a libation. My difficulty lay in the ship's stores being completely out of nectar. What's more we had no wild honey to go with our low fat, long life cartons of milk! Personally, I'd prefer a decent cup of PG Tips, so in the end I decided to offer them my dregs. Oh, sorry your majesties, I meant the mature beverage at the favoured bottom of the cup that is too good for a mere mortal to drink.
 
Cheers!
 
(By the way - does it have to be wild honey? Wouldn't Tesco's own brand do just as well?)
 
Happy sailing.
 
P, M & A