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From the book Su Un Cargo Attorno Al Mondo, kindly translated for us by its author Massimo Brandinali. The line-crossing ceremony - a seafaring tradition dating back to the Middle Ages - commemorates a sailor's first crossing of the equator and is still practised - to an extent - aboard some freighters today. Traditionally presided over by King Neptune and his Royal court, the ceremony was part of an initiation into The Solemn Mysteries of the Ancient Order of the Deep. In the 19th century and earlier, it was quite a brutal event and would sometimes involve sailors being beaten with wet boards and ropes, and then occasionally throwing these men overboard. |
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| "…The mood onboard the ship is very relaxed today. After the Manzanillo call and repeated stops and maneuverings while transiting the Panama Canal, the crew enjoys a day of well-deserved peace and quiet. At noon, after a nice aperitif in the officers’ lounge, we have our lunch served in the dining room, where a large table is set for officers and passengers together. |
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Sunday menu offers refined dining, unique to the CMA CGM vessels flying French flag: paté de fois gras, steamed prawns and a delicious quarter of roast stuffed capon flavored with one of those exquisite sauces for which the cook, Harlein, never reveals the secret recipe. We abstained from the cheese tray offered in a very professional way by the diligent steward, Gabri, and we finish with a generous slice of lukewarm Napoleon cake. We then move to the lounge for coffee as the chief engineer, Dominique, comes with a bottle of whisky to seal this lavish meal. |
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The air conditioning is working at the maximum capacity maintaining comfortable temperature in our quarters, while outside it’s quite unbearable. Only in the late afternoon we get out on deck for our habitual walk consisting of a few rounds fore and aft, while for dinner both Rita and I plan just a brief appearance. And so time flies as we leisurely spend our days in the tropics; swimming in a small indoor pool and relaxing in deckchairs, often moving between the sunny side and shade, depending on the sun’s intensity … |
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Today we have crossed the Equator. Captain Broi, Victor, was kind to phone us in the cabin five minutes in advance so we could walk up to the bridge and observe on the GPS screen the change in latitude from North to South. Shortly after, we have been invited to join the christening ritual. First we met with all other passenger and crew neophytes on the main deck. From there we were led in ‘chains’ to the forecastle, escorted by the Neptune’s court. Some crewmembers were dressed as a policeman and doctor, others as a dignitary of the Ocean Chasms King and Great Prosecutor (Dominique, wearing a long white tunic crossed diagonally with a black sash, a multicolored hat and the face made up so heavily that, at first, I had difficulty to recognize him). There under the awning spread between two anchor winches stood Neptune (Harlein), with his enormous body, the face framed with a long white beard, made of tow used to clean the engine, wearing a snow-white tunic and a golden crown on his head, brandishing authoritatively the classic trident, had the appearance of the true God of Abysses. On his right, the peaceable Gabri, also wearing long white hair, acted as his assistant. |
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We were drawn up between the bulwark and winches, and Victor was standing near us, the transgressors, performing his own role of the master, dressed up as a purple drunkard, wearing worn out shorts, a filthy dirty shirt with two enormous cardboard epaulets painted with the Captain’s stripes, and an extra large pair of work shoes. Although the master is the supreme authority aboard the ship, now he had to share his power with Neptune. A large heavily dented pot holding the ‘magic potion’ of the Ocean Chasms King, and a ladle to sip the potion, was placed in front of us. Next to the Great Prosecutor was standing the Executioner, wearing a large blue apron, swinging a large spatula like a shining blade and a flat brush in one hand, while in the other hand holding a can of shaving foam. Now I was starting to see the punishment the offenders would be submitted to! The Doctor was the engine foreman, Boedec. He was wearing a full white coat with a red cross painted on the breast. His duty was to check the good health of the offenders using the big plunger as a stethoscope, and to determine the verdict. With a pomposity befitting a skilled actor, Dominique, facing Neptune, read the charges against each of us in the group who had had the impudence to penetrate his kingdom, crossing the Equator line. The sentences should be exemplary, at best violators would be forced to drink the magic potion to raise them to the rank of subjects of the King Neptune. But if their wrongs were found unforgivable, they would be discharged straight into the ocean. |
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The first defendant to be submitted to the trial was the young Emilie. The pretty cadet-girl knelt in presence of the King to hear the accusation delivered by the Prosecutor. Doctor intervened examining her with the ‘stethoscope’, and the judgment was passed and executed: the head and the face were abundantly foamed and ‘shaved’; the foam spread by the blade over the shoulders, and finally Emilie was compelled to drink the filthy brew. When she stood up, the grimaces of disgust appearing on her face made me think really how bad that was (in fact the potion was made of water, caramel and flour) … |
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Rita and I were charged for depraving the local tribes with our outrageous way of life while traveling on our previous voyages. As an alleviation of our responsibility the Great Prosecutor told Neptune that Rita had no competitor in her good Italian cooking and that she would be honored to offer him her delicious spaghetti, ravioli and much more. While Massimo was an inexhaustible mill of words, and this balanced Rita’s cooking virtue. We were sentenced to foaming and drinking the magic potion … |
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As usual, the cocktail party offered by the master in the evening was very rich, offering a variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic aperitifs, fruit juices, plentiful range of canapés and appetizers. Before going to bed I showed Rita a phenomenon related to the earth’s rotation. I filled up the washbasin, then removed the plug; the eddy formed by the water was turning anticlockwise, whereas in the northern hemisphere it turns clockwise …". |
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MARIS of Westport, CT Freighter Travel Club Int'l (Since 1958) Freighter & Specialty Cruises (Since 1993) 1 203 222-1500 / 1 800 99-Maris www.freightercruises.com
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