We cut across the equator at 04:34 in the morning of February 20, 2019. As it was our second transit, there was no need of initiation ceremony. We had completed that four years ago on our first Pacific crossing. This time we had a full-on pirate party...the pirate captain and the sea gypsy crew, all dressed in full reiving regalia ,”cutting up” for the camera, (with sword in teeth), dancing, drinking a short tot of rum, toasting King Neptune in thanks, and engaging in general debauchery. All this done under a full super moon arcing down in its western descent, while Jupiter, Saturn, and Venus rose sparkling in the east. The universe blessed us with balmy breezes, mostly clear skies, smooth seas, enough wind to fill the sail to dampen any roll from the swell, and a perfect timing of the 04:00 shift change to celebrate in!! The sound track included U2’s “Beautiful Day”,(obvious choice), DNCE’s “Cake by the Ocean”(the menu included pound cake), Jimmy Buffett’s “Boat Drinks”, (rum and orange juice....gotta keep the scurvy at bay!), Lenka’s “Blue Skies”, (well not quite yet), Mark Knofler’s “Back on the dance floor”(as we danced in the cockpit because the dinghy was filling the back deck) and Grateful Dead’s “Box of rain”( which we substitute box of rum for), the very appropriate”Breathless”, by Nick Cave, Sturgill Simpson’s “Sea Stories” (...and a shell back too!), then putting the party to bed as Jimmy Buffet’s “Changes in Latitudes, changes in attitudes” played. Good times as double shell backs, even the Sweet Dream herself is now a double shell back, having crossed the equator in the 2007 WARC rally under the Captaincy of Bob Willets with a different name.
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