Crossing the Equator

Hi Everyone,
Randal sends out a noon report to our friend Nick Spence in Subic. Nick takes the readings and translates them into a projected weather report for us. We get sailmail weather, but Nick's is better. I am having Red Sox withdrawal pains not being able to follow the game or read every news bit about them. But I did help them along last night in my own way. Randal wrote this report of us "crossing the line," as crossing the Equator is called.

From Randal

8/21/08
12:00 Noon
01'01.39S 118'52.94E
SOG 6.0 Knots
COG 191 (COG is "course over ground" showing the line in back of you up to you and projecting where you will go. Heading is where the boat is pointing but maybe because of the wind and current pushing you around, not where you actually were or are going to go. Clear?)
Wind W at 3 knots
Seas Flat
Skies Partly cloudy
Temp 84F
Conditions Calm

At sunrise this morning we had 12 to 15 knot winds on our port beam with building seas. But by 0800 the wind had died to zero and within thirty minutes the waves disappeared as well. Now there is just a little side to side movement of the boat, the paravanes are hardly having to work at all.

Last night at 01:37 we crossed the Equator. I had asked Ruth to prepare (a ceremony) while we were still in KK. It happened ("the crossing") on my watch and I awakened Ruth 10 minutes early as per her instructions. She fetched a package she had prepared for the donation to King Neptune. The package included a piece of left over fruit cake Ruth had made from a mix* but Ruth never follows recipes and when it went in I saw the tide drop 3", a can of turkey Spam, some coins, a Dora Mac business card, a big sea shell from Clarendon Island, a piece of sea glass, Ruth's broken lucky Red Sox ring**, all wrapped up in an American flag bandana. I hope he is appeased.

Ruth also painted a commemorative document, worthy of framing, with all the necessary information and a drawing of Dora Mac. We have to fill it out yet though. I'm sure you'll see a picture of it on our web site when we reach wifi land again.
Just before the chart plotter read 00'00.000, I asked Ruth to take a picture of it. She tried several times but couldn't get the focus right. I got my camera but I couldn't get a good photo either. I stepped outside the door because I was feeling queasy looking at the camera I guess. When I came back in Ruth was still fidgeting with her camera not realizing the plotter now showed 00'00.135S.
I just took a shower after three days and it is beyond comprehension how much it has raised my spirits. I can tell when my spirits get low because I start fantasizing about someone offering me a large amount of money for the boat and me selling it. The large amount is directly proportionable to my low spirits, the lower the spirits the lower the offer. But now I'm clean and the offer is one million.

* This is not the Official Roanoke County Public Library Fruitcake. This mix bought in K K came with no fruit included though the picture on the box showed fruit included and it called itself Fruit Cake. Who would have guessed. The direction on the back show you adding a bag of fruit into the mix at step 3. Hope Neptune likes it better than Randal did. I added my own fruit and nuts.

** I bought a "Lucky Red Sox" red bangle and red ring in Subic Bay just before we left. The ring broke, bad luck, toss in ocean!

Ruth