Ahoy, Sailmates!
We’re getting ready for one of the coolest and silliest sailing traditions in the whole wide ocean—crossing the equator! In just a few days, we’ll officially leave the Northern Hemisphere behind and sail into the Southern Hemisphere for the very first time on this journey. It’s not just a big deal in the sailing world—it’s a reason to celebrate!
🧭 What’s So Special About the Equator?
The equator is an imaginary line that circles the Earth right in the middle, at 0° latitude. If you look at a globe, it’s the line that splits the planet into the top half (the Northern Hemisphere) and the bottom half (the Southern Hemisphere). When sailors cross it, it’s kind of like going to the other side of the world!
Lots of things change when you cross the equator:
- 🌦 Seasons are opposite (summer in the north means winter in the south!)
- 🌍 The stars you see in the sky are different.
- 🚿 In some places, even the direction water spins down the drain can switch!
⚓ What Is a Shellback?
A Shellback is a sailor who has crossed the equator. If you haven’t yet, you’re called a pollywog. That’s us—for now!
But don’t worry… we’re about to change that. And we’ll do it in style, with a Shellback Ceremony—a fun, wacky tradition sailors have been doing for hundreds of years.
🐟 A Silly Tradition With a Long History
Sailors have been crossing the equator for centuries, and to make it fun, they came up with a playful ceremony to celebrate. The idea was that King Neptune (the god of the sea!) would rise from the deep to welcome new sailors to his watery kingdom.
During the ceremony, pollywogs have to perform goofy challenges, make funny speeches, or get “baptized” with seawater (or whipped cream… or spaghetti… you never know!). Once the ceremony is complete, King Neptune grants you the title of Shellback!
Some sailors even dress up in costumes, give themselves ridiculous sea names (we’re talking names like Captain Barnacle Beard or Princess Seaweed Sparkle), and make up ocean poetry, songs, or dances!
Famous Shellback Story: One sailor we know had to kiss a flying fish (ew!) and sing a sea shanty while wearing flippers and a tutu. It was legendary—and we have video proof!
🧳 Where Are We Now?
We’re currently getting ready to leave Panama, heading out across the mighty Pacific Ocean—the biggest ocean on Earth! We’ll be sailing over 3,000 nautical miles (that’s like driving across the whole U.S.—but wetter). It will take four weeks (a whole month!) to reach our next stop in the South Pacific, depending on the wind and weather.
Sometime in our first week, we’ll be at 0°00.000’ latitude—the exact line of the equator. Our location when we cross will be something like:
📍 Latitude: 0°00.000’ N
📍 Longitude: 127°18.456’ W
Once we cross that line, we’ll no longer be just regular sailors—we’ll be official Shellbacks!
🎉 Stay Tuned!
We’ve written a super funny ceremony script and picked out our official Shellback names:
🐙 Harry Tentacles and 🌞 Happy Clam!
(Yes, it’s as silly as it sounds, and YES, there will be champagne… and giggles!)
We’ll be filming the whole thing and sharing it with YOU!
So stay tuned for our Shellback Ceremony video, coming soon from the middle of the big blue ocean!
Thanks for following our adventure, Sailmates!
Until next time, keep dreaming big, laughing lots, and always, always be ready for an adventure!
Captain Dan and Alison
The Future: ~ Happy Clam & Harry Tentacles ~
