Picture: Tom having a ball at the Equator crossing party.

Today we sailed into a different world.

For a short period around four o'clock this morning while I was on watch the clouds shifted and opened a view to the south. There in all it's glory I could see the Southern Cross brightly, watching and guarding over my beloved South Atlantic and Southern Ocean. It was as if it had come to say "Farewell", for ahead I had already had a glimpse of Cassiopeia and Ursa Major. The constellations of the north towards which we are heading.

We all awoke to a morning filled with excitement. Of our whole crew of eight only I had previously sailed over the Equator and although I have done so many times it still is a special moment when you move from the Southern world to the Northern one. Traditionally everyone wears something hand-made from items found on board. I sported a bow-tie and fresh shirt for the occasion. Following suit ( pardon the unintended pun ) the others soon donned their outfits and the boat thronged with a Pirate complete with eye-patch, a General with gold epaulets and cuffs, a Prince with a shining silver crown and mantle, a toga bedecked Goddess of the sea with a crown in the form of an octopus and an Elf left over from Christmas with a large bauble hanging from one ear.

As the GPS data slowly clicked over to a row of zeros there erupted a tumultuous shout of joy. Neptune was toasted and appeased with some cake and all the new comers were welcomed to the special band of sailors who have " crossed the line ". Turning Mrs. Marietta from her course we steamed along the line and actually found it. The hot, sultry weather and warm ocean beckoned and firstly Vittorio plunged into the ocean to swim along the line. he was closely followed by the others whilst Dudi and I kept an eye on their safety.

Sailors of old feared for demons and other perils in the unknown world that they forged a path to, we follow in their wake not finding any of those dreaded demons but certainly finding joy in the Almighty Creation and an inner peace of our surroundings.

There are few opportunities for such special moments in our lives and I trust that today's first timers have enjoyed the experience and will remember it as fondly as I remember my first crossing.

Leaving the scene we turned the boat back on it's course and continued on our way with the day growing hotter and hotter. Scooping buckets of water from the sea we pour it over our feet to cool them down and to make the deck bearable under the soles of our feet. Later in the afternoon a tropical shower approached from the east bringing some welcome rain to cool us and the boat.

Some comments from Riccardo:
Come ha gia' detto Tom, oggi per noi e' stato un grande giorno: abbiamo attraversato l'equatore! Con tutti i riti connessi.

Abbiamo aperto due bottiglie importanti, una di Barolo e una di Champagne. Abbiamo fatto il bagno al traino, superando i timori per lo squalo bianco e le meduse letali di queste latitudini. Abbiamo ballato come dei pazzi "Questo e' l'ombelico del mondo", ognuno col suo travestimento fatto a mano. Tom, emozionato, ha fatto un discorso molto toccante sul pulpito di poppa, rivolto verso l'immensita' dell'oceano!

Questa tratta da Sant'Elena a Capo Verde e' molto lunga, circa 2.500 miglia nautiche. Fa molto caldo. I turni di notte, che prima richiedevano giubbotti, cerate, guanti e berretto, adesso li facciamo in costume e maglietta. Stiamo attraversando le mitiche calme equatoriali, una trappola mortale per i navigatori antichi. Una latitudine a cui i marinai impazzivano e gli equipaggi si ammutinavano. E' incredibile quanto possa essere docile l'Oceano da queste parti.
I venti stanno gradualmente girando. Fin qui li abbiamo avuti a poppa, tra poco li avremo in faccia e tutto diventera' piu' impegnativo.

L'atmosfera in barca e' piacevole, mangiamo ancora il tonno di 20 Kg pescato tre giorni fa. Una strana calma si e' impossessata di noi...questo viaggio sta cominciando ad avere un effetto catartico sui nostri animi.

Adesso scappo a dare il cambio a Tom al timone. Auguri di buon anno a tutti!

So as we steam into the night best regards from us all at 01 deg 31 min North and 017 deg 34 min West.

Ciao, Tom.