April 28, 2014
equator crossing
11:45

We did it.  We finally made it to the equator.  We have both crossed the equator before but not on a boat so it is a big deal.  Although really, how can we tell except for the numbers clicking down on the computer?  Where is the yellow line that they always put on the football field?  We talked to one of the other boats with kids on board.  They crossed in the night but the kids said that since it was all just water so what was the point in waking up in the middle of the night?   Anyway, we break out the champagne and drink a toast and say a prayer for continued good weather.  I had brought along 2 ornate goblets that we bought when we were first married.  They have lost all of their silver plating and really are not safe to use any more.  It would cost more than they are worth to have then resilvered so over they go, our offering to Neptune and Aeolius.  I find myself thinking that it would be fascinating to do a deep sea surgery of the equator and catalogue everything that has been tossed over all of these years.  We also shared a plate of brownies that I made yesterday and then we just kept on going. 

For some reason, I had expected the southern trade winds to start as soon as we crossed the equator.  That is what it looks like in those pictures in all of those books about weather that I have read.   Instead over the next several days we get 3 more huge squalls, the strongest yet.  I sweat the wind is up to 30+ nots, although with out a wind gage how can we know.  I am starting to get very frustrated with all the things that don’t work.  Anyway, we are finally getting closer.