Null Island and The Line-Crossing Ceremony

Null Island is a ‘place’ at the geographical coordinates 0 degrees N and 0 degrees E where the Equator and the Prime Meridian intersect. Located in the international waters in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, a one-square meter plot of ‘land’ has been identified with buoy to observe the weather and sea conditions. Not many people actually pass this location and at the request of some passengers, the Captain veered off course to arrive here at 5:00am this morning. We set our alarm and went to the top deck to look for the light on the buoy, the Captain was there and they served champagne, coffee and tea. It’s a big deal. The 3rd picture is what the Captain took from his instruments on the bridge. The yellow dot in the middle is out ship.

Later that morning the ship conducted a Line-Crossing ceremony. This ceremony has been around for over 400 years and is well known among Navy servicemen throughout different countries and commemorates a person’s first crossing of the Equator. It is somewhat of a hazing ritual. Before the first crossing you are known as a Pollywog. After the crossing, you are called to stand before King Neptune and his court. You are charged with certain ‘crimes’. You are required to Kiss the Fish and then are smattered with colored foam/whipped cream, pelted with Jell-o and then plunged into a sea water bath. After the ceremony you are known as a Shellback. There are different status’s you can achieve like a Golden Shellback who is a person that crosses the Equator at the 180th meridian but the rarest Shellback status is the Emerald Shellback which is received after crossing the Equator at the prime meridian. That’s the ceremony we participated in today. King Neptune charged us with eating too much food and hoarding the fancy soaps and lotions. We were found guilty, kissed the fish (a real fish) hazed and then plunged into the pool. It was so funny and a great time.

After all of this, we watched the Coronation of King Charles. The Cruise Director, Ross is from the UK and went all out including streaming complete event, serving British food and drink and obtaining Fortnum & Mason’s special blend of tea created for the occasion.