Sea days, heading towards Rarotonga

Before King Neptune & his Queen and the mermaids. (Picture from 2015 ceremony whilst on the Noordam)

All has been well since we left Fanning Atoll, not much exciting has been happening.  Days are just slipping by….

We skipped a day when we crossed the international date line earlier this week and so barely saw the 4th – probably a ‘smidge’ of it.  Technically we were 24 hours ahead of those of you in England/Netherlands/South Africa.  But then again you have the last laugh when we gained another day and are now behind you again by 10 to 12 hours!

Paul was up early for duty as the Maasdam passed Kiritimati (Christmas Island).  I didn’t attempt to get up.  My body was tired but my overactive brain didn’t seem to want to shut down for a short while to allow me to get some rest.  Over the years I took for granted the vast openness of the seas  but now as we go through the Pacific in reality there are many islands - some big, some small, some inhabited, others not.  Looking at maps – there are even names to them, none of which I have ever heard of before.

2 evenings ago there was a small problem with one of the electromotors that shut down without any warning.  It turned out to be a bit of a ‘whatdunnit’ which kept Paul and his colleagues up on the bridge all night trying to solve the mystery.  He ended up getting back to the cabin around 4am, yawn.  It turned out to be a small sensor that shut everything down (a little sensor that I have renamed ‘dammit’ 😉 ).  Problem solved and fixed.

Paul deserved a bit of an extra couple of hours zzzz but he was up in time for the King Neptune ceremony.  This is a ceremony where staff, who had never crossed the Equator by sea, were initiated – meeting King Neptune, had their ‘misdemeanours’ read out, they had to kiss the waiting (frozen solid) fish, get covered in coloured egg white then go in front of the judges who decided their fate – bake in the sun at the side of the pool and ‘live’, or jump into the swimming pool and ‘die’.  To be fair – jumping into the pool was the best option for many because the heat was almost unbearable (well, for me as an observer of the ceremony).  I have tried to upload the video I took of the ceremony but unfortunately the file is too large and will have to make it smaller.  Here is a link to my photos on facebook that were taken during the event I attended on MS Maasdam in 2015 when doing the Pacific Crossing:  King Neptune Ceremony  As you can see from the photos - it can be a great load of fun!!

Last night the first officer (a former naval officer) invited his colleagues for a meal so we joined him in the main dining room.  In between courses he discussed the battle of Midway, explaining things very well.  I reckon he would make a very good lecturer and I believe this is the career path he is intending to follow.

This morning I went to see the Filipino crew show.  The staff put a lot of effort into preparing their dances and songs so I thought I would go along to ‘support’ them.  Despite not being professional singers and dancers Filipino cast put on a very good show.  I recognised a few staff members. 😊

Tomorrow we arrive in Rarotonga – it will be good to see land again.