Crossing the Equator

[PeteTheDeliverySkipper]

I'm just back from a yacht delivery from Florida to Sydney. We had a few guys onboard that hadn't crossed the Equator before. We carried out the Crossing the Line Ceremony with them. All good fun and a great tradition!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEpsuJthFZI&t=11s

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by PeteTheDeliverySkipper

I'm just back from a yacht delivery from Florida to Sydney. We had a few guys onboard that hadn't crossed the Equator before. We carried out the Crossing the Line Ceremony with them. All good fun and a great tradition!

I remember my first crossing in 1986 and my golden in 1990. What great memories to be had .

[Jim Cate]

^^^^
I became a shellback (on my own bottom) in 1987, and have done a few since then... but never heard of the "golden shellback) club. So, what is it based upon?

Jim

[Jamme]

According to https://www.military.com/history/202...cates.html/amp it represents having crossed the date line.

[boatman61]

Did not bother.. went through this in the RN going down to Cape Town in my late teens..
It ranks alongside the Corinth and Panama canals for me, no big deal really..

[AiniA]

When we did it off the coast of Ecuador there was no one onboard to carry out the ceremony since my wife and I were both newbies. I wanted to get a photo of exactly 0° on the plotter but it went from slightly north to slightly south. I thought my wife might want to swim across (there was very little wind/waves but she declined. Crossing the dateline is cool because you get to change days.

[Lodesman]

Originally Posted by AiniA

Crossing the dateline is cool because you get to change days.

You re-do a day going East; the RCN typically treats it as a "no-day" and do something fun for morale. Going West you lose a day. I remember after one crossing, one of our boatswain's mates was quieter than usual - when asked if something was up, he said "they always said that no matter what the Navy does to you, they can't take away your birthday. Well they just took away my birthday!"

The RCN doesn't do the Golden Dragon that's a USN thing. Crossed both those lines for the first time in '91.

[MicHughV]

Interestingly, I crossed the equator for the first time at the age 4, then again at age 6, I don't really remember much from the first occasion, but some distant memories of the second time are imbedded in my brain.....

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

^^^^
I became a shellback (on my own bottom) in 1987, and have done a few since then... but never heard of the "golden shellback) club. So, what is it based upon?

Jim

Crossing international dateline at 0° latitude after already being a shellback .

[garyfdl]

Pffffft! Shellbacks/Golden shellbacks are a dime-a-dozen.

Bluenosers on the other hand... (crossing the arctic circle).

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by garyfdl

Pffffft! Shellbacks/Golden shellbacks are a dime-a-dozen.

Bluenosers on the other hand... (crossing the arctic circle).

Been in the Arctic holding winter flight ops . But never went under on a sub so no bluenose.
Just another expeditionary medal

[garyfdl]

Originally Posted by newhaul

Been in the Arctic holding winter flight ops . But never went under on a sub so no bluenose.
Just another expeditionary medal

I've been bluenosed twice. You can have one of mine.

First was on a boomer (missile sub). Towards the end of my enlistment, I was transferred to an attack boat. There's a bit of rivalry between boomer and attack sailors, and they said my boomer bluenose didn't count, so I got bluenosed again.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by newhaul

Crossing international dateline at 0° latitude after already being a shellback .

Hmmm... that seems a kinda unlikely event to me! Crossing the dateline, sure, done that plenty of times, but exactly on the equator? That would require some special navigating and steering, for it is one tiny spot on the ocean, and in a place with little reason to be voyaging just there.

Anyhow, glad to know yet another useless fact, so thanks!

Jim

[OldManMirage]

In my brief time in the US Navy I became both a Shellback and a Bluenose. The equator crossing was fine, but when we did the bluenose ceremony it was freezing and windy as hell with spray constantly coming over the sides. That was tough !

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by garyfdl

I've been bluenosed twice. You can have one of mine.

First was on a boomer (missile sub). Towards the end of my enlistment, I was transferred to an attack boat. There's a bit of rivalry between boomer and attack sailors, and they said my boomer bluenose didn't count, so I got bluenosed again.

Nah it's about the experience not the award