Neptune Day

Neptune Day has come, and we all became Shellbacks today! The practice of “Crossing the Line” is a ceremony that commemorates a person's first crossing of the Equator by ship.  Those who have already crossed the Equator are nicknamed “Shellbacks”, and those who have not, are called “Pollywogs”.  The day a ship crosses the equator is referred to as Neptune Day.  The ceremonies feature King Neptune, Queen Minerva, and a “court” of Shellbacks that assist with the ceremony. The event is a ritual that dates back to the early 1800’s in which shipboard crew who were “Shellbacks, were organized into a "Court of Neptune" to indoctrinate the Slimy Pollywogs into "the mysteries of the Deep".

We were woken up at 7AM by the crew marching through the halls banging drums while wearing Neptune attire. All the Pollywogs were summoned to appear before King Neptune and his court, AKA the entire ship gathered outside on the seventh deck.   Our King Neptune was Capitan Jeremy who painted his body green and wore a white skirt with flowing white hair. He questioned our loyalty to the MV Explorer then poured fish guts all over us. We then jumped in the pool and kissed a dead fish to prove our loyalty. The other part of the tradition is to shave your entire head. Almost all the boys on the ship shaved their heads and some badass girls shaved their head also. I shaved two of my friend’s heads and did an excellent job if I do say so myself.  Today has been one of my favorite days on the ship and now that I am an official Shellback!!