“King Neptune” and his mermaid consort hold court at Rotterdam’s Lido pool

The (weeks old) fish that the polliwogs must kiss to assuage Neptune’s anger

Cruise Director Bruce is the “Prosecuting Judge” and Rotterdam’s well-traveled officers serve as the jury; Captain Olav is seated second from left

“Pirates” lead the “polliwogs” before King Neptune’s Court

The first polliwogs are brought forward and their transgressions aired

The jury finds the polliwogs guilty of professional transgressions and insults to King Neptune

The humbled polliwogs must first kiss the old fish to assuage Neptune’s anger

Then Neptune’s “doctors” prepare the polliwogs to be cleansed of their imperfections

Then the polliwogs are thrown into the pool and cleansed

Moss, who was a polliwog too, had to kiss the fish to be changed into a “shellback” . . .

. . . as also had to Squeekie; now we are experienced sailors welcomed in Neptune’s realm

Yet another dramatic sunset. . . . .

Colleen, the South African girl who was the first girl to cut Moss’ hair.


Day Forty (Saturday, February 28, 2009)-- Squeekie and I were both grateful for having several days at sea to catch up on our journal and blog writing. But today was not without its interest. Some time today (I think about 3 pm in reality but allegedly at 10:30 am to accommodate the ceremony) Rotterdam was crossing northward over the Equator en route to Hong Kong. To mark this event we were making a request to King Neptune for safe passage and “smooth waters.” Even though Captain Olav said we had received Neptune’s permission to cross in a southerly direction earlier in our voyage, there was some concern that the “King of the Seas” was unhappy with us for having ignored the rite of passage at that earlier time, and we had best take care of the event this time.

The rite of passage involving appeasement of King Neptune while crossing the Equator at sea is a European tradition that goes back to the fifteenth century, when Europeans began crossing the Equator as they sailed down the west coast of Africa. By the eighteenth century it had become a hazing or “graduation” event, especially in the ships of the British and Dutch East India Companies, and by the late nineteenth century it was routinely done by European (and American) military and civilian ships. Rotterdam preserved this rite of passage with a “King Neptune’s Court” ceremony held at the Lido pool at 10:30 am this day. Although the actual “hazing” (if I can use that dangerous word these days) was performed only upon crew members, those passengers who were first time crossers of the Equator (such as Squeekie and myself) were “invited” (requested?) to attend the ceremony.

As the adjoining pictures show, the ceremony was simple and filled with fun. There are numerous variations in the process and in the characters participating, but this is the general arrangement. Those who are making their first crossing of the Equator are called “polliwogs,” while those who have done this before (often many times) are known as “shellbacks.” King Neptune arrives to hold court and punish the polliwogs for their errors and imperfections. Neptune brings with him a “Prosecuting Judge,” a jury (always composed of the senior officers of the ship upon which this ceremony is taking place), some “pirates” to police the polliwogs, and (sometimes) some “doctors” to perform the cleansing operations (although in earlier times this also was done by the pirates). One by one the polliwogs are brought before the judge while Neptune observes, and their errors announced to all (in our ceremony the polliwogs were brought forth in groups of four, only because there were so many). The judge read out each polliwog’s crime—most were quite funny and ironic (and made up), such as the cadets who cleaned the Bridge so well that they erased all the grease pencil markings on the navigation maps, the stewards who while polishing the brass aboard the ship shined the heads of three bald passengers while they were sleeping, and the security guard who ran passengers through the x-ray machine when they returned to the ship. . . . The jury, composed of Rotterdam’s senior officers, including Captain Olav, rendered their verdict, which was, of course, to be cleaned of filth and imperfection. The polliwogs had to kiss the fish, which was a large old thing that had been used weeks earlier to decorate the buffet at the Hawaiian barbecue early in the cruise. Then the “doctors” attempted to clean each polliwog of their filth by applying a concoction of coloured meringue. In earlier times the “cleaning solution” had been made of garbage or food scraps, but for this event the chefs down below had concocted a “meringue” which was unsweet and sticky. Afterward, some (but not all) of the polliwogs were thrown into the pool to be cleansed. A fun time was had by all, and when the main event was over, those guests who were polliwogs were “invited” to come forward and be photographed kissing the fish, as a way of participating in the event. Both Squeekie and I came forward and endured the smelly process so that we, too, could become “shellbacks.” We have passed our test and are at last “experienced” sailors of the seven seas with King Neptune’s approval.

In the evening we had reservations for the Indonesian Dinner in the Pinnacle Grill, an event that brought both excitement and pride to many of the Indonesian crew members because of the degree of personal participation and their pride in sharing their national cultures with the passengers. Squeekie took a long time to get ready for the event. She wore the sarong fabric she had purchased in Lombok and had a good amount of trouble figuring out how to keep it from falling off (there were safety pins at several strategic locations). I had chosen to wear a strip of batik cloth as a belt or sash because nothing else would fit me.

The Pinnacle Grill was decorated in an Indonesian theme, Kim was dressed in a Balinese costume, and the stewards wore batik shirts, sarongs, and hats. We were seated at “our” table and were again placed with Guy and Dorothy, which ensured good conversation and companionship. Some of the Indonesian staff had planned and prepared the dinner this evening, and it was served with great pride. We enjoyed a range of Indonesian specialties, including sticky rice rolls filled with shredded chicken, salad with a peanut sauce, and a clearly Dutch-inspired Rijstaffel. This was all delicious, but the dessert was a bit of a disappointment to my Western palate accustomed to desserts overwhelmed with sweetness. We had a white sticky rice cake, a caramel brown rice cake, and another pastry. After dinner, each guest was presented with a small angklung (the Indonesian musical instrument made from bamboo) which had been handmade by her new husband’s family in Java.

Overall, for an “at sea” day, this one was very special and very nice.


Day Forty-one (Sunday, March 1, 2009)-- Today Squeekie and I continued to catch up with our earlier journal and blog writing, but there was nothing that happened this day that required me to write in detail about this day so I will continue on to tomorrow. I must say, however, that the seas have gotten somewhat rough again and I have had to return to wearing my patch.


Day Forty-two (Monday, March 2, 2009)-- Between eight and nine in the morning every passenger had to report to the Queen’s Room in the La Fontaine Dining Room to have his or her temperature taken, a procedure that is mandatory for entry into Hong Kong. Although nothing was said, I suspect that this had something to do with prevention of a SARS outbreak. Squeekie and I apparently passed the temperature reading, for nothing more was said about it.

Late in the morning Squeekie and I attended an orientation meeting for our upcoming overland journey to Xian and Beijing. Janine from the Shore Excursions office reviewed the itinerary, the packing list, and other information. It will be a small group going on this tour, but if her activity in the meeting is any indication, there is one woman who I will do my best to avoid as being unpleasant. It was good to confirm that John and Janet Hanna (she plays on my trivia team) will be going—they are fun to chat with.

This evening was a special formal event, the Mariners’ Reception in the Queen’s Lounge before dinner. Unfortunately, those who were receiving bronze medallions (this included Squeekie and I) had them delivered to our staterooms prior to the event; those who were receiving silver, gold, and platinum medallions received them from Captain Olav during the reception. We learned that there was a special category called the President’s Club for those who have sailed over 1400 days. They were honoured by sitting in a special area at small cocktail tables with silver buckets of champagne; our friend Don Macdonald is one of those well-traveled individuals. After the reception we went off to dinner, and then returned to have our picture taken with Captain Olav and Henk. Because there were not many people waiting to have their picture taken at this time, we had a nice opportunity to chat with “the guys.” Olav was particularly happy because he had just received word that he would be the Master of the Amsterdam for the 2010 World Cruise.

Another special event of this evening was the beautiful sunset that came during the dinner hour. We have had several so far on this voyage, but this was special. We are now deep into the South China Sea, which stretches from Taiwan to the Equator. The sea provides a direct connection between the North Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean, and exercises a great deal of influence on the climate of the region. We are now approaching the traffic system of Hong Kong, and shipping is increasing in number and volume.


Day Forty-three (Tuesday, March 3, 2009)-- Today was our last at sea day as we approach Hong Kong and our adventure in China. Squeekie took time this afternoon to have her hair trimmed by Colleen, the same girl who had trimmed my hair a couple of weeks ago. Colleen is from South Africa and will be leaving the Rotterdam when we arrive in Capetown. Squeekie took a picture of Colleen and me in order to remember the girl who cut my hair. . . .