At Sea, Crossing the Equator
Today was our third day at sea on our transit from the Cape Verde Islands to Brazil, but we were sailing in Brazilian waters even though we were over 500 miles from the coast. After lunch we sailed by SS. Peter and Paul Rocks which are claimed by Brazil and on which are stationed a few Brazilian students studying the natural history of the rocks and the birds and fish which they attract.
SS. Peter and Paul Rocks are legendary. Charles Darwin visited them as did the HMS Challenger during her historic worldwide oceanographic cruise, the first in history (1872-1876). The rocks lie right on the axis of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and are famous because they are composed of nearly pure olivine producing a rock called dunite or, when combined with pyroxene, a rock called peridotite. These rocks appear to have come directly from the Earth’s mantle, deep below the crust or lithosphere, and SS. Peter and Paul Rocks are one of very few places on Earth where mantle rocks are exposed at the surface. As Darwin noted they have been highly altered by the centuries of guano deposited on them, but their origin is pretty clear.
A few hours after we passed SS. Peter and Paul Rocks we approached The Line and Endeavour was boarded by a gang of extremely unsavory looking characters led by one who claimed to reign over this ocean realm. He demanded that we pay tribute before receiving his permission to cross into the Southern Hemisphere. Some of our shipmates who had not crossed before paid a heavy price indeed and were forced to kiss a fish, quaff some special medicinal fluids and undergo an equatorial shampoo. For some reason that we could not fathom this pleased the king immensely and we were allowed to continue on course. We celebrated our diplomatic success with beer and hot dogs at poolside as we watched a beautiful tropical sunset.
Today was our third day at sea on our transit from the Cape Verde Islands to Brazil, but we were sailing in Brazilian waters even though we were over 500 miles from the coast. After lunch we sailed by SS. Peter and Paul Rocks which are claimed by Brazil and on which are stationed a few Brazilian students studying the natural history of the rocks and the birds and fish which they attract.
SS. Peter and Paul Rocks are legendary. Charles Darwin visited them as did the HMS Challenger during her historic worldwide oceanographic cruise, the first in history (1872-1876). The rocks lie right on the axis of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and are famous because they are composed of nearly pure olivine producing a rock called dunite or, when combined with pyroxene, a rock called peridotite. These rocks appear to have come directly from the Earth’s mantle, deep below the crust or lithosphere, and SS. Peter and Paul Rocks are one of very few places on Earth where mantle rocks are exposed at the surface. As Darwin noted they have been highly altered by the centuries of guano deposited on them, but their origin is pretty clear.
A few hours after we passed SS. Peter and Paul Rocks we approached The Line and Endeavour was boarded by a gang of extremely unsavory looking characters led by one who claimed to reign over this ocean realm. He demanded that we pay tribute before receiving his permission to cross into the Southern Hemisphere. Some of our shipmates who had not crossed before paid a heavy price indeed and were forced to kiss a fish, quaff some special medicinal fluids and undergo an equatorial shampoo. For some reason that we could not fathom this pleased the king immensely and we were allowed to continue on course. We celebrated our diplomatic success with beer and hot dogs at poolside as we watched a beautiful tropical sunset.
