Alas the 'ceremony' for crossing the line and going into the Arctic on a modern day cruise ship is a lot less elaborate....a certificate is just left on your bed! Probably just as well, the razor doesn't appeal! Dawn Sent from my iPhone On 5 Apr 2011, at 10:38, "Neville Rasmussen" <jimmyjamjar@cybersmart.co.za> wrote: My Uncle was a seaman and served for a number of years on the Union Castle Line ships. On one of his visits he brought me a copy of the crossing the line certificate that the Union Castle ships issued to their passengers. He told of the ceremony that took place and how he was frequently asked to be a part as one of the "Officials" of the ceremony, he was a right royal comic and prankster and so the tasks suited him very well, usually being the one who would put the shaving cream on the faces of the initiates before King Neptune shaved it off with an enormous cut throat razor (made of wood so quite safe). I have kept the certificate now for for 60 years always hoping that I would be part of the ceremony one day but alas even though I went to sea for a time I never did cross the line in a ship, by plane several times but by ship sadly no. In the naval tradition I was officially allowed to put one elbow on the table for having crossed around the Cape of Good Hope but never got to put both elbows on the table for also having crossed Cape Horn. In another incident while at the Naval Colledge I did get to walk the plank for some misdemeanor and landed up in the harbour in full uniform! Neville on dry land in Cape Town ----- Original Message ----- From: "Barbara Constantine" <bconstantine@shaw.ca> To: "'Tim Latham'" <web@mightyseas.co.uk>; <MARINERS@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, April 05, 2011 5:51 AM Subject: Re: [MAR] Crossing the Line in the Carmanian Hi Tim... I do not have answers to your questions but you have raised a topic that is quite fascinating. There are many spell-binding tales of Crossing the Equator Ceremonies. I suspect that planning the ceremony was a good way to pass the time on long voyages and it was certainly a rite of passage for travellers. You and the listers may enjoy visiting Google Images and doing a search on 'Crossing the Equator Certificates". King Neptune and a captivating collection of beautifully rendered, fanciful graphics await you. It was a grey, dreaky day on the West Coast of British Columbia, and I would far rather have been Crossing the Line to sunnier climes than puddle-jumping around here! Barbara in Vancouver -----Original Message----- From: mariners-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:mariners-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Tim Latham Sent: April 4, 2011 4:02 PM To: MARINERS@rootsweb.com Subject: [MAR] Crossing the Line in the Carmanian Dear Listers, I have recently been sent a transcript of a diary of a crewman aboard the Carmanian, a Workington sailing ship. The diary refers to "Neptune coming aboard" on the 23rd March 1900, when the ship was bound from New York (departed 18th February) for Hong Kong (arrived 9th July). Coincidentally, a photograph of a "Crossing the Line" ceremony aboard the Carmanian has been published by the Newcastle NSW Museum, but with no date given. http://collections.ncc.nsw.gov.au/keemu/pages/nrm/Display.php?irn=28789&Quer yPage=%2Fkeemu%2Fpages%2Fnrm%2FQuery.php <http://collections.ncc.nsw.gov.au/keemu/pages/nrm/Display.php?irn=28789&Que ryPage=%2Fkeemu%2Fpages%2Fnrm%2FQuery.php> I am trying to tie the diary to the photo. The sender of the diary has a different photo of the Carmanian's crew at San Francisco in December 1900, and clearly some people are in both photos. http://www.mightyseas.co.uk/marhist/gallery/wkton/carmanian_crew_1900.jpg What interests me is that three of the people in the "Crossing the Line" photo have numbers drawn on their shirts, 44, 45 and 46. Could this be the lines of Longitude where the Equator was crossed - 45 W, just off the coast of Brazil ? This would make sense in terms of time and sailing ship routes, and would mean that the photo could be tied to the diary. Could any Mariners familar with the age old ritual confirm this is the meaning of the numbers? Or provide explanations for other features in the photo, such as the blackened faces, the objects being held, or why some are in turbans. Or explain why, since the woman on the gallery is clearly a woman, Mrs.Neptune is played by, judging by the moustache, a sailor ? Best Wishes, Tim Latham www.mightyseas.co.uk Regards..........Len ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to MARINERS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to MARINERS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to MARINERS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message