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Meet the Royal Court of King Neptune!
Loosely based on Roman and Greek
mythology, the Equator crossing ceremony
involves characters such as King Neptune, a "I am Davy Jones, messenger to his Royal
Roman sea god played by the most senior Majesty Neptunus Rex, Ruler of the Raging
Shellback, Queen Amphitrite, his royal Main. I demand to know what this ship is, and
consort, Davy Jones, a fearsome pirate that by whose authority you dare to trespass
haunts the seas and the Royal Baby. within our Royal Domain."
Ahoy there! Crossing the Equator "ritual"
was held on board to appease King Neptune.
A rite of passage for every seafarer, the
origins of the Equator Crossing ceremony
traces back as far as the Vikings, who passed
this ritual on to the Anglo-Saxons and
Normans in Britain.
An initiation rite to commemorate a sailor's
first crossing of the equator, the age-old ritual
is also meant to keep a sailor away from the
perils of the sea and to bring them good luck
as they venture into the unforgiving
Before you cross, you're just a slimy Pollywog. environment of the vast open oceans for the
After you cross, you transform into a trusty first time.
Shellback.
NAVIGATING THE SEAS
For centuries, sailors would look to the stars to
find their position and navigate the Seven Seas.
While our Navy has evolved to use advanced
GPS, electronic charts and radar technology,
sailors are still taught traditional navigational
techniques, so they may still navigate our ships,
