Crossing the equator

 Saturday April 13

Friday and Saturday were both days at sea, beginning our Atlantic Ocean crossing. From Fortaleza to St Peter and Paul Rocks, we traveled nearly due east, crossing longitudes but without much change in latitude. After the Rocks we pivoted to a NNE bearing towards Cape Verde. At precisely 6:30 am on April 13 (thank you Captain Oliver) we crossed the equator, with a mimosa toast and a loud blast on the ships horn, punishing anyone who didn’t get up for the crossing.  Thanks to the ship’s instrumentation and our phone apps we knew when we crossed; there is no line on the ocean to mark the boundary, but oddly there was a thin horizontal line of cloud as we approached the equator.

Days at sea are a mixture of time on deck watching for birds, flying fish, and sea mammals and time spent in expert lectures by the naturalists. Tropical waters are less rich in species than colder waters. Much of our time on deck was spent watching Masked Boobies try to catch flying fish (of which we have now seen four different species). We have also had some fun demonstrations, for example nature art classes and a lesson in making traditional Portuguese desserts. 

On these two days we learned a lot about historical expeditions. Many were in search of riches ( including searching for a shorter path to India and the Spice Islands, to about the taxes imposed along the land routes). It was fun to consider the number of foods that originated in different locations than we now associate with them— for example bananas from Polynesia rather than Central America. Other expeditions were in search of Antarctica, which had been “predicted as having to exist” by the Greeks in the 5th century BC based on a symmetry argument with the Arctic. It took until 1820 for someone to actually see Antarctica, but along the way many maps were made describing this imaginary land. 

Late on April 13 we sailed near the St Peter and Paul Rocks, a collection of 10 tiny non-volcanic islands pushed above the Atlantic Ridge.  Brazil maintains a 4-person research team on the islands, which host a rich collection of marine creatures on the steep underwater slopes as well as nesting Brown Boobies and Black and Brown Noddys.  Each team of researchers stays for 15-30 days, as the island conditions are harsh/ primitive and all supplies must be brought from the mainland. We have two Brazilian researchers aboard our ship who hope to probe deep waters on future days. One of these researchers has spent time on St Paul Rocks, which gave us additional insights into the life of the researchers.

Pictured: equator crossing and the thin cloud line, St Peter and St Paul Rocks, a colorful flying