Written by Saius Baubay, Engine Cadet
According to an ancient seafaring tradition, everyone who crosses the equator for the first time must be baptized in order to become a fully capable sailor. The newly baptized person will be given a Crossing the Line certificate after the ceremony, which will include his or her name and the date of the baptismal ceremony. Bow Clipper held its equator-crossing ceremony last month.
The ceremony was organized by Chief Officer Rhys David Bancolo and Second Officer Dan Christian Arangis, under the supervision of Captain Luisito Cantona. The rest of the crew meanwhile worked together to prepare the materials needed for the ceremony, including props and costumes.
At 15:00 LT on February 16, the Master, Captain Cantona held the documents as he delivered the command for three prolonged whistle bursts to alert the sea people to the start of the ceremony. He opened the envelope and showed the people of the ocean its contents, among them: the ship's registration certificate, crew list, and the list of those who needed to be baptized before crossing the equator.
The 11 baptismal candidates line up and were called by the Bishop one by one, for a a thorough examination by the Doctor. The Doctor gave each of them some medicine, and sent then to the Barber after they were vaccinated. The Barber cleaned them up with a big razor for shaving, scissors for cutting, and a broom for cleaning up soap. He then ushered them into the baptismal drum so they can be thoroughly cleansed before giving them a water shower.
The Astronomer afterwards assisted the freshly-baptized in viewing the red equator line through the astronomical binoculars. As they looked through the binoculars, they rubbed the bottle with a sooty cork until visible rings appeared around their eyes.
At the end of the ceremonly, the Captain presented the Crossing the Line certificates to the 11 sailors, who were each given a suitable fish name.
With all the candidates baptized, King Neptune declared that the baptism was accepted, and departed along with his entourage. The crew celebrated the successful equator-crossing ceremony with a feast.
