Revisiting Lord Neptune-Equator crossing number 6

Blast from the Past

 Yet another equator crossing 6th for the Tarunis as a team and 3rd for Tarini as we steadily paved our way for another tryst with lord Neptune we did have quite funny interactions with Neptune at equator in the past some fun some lull and some squall so we were quite prepared to meet Neptune this time around.. Let us give a small brief of time tested tradition that has been carried out by seafarers when they cross equator. For the benefit of readers …Seafarers who have already crossed the equator are called as shell backs and those who have not are nicknamed Pollywogs.

Earth and Equator Choco Walnut Cake

The ritual is an initiation ceremony presided over by King Neptune (the ancient ruler of the seas) with a crown over his head and trident in his hand The oldest shellback in the ship/boat acts as lord Neptune. As a tradition the pollywogs are dunked into water at sea to cleanse them of dirt and impurities first physically i've heard they are even made to drink seawater for some internal cleansing.. And then mentally by being punished by Lord Neptune the punishment can be of any nature and the pollywog has no option but to bear the brunt…(Source Cdr Niel Manjooran)

Right foot first

Makes me remember our first ever equator crossing when Swatcat the only shellback in our team had a ball of time with us pollywogs.. Dunking in the sea wasn’t required as we already take frequent showers with water from our water maker and even drink it..she gave us all some punishments which has us in splits when performing. We had offered some halwa to lord neptune..Guess he likes us... Because since that equator crossing Neptune called us back many a times to get some tasty treats and surprise us with a different weather phenomenon on each visit we made since then. .Glassy calm Sea, Squally night ,brilliantly lit starry night, absolutely cloudy night, Heat in the middle of the day that roasted us, Mesmerizing sunrise and sunsets Fair winds and following seas but also winds from nowhere and we at a standstill…you name it and we have witnessed it at the equator.

So this equator crossing was quite an event as we have upgraded our cooking skills also since we sailed out first a Delicious chocolate walnut Cake Prepared by Swtacat awaited lord Neptune as we approached equator.. now from our past visits we have also learnt that Neptune is quite cranky and acts funny even if one of us is not up and about to greet him so despite being 0450 in the morning the entire team was up to say hello. Our youngster Puko cut the cake and we sang a reprised version of Happy equator crossing (Happy birthday glorified) after counting down the seconds that showed our position changing from North to South Oh! We did not find a line going across the sea so we drew a Zero degree line as a icing on our round cake which represented the earth and cut across it-Symbolic isn’t it? That adds another shell to our backs. Fiberglass sandwich shellbacks…lol (That one was for the boat builder)

This was the time when we realized that from now on we will be in the southern hemisphere rest of the year and most of the part of the voyage until we commence our last leg from cape town-our home run Nostalgic and sweet pain of separation yet again so here we stride ahead but alas! It only been a day that we have crossed equator and the lull has hit us let me tell you it’s not the stormy nights but the windless ones that really vex us there is scotching heat outside and our watermaker has developed some hypertension poor thing needs some undivided attention and cajoling to rev up again-vexed vexed! Some good rain and winds might calm down our nerves   

The family that stays together

Until then Cheerios!

Hey croc! it’s our watch now let’s put some sunscreen and step out!     

Wishing our mentor- Guruji Capt Dilip Donde SC (Retd.) a very happy birthday we dedicate this equator crossing to him… we are because you are sir…Hail Shellbacks!!  

Upcoming Blog—"Sanctity of a Seafarer lies in her solitude-A philosophical passage"   

A verse to the sea

                     

To the vast expanse of the deep blue sea

To a world above you and me 

To the birds that sing a song to Thee

To the sea I heard that sets one free 

To existence enormous you hide underneath

So aloof from this crazy breed

Yet the closest in your reach

Behold , until we meet

For what you seek is what I seek

I am the end, you are the means 

                                            VJ

Nights of adventure

Life is a stepwise adventure. Sometimes,the more we explore, the more it leaves us bewildered with its mysteries.Yesterday was one such night. The first watch (Swatcat & Gator) sighted a blot of light at a distance right astern of us. It looked like a fishing vessel initially,that being an obvious interpreation considering our experiences with the fishermen in the past few days nor would it display in our automatic identification system. As they constantly kept a watch on the light they realised the bearing of the light with respect to us wouldnt change at all. Considering a speed of 8 kn that we constantly making good, it felt quite a lot for a fishing vessel motoring in a choppy weather. After about an hour of constant following by this light it started closing us at a greater speed and as it drew nearer it strangely never made the slightest of noise a motoring boat would normally do. It closed us

And then it moved back to its previous bearing right astern of us. The next one hour were constantly being chased by this what we named a USO (Unidentified sailing object). As I woke up, Swatcat and Gator made me privy to this strange thing they had sighted. As we kept observing our suspicion

would only increase. This little light woudnt cease to chase us or may be were too lit to become a guiding light for it. We thereafter switched off all internal lights, even our navigation lights and altered course to check if it would still follow us. To our pleasantness the light gradually faded away after that. Mystery prevails and may be we wouldnt ever come to know what this strange little thing was!

Soon the night amazed us yet another time the waters shone with many many dolphins swooping past us visible only as streaks of bioluminiscence criss-crossing their paths in the vicinity of the boat. Its something we could never capture in our cams only the eyes that can absorb the eternal beauty of this entire universe that's perennially active under us. 

We crossed the Lanka on the 19th and headed bit south before making a deliberate alteration of course to meet up with the Ravana again, who we hoped would give us slightly better winds required for an easterly push before we entered the unpredictable ITCZ (Inter Tropical Convergence Zone). Lord Ravana did listen to our desire, giving us nothing less than a 30 knots blow instead, launched us east and kept us swinging throughout the night. Regaining a south east by the morning, as we gradually make way towards the equator, I see a message from a friend (I can take the liberty of calling her Godmother;))

She seems very curious about the following things:-

1. 'Aap Khate kya ho?'

Ans. Mostly vegetarians, we sometimes like to eat peoples brains too.

2.  Aap sote ho ki nahi?

Ans. Nah. We are Faujis, always awake.

3.  Aap equator kab cross karoge?

Ans. Right now! 

4.  Jab cross karoge tab kya karoge?

Ans. Not sure. But I am sure you would have beaten us by now if you were here.

P.S. These were serious answers but we would like to give more serious answers too if its need of the hour!?:)So we look forward to making the blog more interactive as it would only help us

frame it better when we do. 

Signing off until next time.

Rain, Sun and a lot of Fishermen Oh what Fun!

 It’s been Exactly a week that we set Asail from Goa and finally the day has come when we crossed Indian peninsula will come back now only next year Nostalgic…this longing and sense of separation from motherland is quite overwhelming probably one of the reasons why we were hugging the coastline all the way down ..Going ahead smoothly now in the Lankan waters …let me give a quick recap of what occurred over past few days of the voyage…

Care to join for a Movie?

While initially “Tarunis of Tarini”(Quote PM)  wondered if we get favourable winds.. The days were dry while the night gave us showers. Skipper and puko were the first to encounter rains The rain showed its “Jalwa” like swatcat says and gave a tough life to the night watch keepers  winds gusting up to 30 kts and then in the next  15 minutes coming to as low as 8kts Adjusting and Readjusting the sails,Furling and unfurling the head sails kept the hands busy on watch and also did not give a nice night’s sleep to the off watch keepers inside as they would pop up constantly to help out the watch keepers(when we are lying inside we can feel the wind picking up it itches us to step out and have a look)..Swatcat who was on watch with gator(me) would look out and say “aa raha he ek aur Jalwa” and we will be out in a jiffy to do the requisite adjustments. One of these nights got the better of us so much that we blessed the next watch keepers (Skipper and puko) to have a smooth watch.it was also heart wrenching to find Croc and Shou early in the morning with drenched heads despite their raingears saying “why don’t you get your shampoos and soaps it’s raining crazy out here” The watch keepers kept their towels handy in the cockpit coming in once in a while to wipe their face off rain as it obstructed their vision like “Tennis players in middle of their game” well this is the sport we play standing out there in the rain with our Henry Lloyds keeping us dry.  Well, for the better I believe we made hay while the sun shone (actually when it rained) and covered a good distance over a short time don’t you think?
The cherry on top of this chaos were the fishermen who popped up anytime from anywhere. Now, the poor chaps are not aware how to go about when in a close encounter situation with another boat (Tarini) which for them looked pretty much out of place…as if we were encroaching their territory given the conditions of the sea… And come what may! They will always cross us from right ahead even if there is plenty of room behind the boat and no amount of light flashing or shouting “Anna” (Karnataka coast) and “Cheta”(Kerala Coast) will take them out of our way and we had to constantly be on a vigil to change and adjust our own heading to keep out of their way. Sometimes our heart goes out to these guys when we watch them tossing and turning middle of the night being there every night to earn a living for tomorrow.. Respect guys!

Why so slow network?

Surprisingly enough! The days were quite sunny (extreme heat)as compared to the nights and allowed us to dry our raingear ,have a look around the boat outside ,the sails and shackles outside fix up a little here and tighten a little there and prepare for the rainy night(isn’t that a saying?)
A little insight to what the girls do during off watch hours these days.. this was when puko was going through her own tummy troubles and occupied WC most of the time causing quite discomfort to others on board-some little domestic issues.. I myself declared holiday to self when not on watch, lethargic (probably settling down time to the sea)- left the responsibility of blog and photographs to the fate of others and coaxed my partner in crime Croc(Pratibha) to play scrabble and watch movies with me or she coaxed me??(never realise who spoils the other amongst us )- SwatCat and Shou(Vijaya) watch movies while relishing on some homemade goodies from their respective home take a closer look and you realise they are actually watching a telugu movie and Swatcat is translating the movie to Shou (break the barriers girls!!)...VJ(skipper) and Puko have taken the vow of cleanliness (Girls and OCD gosh!)and are found cleaning the galley and the boat insides during their waking hours (middle watch keepers 12 to 4 morning and night-found sleeping otherwise when off watch) sometimes pulling us all into the groove …we were quite close to the coast yesterday before we bid farewell to the Indian coast and network popped up on our mobile phone for so long duration that everyone of us had a word with friends and family for quite long.. vedio calls and all
During the evening  when the weather was clear the serendipitous six step out to enjoy the breeze make some “chai and pakode” and put some music on and shake a leg and relish the moment… looking ahead for many such evenings  Tarini signs off it’s a clear starlit night outside and I want to feel the wind in my hair..      
P.S  Rather funny that we are already victims of plagiarism…random unidentified strangers publishing our content without ever informing us. I guess” success has too many fathers”(quote Croc) but don’t you think you should rather wait until we finish the voyage dude? Such a shame..
                    

From Puko's Diary

I have been a bit down with loose stools since a while. The feeling may not all that great at sea especially when one has to visit the w.c. frequently. The required tablet we knew for it was Norflox however what we had was Norfloxacin. We thought it a better idea to confirm from the medico if this was the right tablet. She mailed us and confirmed it was the same as Norflox and can be taken. What I learnt about this is that we must be cautious about our food habits at sea and that we must be careful of the medicines we consume since consuming a wrong tablet could do more harm than good. Our actions need to be deliberate and cautious. For the readers, I have recovered from the upset stomach infact I am dancing with joy at the moment. 

Today is the sixth day of our voyage. This night while I was on the middle watch, a cargo vessel named Gulf Moon on our starboard bow was approaching close to us hence I quickly called it on the VHF set and he immediately agreed to alter his course and keep clear of us. At sea, I have learnt that seafarers are very nice and polite and responsive unlike at land where we find people arguing for no reasons in the middle of a traffic and refuse to give way. These little things at ocean teach us to respect humanity. After Gulf Moon altered the course, he called us back and in an inquisitive voice he said 'Ma'am, are you the same sailing vessel which is circumnavigating the globe, as I read about it on FB'. When VJ affirmed about it saying that we had started our voyage on 10 Sep, Gulf Moon wished us a safe and happy sailing. Honestly, in the middle of the night, we felt like a friend calling us to say hello which also made us overcome a tough long night amongst the fishing traffic.

We also saw many fishing boats in the last few days, one of them looked like a party boat as the fishermen joyfully recovered their nets dansing in unison on the tunes of ' Ullu ka Pattha Hai!'. Needless to say, we didnt miss the opportunity to dance back from our little boat and it almost became a DJ moment!

Gator(Aish) and Swatcat on my demand prepared Chowmein the chinese style, it was a sight to capture. 

As I finish my watch, I am reminded of a recent advertisement of our voyage by 'Amul' where we the six are seen to be hogging on bread and butter. The caption says 'Nayi Umang Navy Adventure'

The party boat

Utterly Butterly

Isent it so Utterly Butterly Delicious?")

Departure continued

The lines that secured us to the berth were now off and we soon got our sea legs settling with a squall that took us out from the harbour in no time. An armada of sailboats launched from INWTC Goa had come to bid us farewell . They had been trying their best to catch up with us but with us heading swiftly to the west and the weather that approached, it looked like they were forced to return soon. Cdr SP Singh, Officer-in-Charge INWTC Goa sent us a message later that said " As we returned back, it got completely dark with rain and storm but we took courage from you and continued and finally reached back by the evening". We were amazed to see their gesture and it has undoubtedly been a memorable farewell.

We quickly got into the sea routine after devouring the pre cooked meals that came from Mandovi. Good we didnt have to start cooking from Day 1 onwards or else we would have lost out on the precious sleep time that we all had been craving for! The watches were soon allocated and the crew peacefully rolled into the day's doings. 

Yesterday however turned out to be a nil breeze day. This caused us to cross the infamous Grandie Island in 26 hours, breaking our previous record of the slowest crossing in 12 hrs. Perhaps this was it wanted to hold us back for more time before letting us go for the big voyage. The only way to sail across this windlessness would perhaps be to sail closer to the coast taking advantage of the land and sea breeze. The night was cloudy and we were greeted with great opportunity of  having a fresh water shower at 3 in the morning, a great releif indeed, from the scorching heat of the day.

We also did a bit of Shramdan (Cleanship) this morning and juggled with the onboard items to equalise weights on both sides of the boat. It now feels much cleaner and settled than the day we set off. Payal prepared a yum curry for lunch alongwith Raita and Rice which was devoured in no time. 

Our Godfather Admiral Awati has sent us a poem boosting our spirits for the voyage. Heres a copy of it.

   

Accolades Observations and Acknowledgements

Lets just Go

 AHOY! A Cry let out by a seafarer when he spots land for the first time... but I believe there should be a similar exclamation or more a relieving sound that should be allowed to be let out by the crew when they finally set to sail as well …such were our feelings when set to the sea on 10th Sep 17 ie..Yesterday what a day it was oh my my ! Flagged off by the Defense minister herself  8 days after she took chair one thing that she said registered with us was-“ this was not an event that occurs every  5 years and 10 years it an even that will go down in history” so carrying this big responsibility on our shoulders we set out on this voyage…but all the pomp and show and the preparations that went towards it for the past few weeks got the better of us and left us sleep deprived…so as the watch keepers set about watching over the boat rest of the crew caught up on some sleep…Tarini our savior and our home for the time ahead rocked us to deep slumber with light winds and calm seas away from the cacophony of the land just enough to leave us energized

Relishing Mandovi Dhokla

Happy to be at Sea

Surprisingly no meal was cooked on board on Day 1 and the crew found comfort in goodies provided by INS Mandovi Wardroom Mess however Lavish Breakfast and Lunch were prepared as is the routine for the crew..

  

First lunch meal

Some phenomenon observed by the crew yesterday maybe the readers can provide inputs as to why they happen 

1. Over a large area in the sea an accumulation of bio luminescence was observed about 1 cable otherwise quite less quantity is seen near land.

2. A lot of dragonflies and moths were present on board all throughout the day a phenomenon not observed earlier. Does proximity to land trigger such organisms to visit?? Some food for thought and Points to ponder for folks on land…

It goes without saying that to commence this journey it  was a collective effort not just by the crew but a lot of other people…family, friends, well-wishers  or all in one …we acknowledge their contribution through this blog.

Token of loveon navigation Table

Helping Long hands

First and foremost our godfather Vice Admiral Manohar Awati for seeing a vision of ocean sailing by women.. His health did not permit him to travel for our cast off ceremony but his blessings came to us in the form of email and a picture of Tarini Goddess from Orissa and A little statue of Ganapati for good beginnings we missed you there Admiral! ..Capt Dilip Donde…our mentor for a constant guidance all through there with us on the boat untill the moment we left watching over us…our fall back option. Always there for us even when we are at sea or land understands us even without saying it probably takes the patience of a circumnavigator to tolerate the cribs and frustration of and all women’s crew  and still be able to guide us in the right direction glad we have you with us and some material and non-materials memoirs you gave us to take along Mr Ratnakar Dandekar for a patient hearing to all our little modifications that were required inside the boat and building and excellent boat that not just the country people but the whole world looks up to your guys specially Sachin and Dattaram are our right and left hand men for fixing up the boat ... Cdr Abhilash Tomy For all the light hearted entertainment and inputs for the voyage we wish him Luck for the upcoming Golden Globe Race..Director Indian Naval Sailing Association Cdr Niel Manjooran and his excellent team for dealing with bureaucracy diplomatically and tying up with all external agencies and excellent control over the entire voyage…Our Officer In Charge Ocean sailing node Capt Atool Sinha, Commanding officer,Officers and Staff of INS Mandovi  and Ocean Sailing Node for always being there for us in the hour of need organising the events leading upto the cast of ceremony managing our Admin and logistics and being a great Base support .. the PR team of navy for all the media coverage ..The various training schools and instructors of Indian Navy who taught us some important elements related to this voyage .All the units and nodal agencies of the navy who have contributed  by speedy approvals also Our own previous units and  officers who helped us become a part of this journey quite smoothly …The Naval Wives Welfare Association Mandovi for giving us a food hamper that we pounced upon soon after opening it 

chocolates

Token of love from NWWA

Our own family and friends who were with us until the last minute preparing the boat cleaning I inside out and stocking it up with a  piece of love and memories to last us for this voyage and beyond… any amount of words of gratitude I write for you will never be enough for your contribution. By the way just that we are sailing away for a while now it doesn’t stop you from communicating stay in touch and RESPOND when we try to get in touch with you it gets us worried 

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As a closing remark today we have some leftover works on land forgotten and misplaced few stuff for which we did not find time and might be able to do them only upon return so signing off on a funny note from somewhere off Karnataka waters 

SwatcatC(Swathi) forgot her 1 litre shampoo bottle that she bought exclusively for this voyage Sigh!

Puko(Payal) and Gator(Aishwarya-self) seem to have lost their expensive oakleys nowhere to be found god makes my heart squirm in pain 

VJ(Skipper) Seem to have forgotten to give a gift to her friend who came to see her off for the cast off what is this gift? Will it reach him anyhow? Its left to or own imagination as she refuses to let out any information