Report 8: Before, at and after the equator
For a long time the wind was weak low air pressure prevailed, the closer we got to the equator (doldrums belt), where there is often no wind.
We had set course to the port of discharge, Paranaguá, a town about 300 km south-west of Santos. We slept on deck in our hammocks; sometimes we also had our meals there. And when we arrived at the Equator three days before, there was no wind to be felt at all.
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We came across the equatorial line. Those who thought that there would be a jolt through the entire ship, were bitterly disappointed. Instead there was a terrible noise from a rampaging mob of half-naked men, smeared with oil and blubber, chasing the trainees onto the prow, where every individual was grabbed and smeared with elixirs of life from top to bottom and subjected to a life-threatening baptism in a large pool of water.
My baptismal name was “Alk”. As far as the albatross type birds are concerned they are sea divers with legs far back on their body living in cool Arctic waters. There were no great emotions or any similarity to those creatures on my side.
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Must have felt great to stay in a hammock