Position: 00 degrees, 24 minutes south; 147 degrees, 04 minutes west 130 nm day
As I write this blog Bob is below getting dinner and we are just 29 miles south of the equator. Wow. This is an emotional point in our journey. We just watched the sun set and the first of the stars arrive. We have been watching two planets chase each other across the sky during this passage. Jupiter and Venus are so bright they are always the first to greet us after sunset. But tonight we had a special treat.
If you click and enlarge this you can just see the two planets in the upper left third of the sky.
As the sun’s glow dimmed we could see the Southern Cross directly behind us. Such a sight will forever be in our memories. But as we mentioned last night, we are nearing the Northern Hemisphere and that means the Big Dipper. And sure enough, as the Southern Cross saluted us from the south we looked north and were greeted by the entire Big Dipper welcoming us to the Northern Hemisphere. We can’t quite see Polaris, the “North Star” as it is still below the horizon since we are south of the equator.
One of the symbols on my tattoo is a stylized star. Three years ago, I asked Fati, the tattoo artist in the Marquesas, to create a design that encompassed both the Southern Cross and the Big Dipper. The Southern Cross is an obvious request…we crossed the equator, we saw the constellation. The Big Dipper is a special constellation for me. I am one of seven kids. In fact I am the middle child. It is hard to make seven children feel special and unique. I am sure it was exhausting. My mother took me outside one night when I was feeling like just one of many and pointed to the Big Dipper. “Do you see the Big Dipper, Ann? How many stars are there?” Seven, of course. “But look again,” she said. “Do you see the middle star? Do you see how it connects the pot to the handle?” Sure. “It is the most important one. That’s you, my middle star.”
I have wonderful memories of life in the South Pacific. Amazing friends in New Zealand, wonderful cruising friends and memories of a specific, very special village in Fulanga. But I LOVE seeing the Big Dipper again. We will celebrate as we cross the equator (not quite seeing it in the dark) but we will put a note in a bottle, drop it over the side and count our blessings. Hello Northern Hemisphere!
And, here’s some pictures of 4th of July aboard Charisma
Dinner was hot dogs - sort of. Ann put Vienna Sausages in our mac and cheese to come as close as we could...
...then we topped it off with s'mores cooked over the stove. Yay!
How beautifully, put Ann. And what a wonderful story about your mother – she was obviously a real star, too, but I know I don’t have to tell you that.
I hope your last Southern Hemisphere dinner was a memorable one. Take care both of you.
Do you get another special name for crossing the equator to the North?
Beautiful memory, I will think of that the next time I get to see the Big Dipper
Ann! You’re making me cry at work! The Southern Cross and the Big Dipper. Very cool.
Since you didn’t mention anything about the weather I’m assuming it’s still behaving itself and you’re still on the Moonbeam ocean freeway. Good.
Two things blazed into my brain as I read your account Ann:
First, what an amazing mother you have. Her empathetic insight into you as a young person was incredible and her ability to use the stars as a metaphor for your uniqueness was the genius of pure love.
Second, how pure and wonderful life is removed from the trappings of civilization. Or, at least, from the metro/suburban beehive of modern humanity. The anticipation of dinner in preparation, a milestone in a long journey, the pattern of heavenly lights, and memories of family and friends – pure, simple joie de vie!
Sail on, sail on sailors….