Kissanga

The crossing of the equator is scheduled for this morning. We are getting ready. You would think that it was Santa Claus who was coming by. On board, the excitement is at its peak. For the uninitiated sailors, the first crossing of the equator is a special moment, and a small «ceremony» is necessary. We contacted Neptune, the God of the Sea, by VHF to ask him if he was available, but he was in a meeting. He authorized Francesco to replace him. A few minutes later, our captain left his cabin, reincarnated as Neptune: blue toga, gilded crown and shell posed on his long hair. Armed with his trident and a bucket of sea water, he baptized us one by one on the trampoline. Then we prepared our bottle for the sea with our drawings, letters and offerings for Neptune. Each person was given a diploma for crossing the equator, since we were all newbies. We advanced at a good speed, with the waves now coming from three-quarters aft. We could finally open the deck hatches and ventilate the catamaran. Inside everything was wet. It felt good. A few pieces of laundry were drying in the sun. What luxury! And then suddenly, «zzzzzzzzz», the two fishing rods jerked at the same time. We saw in our wake a kind of floating raft (an FAD, a fish aggregating device), Francesco thinks that the lures have clung to it and he asks for a knife to cut them off. The noise of the reels stops... and starts again: no, they are fish! We go back up the lines, well organized: it’s a nice surprise. First a superb wahoo and then a beautiful tuna on the other side! Neptune granted our wishes! We poured a glass of rum into the sea to thank him. Francesco prepared some lovely fillets and steaks from the fish and we put the heads aside to make a beautiful fish soup, Kissanga began to resemble a fishmonger’s or a cannery. The tuna was already served up at lunchtime with tuna burgers and homemade yam fries: A delight. The afternoon was devoted to digesting lunch. We even treated ourselves to a sunbathing session at the front of the boat!

Who: Francesco, Emilie, Matteo, Elisa & Moana (hitching a ride)
Where: Crossing the Pacific Ocean
Multihull: Venezia 42
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