Jump in a lake
Slide in the rain
When I’m dry start over again
Surf on a board, sail in the wind
LET’S GET SOAKED TO THE SKIN
Hear ye, hear ye…’tis once again time for King Neptune to board our fair vessel and grant us rightful passage from one side of the equator to the other.
Which means it’s time for everyone involved to get very very slimy, and very very wet.
I’m actually not sure how many Crossing the Line Ceremonies I have now participated in, but this one was by far, the best. The weather was the perfect middle-ground ,not too hot, but not so cold that the people who were sent to “bake” were better off than the people in the pool! The ship’s staff was cruel this year, with most people being sent to the rocks instead of into the drink…until of course, we got to the entertainment department.
Captain we do not wish you to be mean, but look at the pool, it’s just way too CLEAN
When our hapless stagehands hit the tables I looked at my fellow medic and she looked at me.
How are you at lifting?
And we each grabbed one end of the tub of multi-coloured goo and tipped the whole thing over our final ‘patient’, much to the glee of the audience who were only a few steps away from us. Entertainment ended up in the drink.
And then something…rather unexpected happened.
Y’see, it’s always been tradition that the medics take the plunge at the end of the ceremony, if only because we are by that point completely covered in pink, green and blue slime (and in my case, I even had it on my face this year, because one of my pollywogs fought back!), but that’s usually where the line is drawn. There is however, always a bit of a joke about it…as we were all lining the sides of the pool waiting for the Cruise Director’s final words, we were somewhat surprised to hear
And now for a tradition so tried, true and cool, let’s try and get the Captain into the pool…
And we all burst out laughing, and everyone starts beckoning towards the ship’s staff, and lo and behold, our dear captain holds up his hands in defeat, removes his name tag, watch etc etc, and dives head first into the pool. I think he actually got slimed first. This led to something of an onset of hilarious insanity, two of us slimed the Hotel Director, who then proceeded to chase me around the pool, and ultimately throw me into the pool (at least I think it was him, it may have been one of my team mates), and by the time I spluttered to the surface the entire ship’s staff was in the water (in full uniform), as well as all the medics, all the freshly christened shellbacks, half the pirates…and even King Neptune himself, and the Cruise Director, who both went in in full costume. And last but not least, Jersey, our travel guide who never gets in the water because she always has a lecture afterwards took the plunge near the end. By which point the captain had hoisted himself out of the water, only to shrug, turn around and execute a perfect dive back in again just as the band hit its final note of the morning.
There are many many pictures that the guests will have snapped of us all treading water at the deep end of the pool, grinning somewhat maniacally and trying desperately not to laugh.
All things being equal, I think we can be pretty assured of a safe passage from His Majesty this season…
That sounds like way too much fun!!