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Qingdao Adds Solstice Pagan Ritual on the Atlantic Crossing

June 24, 2014 by jarndt
Qingdao Adds Solstice Pagan Ritual on the Atlantic Crossing

Nothing like conjuring up special powers to help your race efforts!  Qingdao finds strange happenings aboard fon the solstice:

Summer Solstice. The longest day of the year. An important day in the Pagan calendar. It's older than Christianity and has an ever increasing number of modern day followers. I'm not superstitious. Some people are! Today, strange happenings were afoot on board that cannot be easily explained.

I was on deck this morning to see the sun rise. In the distance, as we were changing sails from the Yankee to spinnaker I could see from the corner of my eye what looked like a huge container ship. Later on, it looked more like a headland all lit up. Next to it was an ocean cruise liner terminal with the QE2 or Queen Mary moored alongside. To the right was what appeared to be a street full of bars and restaurants all brightly lit in the dark sky around. I sat with Wendy and Margaret and gaped in awe at this amazing site. Atlantis perhaps? We are 500 miles from land after all. After about an hour or more, this city slowly slipped into the deep blue sea and clouds soon replaced the void left behind.

Skipper Gareth appeared dressed in his Chinese red cloak; tied firmly around his neck it enveloped his whole body with the hood almost covering the whole of his face and his toes poking out from beneath the gown. He stood proudly, with Chinese staff in hand, on the bowsprit. Gazing towards the heavens, arms aloft.

Chanting some sacred sailors prayer. Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme all being scattered around the boat. Some passing dolphins and flying fish showed some interest but nobody seemed interested in catching any for breakfast. Why had they raided the galley without my permission? How am I supposed to season the evening meal without herbs?

"Hubble bubble toil and trouble, Gods of the sea and Gods of the land, send your humble servants some wind!" AH HA! So it was skipper’s usual morning prayers. Phew!

 George, the youngest, sat huddled in a corner. Eyes wide open, like a gazelle frozen in time, staring into the head lamps of an oncoming truck.

Watching the solstice ceremony unfolding in front of his innocent eyes.

Perhaps he kept it quiet on purpose? Perhaps I'd never noticed because I'd never asked the question before. But after helping with the herb scattering on deck, Peter superhuman Brumby started his sacred Pagan dance. "Bring me Sunshine!" first brought to the general public's attention by the famous Pagan Duo Morecombe and Wise. He Verrily danced along the deck followed by Chinese crew mates Vicky and Fiona. Skipping along, one hand behind head, the other hand behind lower back, opposite heels clipping alternate buttock cheeks. Then a creature appeared from below deck. Sunken sleep deprived eyes, protruding cheek bones, gaunt pale face. Pulling himself onto deck without the use of his weakened skinny legs. 

"Good morning sunshine"  was his cry!

"Good morning Jay" we all replied in unison. 

At this moment, a golden bright round sun appeared through the clouds, almost blinding me on the helm. Sending flickering sparkles across the ocean. As if a million candles were lit for one moment for our eyes only.

A magical sight. It stayed with us for only a minute or two before heading behind some dark clouds above.

Jay and Peter took each other into their arms and embraced before passionately kissing. All part of the ceremony I was later told!

At this point I saw poor innocent George sweeping the mixed herbs from the deck into his tobacco pouch before rolling another smoke. Poor lad, he's always running out of tobacco. After watching all this on deck, perhaps he feels he needs one?

What was I thinking about during all this commotion? The summer solstice is the longest day of the year! How much longer is it? 1 hour? 2 hours? more or less? Perhaps we'll get a bit of extra time needed to catch Invest Africa or Switzerland? What a shame I didn't realise before race start so I could've found the answer. That kind of information would give any racing yacht a definite competitive advantage. Why didn't skipper mention this before? How could I find the answer today?

The Clipper Round the World Yacht Race? Sometimes exciting, often times quiet, sometimes physically demanding, difficult and frustrating!

All the same, it's still an amazing experience, especially during the summer solstice.

 

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