New Year's Eve- 2002

New Year's Eve

December 31, 2002

Somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

Heading Towards Galapagos

The seas had been rough on this day so most of us retreated to our cabins to suffer silently with our motion sickness. But I chose to stay up and welcome in the new year. And I discovered that the only ones who stayed up were the crew and me.  And every crew member was extremely drunk.  They were dangerously drunk.  They were so drunk that I had fleeting moments where I thought I was going to have to step in and take control of the ship.

Apparently, there is an old sea tradition in Ecuador that you burn an effigy of an old widow who symbolized "out with the old and in with the new". She was to represent all of your bad vibes from last year.  And as soon as she was all burned, new vibes come your way.

So these sailors made a mock up of an old woman.  They doused her in gasoline and stuffed her in a milk crate.  They wrapped two or three of our limited life jackets around the crate.  And then they set it on fire.  RIGHT ON THE BACK DECK OF THE SHIP.  There was a small fire on the ship.  And everyone, but me, thought this was hilarious.

Someone finally kicked the old woman off the ship and we watched as she bobbled up and down in the waves in a blaze of flames and glory.  When the sea finally took her and drown her, everyone cheered and then a sailor came over and gave me a big, wet, sloppy, whiskey kiss right on my lips. I had thought for a fleeting moment of reporting him to the captain.  But then the captain came up to me and planted a kiss on me as well.  And I think he was hoping for a little tongue action.

I decided it was in my best interest just to go to bed.  I couldn't afford to see any more.  And so I did.  And the next morning, the crew just carried on with all of their duties with professionalism and hang overs.