Maltese Falcon

Photographs from the Teahupoo surf break, Tahiti, French Polynesia, April 28, 2008

On the evening of Monday, April 28, 2008, a tender full of guests and crew of S/Y Maltese
Falcon made its way south from the yacht's anchorage to view the world famous Teahupoo surf
break at the southern tip of Tahiti. The first week of May holds the annual Billabong Surf
contest at Teahupoo, and while we missed the action of Monday afternoon's 'Wildcard'
qualification rounds, we did catch the 'free' surfing in the last hour of the day. We were thus
lucky enough to see some of the world's best surfers on one of the world's best surf break here
in the paradise of French Polynesia.

Here are some photographs from the afternoon.

All photos: Ed Giles.

Ed Giles

S/Y Maltese Falcon

Tahaa and Bora Bora, April 23, 2008.

Sunset over the motus of Tahaa with Bora Bora in the background, French Polynesia, April 23
2008. Photo: Ed Giles.

Ed Giles

S/Y Maltese Falcon

Some pictures of The Maltese Falcon Sailing in the Society Islands, French Polynesia.

S/Y Maltese Falcon sails at sunset on the inside passage between the islands of Raiatea and Tahaa,
French Polynesia, April 19, 2008. Photos: Gunnar Smith.

Ship's Log, Bora Bora, French Polynesia, April 19, 2008.

A photograph from our current location in French Polynesia, the Island of Bora Bora.

Two outrigger-canoeists paddle through the Baie de Povai at the Island of Bora Bora, French
Polynesia, April 19 2008. Photo: Ed Giles.

Ed Giles

S/Y Maltese Falcon

http://www.symaltesefalcon.com

Ship’s Log, Tahiti to Raiatea, French Polynesia, March 14 - April 12, 2008. Ship’s Log, Tahiti to Raiatea, French Polynesia, March 14 - April 12, 2008.

16.39’ S, 51.33’ W

After a week of provisioning and refueling alongside the dock in Papetee, Tahiti, the crew of
S/Y Maltese Falcon made their final preparations for the yacht’s first charter in French Polynesia
on Friday March 21, 2008. Departing Papetee Harbor under full sail at 0820 hours, the Falcon
set course for Cook’s Bay, Moorea, for a day of swimming and water sports for her guests
under the spectacularly steep ridges and cliffs which tower over one of Moorea’s two large,
protected harbors.

Weighing anchor again at 1710 hours, S/Y Maltese Falcon sailed out of Cook’s Bay on course
for the atoll of Rangiroa in the Tuamotu archipelago, famous for their crystal clear water and
untouched palm-lined coral islands. After covering over 210 nautical miles in roughly eighteen
hours, the Falcon entered the largest of the Tuamotu atolls at 1200 hours on Saturday, March
22, through the Tiputa Pass and dropped anchor shortly afterwards.

The crew and guests of the Maltese Falcon spent the next day exploring the underwater world
of Rangiroa’s northern lagoon and the Tiputa Pass – a location famous among divers for drift
dives in the current that runs through the channel between atoll lagoon and open ocean. Divers
shared the water with dolphins, sharks and rays and snorklers swam with schools of
multicolored fish curious enough to swim only inches from faces and stare back through dive
masks’ glass.

Motoring south on March 23, the Falcon picked her way through Rangiroa’s expansive lagoon.
A crew member was sent aloft in the foremast performing ‘crow’s nest’ spotting duty and a
tender complete with depth sounder led the way, ensuring the world’s largest privately owned
yacht was protected from making contact with any uncharted coral heads under the lagoon’s
surface. After traveling twenty six nautical miles to the deserted southern end of Rangiroa, an
anchorage was found off a small palm-lined island where crew and guests witnessed a
spectacular sunset among rail squalls that skirted the yacht but luckily left her dry.

Traveling back to the northern end of the atoll the next morning, the Falcon again dropped
anchor near the Tiputa pass for another session of spectacular diving before heading the pass
through a flood tide at 2030 hours, out to the open ocean and the next destination -Fakarava.

Arriving at 0700 hours, the Falcon briefly stopped at Fakarava’s northern end before heading
south through the atoll’s interior - again placing a crew member near the top of the foremast
to spot potential shallows in the lagoon’s waters. An anchorage was easily found near the
lagoon’s southern Tumakoahua pass, where the crew and guests’ ability to see the bottom of
the lagoon clearly in fifteen meters of water quickly encouraged expectations of the world
famous drift-diving in the pass. Expectations were indeed fulfilled over the next 48 hours, with
divers encountering a multitude of sharks and other tropical sea-life in the incredibly clear
waters of the pass.

Returning to the northern end of Fakarava’s lagoon on March 27, S/Y Maltese Falcon exited the
atoll in the early afternoon and set sail for Toau approximately 15 nautical miles distant. After a
brief overnight stop in this secluded atoll’s lagoon, the Maltese Falcon departed the Tuamotu
archipelago and set course again for the Society Islands to the south-west.

Covering the 280 nautical miles in just over twenty four hours, almost entirely under sail, S/Y
Maltese Falcon anchored again at Moorea around 1100 hours on March 29. With jet-skis and
tenders in the water, guests enjoyed an afternoon of water sports and swimming with dolphins
before attending a traditional polynesian dance performance on a white-sand beach after
sunset.

Over the next days, the crew and guests of the Falcon passed by Huahine, Raiatea and Tahaa,
setting sail to tour the islands and diving again to see tightly packed underwater life along
with the wreck of a square-rigger yacht sunk in the early 1920’s on Raiatea on April 1.
Traveling onto other islands, S/Y Maltese Falcon visited the infamous Bora Bora with its clear,
turquoise reef-waters and spectacular cliffs rising above lush, green jungle hillsides. After three
days of exploring what has been labeled one of the most beautiful anchorages in the world and
fare-welling guests, the Falcon returned to dock again in Papeete.

Again, along with enjoying some time on land and an opportunity to explore some of Tahiti
itself, the crew prepare for another exciting trip in our South Pacific charter season to begin in
the next few days. Stay tuned for more exciting tales of the Pacific voyage of The Maltese
Falcon!

Ed Giles

S/Y Maltese Falcon.

Photo Captions:

1) A tropical reef at the island of Huahine, French Polynesia, March 30, 2008. Photo: Ed Giles.

2) S/Y Maltese Falcon's foremast and foredeck as she sails through the islands of French
Polynesia, April 1, 2008. Photo: Ed Giles.

3) The bridge deck of S/Y Maltese Falcon and foremast at the island of Raiatea, April 2, 2008.
Photo: Ed Giles.

4) Sunset on the island of Tahaa, April 3, 2008. Photo: Ed Giles.

5) Two surfers paddle by a break off the island of Tahaa, April 3, 2008. Photo: Ed Giles.

6) Sunrise over the island of Bora Bora, April 7, 2008. Photo: Ed Giles.

7) Chief Engineer Sean Truscott sits on the aft-deck of S/Y Maltese Falcon, April 8, 2008.
Photo: Ed GIles.

8) S/Y Maltese Falcon anchored off the island of Moorea, March 21, 2008. Photo: Mark Healy.

9) 3rd Engineer Andy Morris stands by the cap-rail as S/Y Maltese Falcon enters the atolls of
Rangiroa, Tuamotu Islands, March 22, 2008. Photo: Mark Healy.

10) Bosun Larim Boudjellal drives one of the Falcon's tenders in the Tuamotu Islands, March 23,
2008. Photo: Mark Healy.

11) A dock with S/Y Maltese Falcon in the background, Tuamotu Islands, March 23, 2008.
Photo: Mark Healy.

12) Captain Chris Gartner flies his kite on a beach at Fakrava atoll, Tuamotu Islands, March 26,
2008. Photo: Jenell Tiller.

13) S/Y Maltese Falcon anchored off the island of Moorea, March 29, 2008. Photo: Chris
Gartner.

14) A shoal of fish at the island of Bora Bora, April 4, 2008. Photo: Tim Geering.

15) Personal Trainer Mark Healy snorkeling at Bora Bora, April 4, 2008. Photo: Tim Geering.

Ship’s Log, Eastern Pacific Ocean to French Polynesia and Tahiti, March 4 to March 12, 2008.

17.32’ S, 149.34’ W

Continuing the south-westward course begun in the Galapagos Islands on February 29, S/Y
Maltese Falcon entered the morning of March 5 under full sail, still pushed by the wind that had
leapt up from the south-east early on the morning before - the Pacific trades.

Between March 5 and March 10, S/Y Maltese Falcon averaged 11.5 knots in consistent winds
ranging from 12 to 25 knots at 110 to 120 degrees true, perfect conditions for the yacht’s
clipper-inspired carbon fiber Falcon rig. Sailing on a deep reach, during these five days the
Falcon covered at least 284 nautical miles per day, with her best day under full sail on Friday
the 7th at 302 miles.

Slicing through the eastern Pacific Ocean like a hot knife, S/Y Maltese Falcon only came into
contact with four other vessels during this time, on March 5 and 6. One, a small catamaran
whose crew we had met in the Galapagos Islands, we managed to complete an oceanic fly-by
with for a bit of activity, and others simply crossing paths with us on the Pacific’s great surface.
One very large vessel, sighted on March 5, mysteriously showed signals indicating “Not Under
Command”, providing an opportunity for the crew on bridge watch to wonder about how a
vessel might be way out here and not able to steer, motor or otherwise.

On the afternoon of March 8 the Falcon’s motors were used again alongside the power of the
Pacific’s reinforced trades and 2400 square meters of sail. Despite Tom, Captain Gartner and
the crew’s desire to sail the whole way across the Pacific, making it to Tahiti on shcedule for
our charter season required average speeds higher than those provided by current wind
conditions alone. On March 9, the wind increased in strength again but had unfortunately
backed eastward, dictating that one of the Falcon’s motors stay on to maintain high average
speeds of around 15 knots. A rainy day on March 10 brought us very near the Marquesas
Islands, the north-easternmost edge of French Polynesia and around 800 nautical miles from
Tahiti itself.

March 11 brought the Falcon to the Marquesas Islands, and into Baie de Taiohae on Nuka Hiva
where the crew had the opportunity to step foot on land for the first time in the twelve days
since leaving the Galapagos Islands. After a short time, some shore visits and a short
provisioning session, the crew of the Falcon waved goodbye to Tom - taking a flight back to
the USA - and our Chief Engineer, George, who was leaving the boat after approximately two
years on board. After only a few hours anchored off Nuka Hiva, the Falcon weighed anchor
again and in a spectacular sunset set sail for Tahiti to the south-west.

Sailing along again in great wind, main engines were powered down and switched off in the
early morning of the 12th. With consistent sailing through the night, the Falcon came into sight
of the atolls of the Tuamotu archipelago soon after sunrise on the 13th, and made a flyby of
Rangiroa around lunctime - a destination we will be returning to soon for its spectacular diving
and internal lagoon that measures 25 miles across! Continuing south-west for Tahiti, some
good squalls with up to 32 knots of wind passed over the boat in the early evening, and by the
early morning of the 14th the Falcon was sailing through spectacular lightning shows in every
direction. All sails unfurled, S/Y Maltese Falcon came into sight of Tahiti Nui at approximately
0700 hours, home of the archipelago’s capital, Papeete, and the yacht’s base in French
Polynesia until late June.

Pilot onboard and sails away at 0850, the Falcon cruised into Papetee harbor and came
alongside the dock at 0920 - her first time alongside a dock since leaving Antigua six weeks
and over seven thousand nautical miles prior.

Ed Giles

S/Y Maltese Falcon

Photo Captions:

1) The sun rises astern of S/Y Maltese Falcon, March 12, 2008. Photo: Ed Giles.

2) Rain water lies on the cap rail of S/Y Maltese Falcon as she sails through the Pacific between
the Marquesis Islands and Tahiti, French Polynesia, March 12, 2008. Photo: Ed Giles.

3) The aft deck of S/Y Maltese Falcon in the South Pacific Ocean, March 11, 2008. Photo: Ed
Giles.

4) Two crew members of S/Y Maltese Falcon drive one of the tender boats to shore in the
Marquesis Islands, March 11, 2008. Photo: Ed Giles.

5) Sunset off the shore of the Marquesis Islands, March 11, 2008. Photo: Ed Giles.

6) Lightning strikes between sky and water in front of S/Y Maltese Falcon a few hours before
her arrival in Tahiti, March 14, 2008. Photo: Ed Giles.

7) Captain Chris Gartner (L) and Spar Master Christian Truter (R) look from the bridge deck
toward Tahiti as S/Y Maltese Falcon completes her passage from the Galapagos Islands, March
14, 2008. Photo: Ed Giles.

Ship’s Log, Eastern Pacific Ocean, March 4, 2008.

6.59’ S 106.08’ W

On the
morning of March 2, The Maltese Falcon motor-sailed through the doldrums -
the infamously windless area approximately five degrees north and south of
the equator. The surface of the eastern Pacific reflected a glassy, smooth
image of the clouds above, and the breeze remained calm. All of this, while
quite stunning to see, signified a lack of significant air pressure to push
the hyper-modern clipper-yacht west-south-west toward her next destination,
Tahiti. As the windless Sunday took its course, a two meter swell from the
south-east rose and brought with it an increasing breeze, but still nothing
that would ensure a speedy Pacific passage under sail alone. The Falcon’s
detailed weather reports, delivered daily via satellite internet connection,

showed better pressure due south, and by the afternoon Tom and the crew on
bridge watch deviated from course to 180 degrees - due south - to chase this

patch of predicted ten-knot pressure and hopefully fill the clipper’s
sails with wind.

At 0430 on the morning of the third, as S/Y Maltese
Falcon neared 6 degrees south, the officer of the watch, Robert, noticed a
slight shift in wind and tacked the boat, rotating the clipper’s three
masts at high speed in anticipation of a pressure shift. Looking at the
on-screen weather reports, the yacht was now nearing the patch of pink
arrows indicating the edge of a great area of south-easterly wind - the
target which drew the yacht off course the afternoon before. Within minutes
of tacking, wind speed had jumped from a measly five knots to a swift
fifteen from the south-east, filling the unfurled sails of the Falcon with
the kind of wind its crew were looking for. By 0440 hrs, ten minutes from
tacking, the starboard motor had been powered down and the Falcon was
ripping south-west toward French Polynesia under force of air pressure
alone. “Congratulations”, said Tom, who had woken up and come to the
bridge after feeling the boat tack in the night, “it’s the trades”.

Within hours, rain pelted down over The Maltese Falcon’s decks as she
ripped through the Pacific at speeds of up to eighteen knots, pushed along
by the constant wind of two high pressure cells to the south. Twenty-four
hours after, she had covered 317 miles, making an average of just over 13
knots from 0400 hrs on March 3 to 0400 hrs on March 4. If all goes well, and

according to our weather reports it will, the strength of the Pacific’s
reinforced trade winds - the type of pressure The Maltese Falcon and the
heritage of her sail design were built for - will carry the clipper all the
way to Tahiti with nothing but wind.

Ed Giles

Deck Hand

S/Y Maltese Falcon

Photo Captions:

The sun rises to the east
of S/Y Maltese Falcon as she sails toward Tahiti, approximately 1000
nautical miles from her departure point for this leg in the Galapagos
Islands, March 4, 2008. Photo: Ed Giles.

2) Spar Master Christian
rinses the boat down between Galapagos and Tahiti early on the morning of
March 5, 2008. Photo: Ed Giles.

3) Detail of S/Y Maltese Falcon,
March 5, 2008. Photo: Ed Giles.

Ship's Log, The Galapagos Islands, February 23 to February 29, 2008.

Isla Seymour Norte, The Galapagos Islands, February 29, 2008.

Lat 0.24N, Long 90.17W.

Dropping anchor in Wreck Bay, San Christobal, at 16450 hrs on February 22, The Maltese Falcon
made her sail-borne arrival in the Galapagos Islands to an inspection party of curious sea lions
all about the boat. After finding the Falcon’s place on the outer edge of Wreck Bay’s cluster of
local fishing boats, tour boats and small yachts, we completed our local government inspection
party, completed our customs entry requirements and became a legal cruising yacht in the
Galapagos. The Maltese Falcon was now cleared to sail for a week through one of the most
unique marine reserves on the planet – home to a multitude of endemic wildlife species and
historic birthplace of Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution through natural selection, The Origin
of Species.

Our local agent had come to meet us in San Christobal, and with her help we loaded some spare
parts for various equipment on the Falcon, among other things. On February 23, a small party
completed a dive off San Christobal and the rest of the crew took their first swim with the
Galapagos’ incredibly charming sea lions, which behave something like underwater labradors
and will insist on playing with swimmers in the water - ducking, diving and twisting just under
the surface, blowing bubbles turn with cooperative snorkelers ‘till the cows come home.

After two nights anchored in Wreck Bay, giving all onboard a chance to walk the streets of
Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, The Maltese Falcon lifted anchor and motored through clear, blue
waters and crisp, early morning light for Santa Maria, or Floreana. Floreana was the location of
one of the earliest settlements in the Galapagos due to its status as one of few islands with a
fresh-water spring in its highlands. Now, for yacht-borne tourists such as ourselves, the
attractions of Floreana are its eighteenth-century whalers’ post-office barrel at Post Office bay,
where sailors would leave items of ‘post’ for ships coming and going to Europe and America in
the hope that others would deliver them to a certain locale, the islands’ flocks of flamingos and
the white-sand beaches where sea-turtles lay their eggs. After a full day of diving, some
incredible snorkeling with another playful sea lion in crystal-clear water and a shore-excursion
to view the flamingoes and turtle-beaches near Punta Cormorant, the Falcon shipped out for
Santa Fe at 0600 on February 25.

A few hours of motoring through both tropical squalls and perfect post-sunrise light and S/Y
Maltese Faclon arrived at the north-east corner of Santa Fe at 0900 hrs. Again, sending out
both dive and snorkel parties, the crew and guests of the Falcon had the opportunity to explore
more of the Galapagos’ underwater life. The snorkelers in this rare case managed to trump the
divers with the sea-life encountered, witnessing some very rare - and according to our guide,
“very lucky” - behavior, a marine iguana feeding under the water. Another short trip between
islands after lunch brought us to Puerto Aroyo on Santa Cruz, the largest settlement in the
Galapagos. A shore party here were taken to see land tortoises in the highlands and on a short
tour through the town, the few of us on the tour we even lucky enough to stop briefly at the
pub on the return to the Falcon - very lucky indeed.

Over the next two days, more land excursions brought us very close to a multitude of both
marine and land iguanas on the coast of Santa Cruz. By the afternoon of February 26 the Falcon
made it to its anchorage between Isla Baltra and Seymour Norte, a small island teeming with
birds, iguanas, sea lions and one great looking point break, where again a few of the crew and
guests took a very photogenic land excursion in the evening. However, upon landing on
Seymour Norte the shore party were briefly chased up the rocky landing by a male
‘beachmaster’ sea lion defending his territory, and a few of the crew were quite lucky to be just
that much faster than him!

The morning of February 27 found the Maltese Falcon anchored off San Salvador - the most
stereotypically ‘volcanic’ looking island of those we had seen so far in the archipelago. Black- crusted ‘young’ lava flows split desert-brown ‘mature’ lava flows from the green slopes of the
island’s multiple volcanic cones, creating a patchwork of surfaces on the island which support
an array of endemic species, again including iguanas, sea lions, fur seals, finches, galapagos
eagles, tortoises, turtles, dolphins, sharks and manta rays. Snorkel and dive excursions brought
us into contact with penguins and more of the Galapaos’ playful sea lion population, and a land
excursion brought us close to the fascinating surface of the ‘young’ lava flows on the island. As
the wind picked up in the afternoon, Tom and Chris took the Falcon out for a sail around San
Salvador, bringing us to an anchorage on its southern tip for views of a sunset amid rain squalls
over one of the island’s largest lava flows.

On February 28, our second-last day in the Galapagos, we completed an early circumnavigation
of San Salvador, with plans to re-visit a particularly spectacular dive site from two days prior.
Passing incredible surf-break after incredible surf-break along the island’s western coastline,
the Falcon soon cruised through a pod of some 150 to 200 dolphins leaping sky-high from the
surface of the sea. Timmy and Ed, who shadowed the Falcon on this leg in one of the yacht’s
speedboat-tenders to check depths on certain parts of the route, spent some time among the
pod, racing dolphins on the bow-wake and nearly having one airborne dolphin land in the
tender itself... lucky! After anchoring, guests and crew split into dive and snorkel parties for a
final view of the Galapagos’ underwater sights, both coming across a colony of fur seals in the
water and large manta rays in excess of four meters span around the small outcrop of Cousin
Noel. After our final session in the clear water of the archipelago, S/Y Maltese Falcon, her
guests and crew motored back to the anchorage by Isla Baltra and Seymour Norte, where the
impressive point-break was pumping something like six feet with the perfect offshore wind -
getting a few surfers on board a bit worked up about the lack of boards on the Falcon.

February 29 saw the deck crew up before sunrise to prepare for our refuel at Isla Baltra, a
former U.S. air base and now home to the archipelago’s airport. After some refueling and
provisioning, a few delivery delays here and there and securing the ship for sea, S/Y Maltese
Falcon pulled anchor at 1920 hours and headed under full sail for the open Pacific Ocean for
our two week passage across the big blue and some speedy sailing on reinforced trade winds...
next stop, Tahiti!

Ed Giles

Deck Hand

S/Y Maltese Falcon

Photo captions:

1) A group of sea lions sit by the water in Wreck Bay, San Christobal, The Galapagos Islands,
February 23, 2008. Photo: Ed Giles.

2) Dive guide Matthias (left) and S/Y Maltese Falcon's Captain Chris Gartner (center) head out on
a snorkel trip on Isla Floreana, The Galapagos Islands, February 24, 2008. Photo: Ed Giles.

3) A lava lizard on Isla Floreana, The Galapagos Islands, February 24, 2008. Photo: Christian
Truter.

4) Flamingoes on Isla Floreana, The Galapagos Islands, February 24, 2008. Photo: Sean Truscott.

5) The crew of S/Y Maltese Falcon observe flamingoes on Isla Floreana, The Galapagos Islands,
February 24, 2008. Photo: Sean Truscott.

6) Isla Floreana, The Galapagos Islands, February 24, 2008. Photo: Ed Giles.

7) Red 'Sally Lightfoot' crabs and S/Y Maltese Falcon, Isla Floreana, The Galapagos Islands,
February 24, 2008. Photo: Ed Giles.

8) A land iguana on an outcrop near Isla Santa Cruz, The Galapagos Islands, February 26, 2008.
Photo: Ed Giles.

9) Two male bachelor frigate birds, with red puches inflated, compete over a female frigate bird
on an outcrop near Isla Baltra, The Galapagos Islands, February 26, 2008. Photo: Ed Giles.

10) A 'young' lava flow approximately 1000 years of age on the island of San Salvador, The
Galapagos Islands, February 27, 2008. Photo: Ed Giles.

11) Sunset and a rain squall over a lava flow on the island of San Salvador, The Galapagos
Islands, February 27, 2008. Photo: Ed Giles.

12) A perfect wave breaks off Seymour Norte in the Galapagos Islands, February 28, 2008.
Photo: Ed Giles.

13) The crew and guests of S/Y Maltese Falcon before leaving for their Pacific passage to Tahiti,
Baltra, The Galapagos Islands, February 29, 2008. Photo: Sean Truscott.

Thanks, Enrico!

The crew and guests of the S/Y Maltese Falcon would like to extend their thanks to Enrico De
Gennaro, our dive guide for Isla del Cocos, of Herradura Divers in Herradura, Costa Rica,
for the incredible time we all had during our diving trip to Isla Del Cocos. Enrico's incredibly
warm personality, his energy and enthusiasm for scuba diving and his deep knowledge of the
underwater environment allowed all of us to both explore this incredible place and to learn
immense amounts about the underwater environment of this unique, world class diving
location.

We highly recommend, for anyone who wants to dive in Costa Rica or at Isla del Cocos,
contacting Enrico at Herradura Divers:

Enrico De Gennaro Herradura Divers Playa Herradura, Costa Rica

Ph. (506) 637-7123 Fax (506) 637-7124

info@herraduradivers.com http://www.herraduradivers.com/

Thanks, Enrico, from S/Y Maltese Falcon!

Ed Giles

Deck Hand

S/Y Maltese Falcon

Crossing the Equator, from Pollywog to Shellback, near the Galapagos Islands, February 22, 2008.

As the age-old ritual goes, any sailor crossing the equator for the first time must go through a
certain rite of passage - to become a ‘shellback’ from the state of being a ‘pollywog’. As the
story goes, the day before reaching the equator a ship’s pollywogs - those who have not faced
the sea-god King Neptune and crossed the equator - make constant attempts to take control of
the vessel from the shellbacks - those who have faced Neptune’s wrath, crossed the equator
and live to tell the tale. As the night progressed, small battles would be waged across these
ships and the pollywogs would either prove themselves worthy of crossing the equator to
become shellbacks or not, and in turn the shellbacks would prove their hardened status, or not.
According to legend, these battles often became very ferocious, providing conditions in which
the pollywogs would indeed prove their mettle upon Neptune’s playing field.

Through the night of February 21, The Maltese Falcon approached the equator without
skirmishes occurring on her decks. However, on the morning of February 22, 2008, in calm
seas with no wind and hardly a cloud in the sky, a crew of plotting shellbacks and
rather nervous pollywogs gathered on the Falcon’s aft deck as the clipper yacht slowed to halt
upon the charted black line which represents 0 degrees in latitude. A red cord on the deck, an
inflatable swimming pool and crafted blue throne awaited the throng of crew and guests, and
within minutes a tall Tom “King Neptune” Perkins and Captain Chris “Davy Jones” Gartner
emerged from the yacht’s superstructure, voices booming with commands for all Pollywogs to
gather in front of the line. And so we did.

King Neptune yelled for a volunteer pollywog to begin the proceedings, and I (stupidly?)
managed to volunteer as the first to undergo these equatorial rituals. Standing before the god
of the seas, I was asked to admit to one sin (ummm... not paying my tax bill last year?...shhh...)
before crossing the line and entering “Neptune’s Domain”, also known as a plastic, inflatable
swimming pool with a wooden stool in its center. As I sat, I saw what was causing the cackling
from Davy Jones next to me - a large steel pot filled with an orange, putird mix, concocted by
our new chef JC from his best and/or worst seafood ingredients. Very soon the stagnant stew
was ladled over my head, prawn heads and crab claws clinging to my hair, seaweed and rice
particles dribbling into my eyes, my nose attacked by the stench of old prawns and fish oil in
the tropical sun... how delightful.

Now, apparently, having admitted my sins and been covered in the best produce of Neptune’s
oceans, I was two steps closer to becoming a shellback. In turn, each of the ten remaining
Pollywogs confessed a sin and were covered in the briney goo, finishing with Tim, who, seeing
as no Pollywogs remained to be initiated, copped the entire remaining pot of liquid stench over
his whole body.

Having made it two-thirds of the way through our equatorial rite of passage, admitted our sins,
crossed the red line and been baptised in Neptune’s finest fishy oils, all that remained was to
swim across the real line ourselves, and with a flurry all the Pollywogs and a few of the
shellbacks, too, dove off the cap-rails and into the deep, blue Pacific Ocean, swimming past the
boat and making our own crossing of the equator (or at least a small patch of ocean very close)
under our own power - and in the process getting rid of most of the putrid filth covering each
and every former-pollywog.

Hence, the pollywogs of the clipper yacht Maltese Falcon became shellbacks, blessed by
Neptune to cross the Oceans safely for the rest of our days, and according to our newest
maritime accreditation, to uphold these traditions for any future equatorial voyages and the
pollywogs onboard.

So, we’re into the Southern Hemisphere, and for the next few days exploring the Galapagos
Islands. After the Galapagos comes one of the Falcon’s longest crossings yet and new shores to
be explored again in the South Pacific. Hopefully no more briney mix, though.

Ed Giles

Deck Hand

S/Y Maltese Falcon

All photos of the Equatorial Rituals by Christian Truter.

1) Tom "King Neptune" Perkins and Captain Chris "Davy Jones" Gartner prepare to initate the
pollywogs, at the equator near the Galapagos Islands, February 22, 2008. Photo: Christian
Truter.

2) Pollywog Alicia is covered in the fettid mix by Captain "Davy Jones" Gartner. Photo: Christian
Truter.

3) Crew-members Andre gets his dose of Neptune's best and becomes a shellback. Photo:
Christian Truter.

4) Enrico, our dive-guide for Isla del Cocos, recieves his equatorial initiation. Photo: Christian
Truter.

5) Second engineer Tim, as the final pollywog, gets the remaining mix poured over him and
truly becomes a shellback. Photo: Christian Truter.

6) Tom "King Neptune" Perkins pronounces the new intake of pollywogs to have become
shellbacks. Photo: Christian Truter.