[1778, April] 13th
Crosd the Tropick1 Shavd & Duck About 60 Men.2
Log-Book of Timothy Boardman, p. 51.
1. That is, the Tropic of Cancer (Lat. 23° 27' N).
2. This passage refers to the traditional "crossing-the-line" ceremony in which sailors who had never crossed into the tropics (polliwogs) were initiated into the ranks of veteran mariners (shellbacks). For an account of another "crossing-the-line" ceremony, see Diary of John Adams for 7 Mar. 1778 in NDAR 11: 1068.
