Yacht crew marks equator crossing

Danny Wilson: Dressed as Neptune for the ceremony

The crew of an East Yorkshire yacht have taken part in a traditional ceremony to mark their crossing of the equator during a round-the-world race.

The crew of the Hull and Humber is in the final stages of the second race in leg one of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race 2007/8.

As the crew crossed the equator on Saturday, they took part in the ceremony to show respect to Neptune.

Members were covered in slops before throwing personal items overboard.

Sacrifices offered

Skipper Danny Watson dressed up as the mythical sea god for the traditional ceremony.

Jonathan Levy, spokesman for the team, said: "Money and food were the most popular items to sacrifice, with everyone wishing for a safe and speedy remainder of the journey.

"The ceremony is an important time for the crew to show their respect to Neptune and they observed that carefully."

The yacht has completed nearly 700 nautical miles of its 4,000 nautical mile voyage after 20 days at sea.