The Doldrums are or is a strip of ocean five degrees north and south of the equator where there is basically no wind. It is the area between the circulation of the trade winds that are in both hemispheres. Above the equator the winds travel in a clockwise direction and in the opposite direction below the equator, with the Doldrums in between.
Sailing ships were sometimes forced into that area by storms or accidentally. They could be without wind for long periods of time and often they actually rowed the ship looking for wind, being towed by their small boats. Not a pleasant situation.
We now use that term 'in the Doldrums' to mean a low point in your life or lack of enthusiasm.
The Horse Latitudes is a similar situation. They are two strips of ocean between 30 and 35 degrees, again, north and south of the equator. In that area there are weak winds, not really ideal for speedy sailing and again ships could spend long days and weeks caught in them.
They got their name by the fact that in some cases they would throw the horses [and other livestock] overboard to conserve the drinking water aboard. Terrible to even think about it.
That is today's trivia folks!
We have one more sea day before we go ashore in Bermuda. The weather today was mixed, and even a rainstorm. It was like a Sunday at home, raining and a good thing to curl up with a book. Only we did not, we finished our packing today.
Eight suitcases are sitting on the balcony and one more under the bed ready to pack our few days of clothing that we have laid out for the remaining days.
Please remember that there will be a Final Exam of all lessons given over the past 3 1/2 months next week. Please review your notes.
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