The Noon Ceremony aboard Ulysses. The mates took their own separate longitude
sights earlier in the day, usually before breakfast, and then all assembled on
the bridge at noon to determine the latitude and thence the official noon
position and the course and distance made good since the previous noon.
Passengers usually ran a sweepstake on the distance run and the keenest of them
tended to be waiting by the progress chart when the Second Mate came by, on
his way down to lunch, to post the noon chit and move the little ship pin along
the chart. It might be worth a peck on the cheek to him if the winner happened
to be a lady.
