Thank you, Gary, for your memories of early days. Since this has morphed into a 25-year remembrance, I won't keep a good thread down, so I'll add what history I know of the chantey sing's formation. Dave Nettell was indeed the first of the four lead rangers. I didn't get involved until after his term, so unfortunately have no memories of my own on the first 8 or 9 years. As others have told me, the chantey sing was in utero around 1978-80. There were intermittent gatherings aboard ship, and after one of the early sea festivals, (79' or 80'), at the end of a singing session, someone said "Do we have to wait to next year to do this again?" So, during the next year or so, there were more frequent chantey sings. In 1981, it became a regular and official park program, with ranger Dave Nettell leading. The hold of the 1895-built lumber schooner C.A. Thayer was the home of the sings, with occasional sings aboard the Balclutha. In 1986, Alice Watts begain to regularly run the ship's galley with her volunteer galley crew, serving hot cider, chocolate, tea, and coffee. At this September's sing, we will honor Alice's 20 years of galley work.

Chanteyranger