Thanks for all the great info. I knew I could count on you guys.

Barry, I've researched a lot on my ancestry and have so far never found a steamboat in it, just humans :-)

Frank, I have a recording of one capstan shanty which fits exactly the description from your book. It's probably sung to fast though.

Bill, I think releasing the videos would be great. I suppose you'd have to get permission from every recognizable person in them. Are you a member of the SCA? How does one find out about local chapters? Also, can you describe the process of waulking? I have a tape with a couple of waulking songs (I believe), sung by several women in Gaelic, with noise in the background which makes me believe they were recorded in the "field" while the women were actually waulking wool. The noise is kind of "scrape thump thump" or maybe "scrape scrape thump"(my wife is taking the tape to school today so I can't verify this).

Thanks again, Jon W. (not the steamboat)