While I would have loved to have been there, the idea of a a "chantey competition" seems odd to me. What sort of criteria were used? Was this a one-shot deal, or are there a number of these competitions? And were the "Capstan shanties" really so bad that a first-place could not be awarded?

Oh - I just looked back at the original post and saw that it was made in the year 2000 ... however, my questions demand to be answered!