It certainly was nice to have a large group of new folks there. The five or so of us regulars would have been hard-pressed to lead all the songs for three hours.

I was taken notes for about half the evening for songs sung, and then lost it!

Linn kicked everything off with "Nantucket Bay" and I followed with "Mobile Bay" Then one of the folks from the MIT shanty sing led "Logdriver's Waltz" followed by "Rio Grande." Linn led "The Sloop John A" and I followed that parody with "Bowling" which was followed by a comical Morris dancing song which parodied "Fiddler's Green." Linn led "Shanty in Old Shantytown" which I followed with the drinking spree song "Ballad of the Old Navy." One of the MIT folks led "John Kanaka" followed by Linn leading "Cannery Shed." Someone started a string of "tea songs" leading with "Drink Your Porcelain Dry." I led a couple of verses of "Don't Swat Your Mother Boys" and later led the tea clipper song "Old Pagoda Anchorage," "West Indies Blues" and "The Wreck of the Lady Washington." Linn also led "Nine Times a Night."

Chris led several songs including "Fiddlers Green" and "Barret's Privateers."

Marty was certainly in good voice but I'm no longer certain what he led other than a comical ballad about a sailor who is eaten by a shark. And Barbara Benn led "Pleasant and Delightful" and one other song.

JudyB did a rousing rendition of Roll the Old Chariot."

Chris closed down the evening with "Sailor's Prayer."

Sadly, we're going to miss the shanty sing in September as well as the Maritime Festival, being off in the Pacific Northwest.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble