We just got back from Portsmouth and certainly had a good time. It was great to see a crew from Gloucester again, the folks from the Boston area, and our other good friends.

I actually had some time to talk with Emery and Chris while we were waiting for the folks upstairs to finish up, and that is highly unusual at a shanty session.

Let's see, who was there:

Tom and Linn
Judy and me
Bruce and Jane
Mark
Chris
Jeri
Barbara
Marty
Justine
Carol
Barry
Gardi
Tim
Earl- who told the story of why Admiral Nelson called for "brown pants" before one of his great sea battles.

The songs I led included:

Fire Maringo-traditional
Outward Bound (C. Fox Smith)
Mobile Bay (C. Fox Smith)
The Outside Track (Henry Lawson)

Judy led:

Common British Tars (Ron Baxter)
A Parting (C. Fox Smith)

We're hoping to see some more of you at the Tall Ships Festival in Portsmouth in two weeks. I'll be there with the Roll & Go crew.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble