You are quite right, Charlie -- "It's probably a more friendly environment for shanties than for ballads with no chorus or refrain" -- and I will emphasize the point: the people at the Chantey Blast come to sing, so please please please lead a song everyone can sing along to.

I've wondered for some time how it would be if the Blast had a strictly-enforced rule that only true chanteys could be sung. Think we could go 4 hours under that stricture?

Jerry