You know, it's funny. I went to this thing prepared to say that we didn't have to focus on sea music, that we could let the music slip ashore. And, a few times we did. But I didn't think there would be enough people who could keep that music going through the whole evening.

Well, as it turned out, for those who weren't there, the focus largely stayed on sea music. The few shore visits were welcomed, enjoyed, and then we went back to sea. The music was mostly chorus music that all could enjoy but no one spurned the occasional song without a chorus.

All in all it was a lovely evening and a real spark to anyone's interest in this music.

And we had a couple of people who were there only because they love music and were friends of the host. They were (Dare I say it?) rock musicians! They had not previously been exposed to sea chanties and unaccompanied voices singing folk music. When there were tunes being played they played along as best they could without knowing the actual tune. They are good musicians but had not seen anything like that evening before. They even contributed Sloop John B and Jamaica Farewell. They seemed to have a great time and were among the last of us to leave the place. I hope we've helped them expand their musical interests. I would expect to see them at future gatherings and wouldn't be surprised to find them lurking here.