Century-Old Sailor Songs Delight Crowds

Sea chantey sing-alongs held aboard historic ship

January 23, 2012

The 1886 sailing ship, The Balclutha, now anchored in California, is the site of monthly sea chantey sing-alongs.

San Francisco's Maritime National Historical Park is dedicated to preserving the history and culture of life on the high seas.

Located on the city’s waterfront, this unique park features a museum, research library, fleet of old sailing ships and monthly community sing-alongs of sea chanteys.

Peter Kasin has been on staff with San Francisco's Maritime National Historical Park for 20 years. Like other park rangers, he escorts sightseers and ensures their safety during their visits. But there's one part of his job that sets him apart from the rest.

Once a month, Kasin leads a large enthusiastic group in chantey singing. Chanteys are songs that were created and sung by working sailors over 100 years ago.

Kasin always begins with "Away Rio," a chantey about hauling up anchor to set sail.

"It's a very accessible kind of music," he says. "You don't need to be a trained singer to sing it. So really any voice can just sing it. And the content of the songs is so interesting. The lyrics really tell of so many fascinating stories about sailing life, of sailors. And they really evoke some universal concepts. They sing about bravery or fear or longing for a better life. It's really something that touches one emotionally."