Portsmouth Dockyard Victorian Christmas Festival

The timings and locations for the Dockyard Performances are now on the diary page. Please ensure that you give yourself plenty of time to prepare for the performance; 10 minutes before the performance ready to sing is suggested.

Access to the Dockyard will be via Victory Gate (nearest gate entrance to Portsmouth Harbour Station). On arrive announce which group you are with and they will check your name off. You will require photo ID for proof of free entry.

Please dress appropriate to the weather but consider the theme of the event Victorian,Christmans or Sailors, its up to you.

Songs Sets are as follows

Warrior Performance 1

Roll the Old Chariot

Spanish Ladies

Haul Away Joe

Mollymawk

Randy Dandy-O

Warrior Performance 2

John Kanaka

Littlehampton Collier Lads

The Mermaid

Bonnie Ship the Diamond

Its Time to Go Now

Warrior Performance 3

Roll the Old Chariot (or Here's a Health)

Haul Away Joe

Mollymawk

Randy Dandy-O

Its Time to Go Now

Queen Vic Pub

John Kanaka

Littlehampton Collier Lad

The Mermaid

Sweet Ladies of Portsmouth (Plymouth)

Bonnie Ship the Diamond

Please note that these songs may change depending on how practice session goes on Tuesday, hopefully they won't though.

Worthing Sailing Club Shanty Workshop

On a cold and wet evening we all ventured out to support Emily in providing a Shanty Workshop to Worthing Sailing Club this Thursday. The weather did not deter club members and around 35 people turned up, including a few from the Secret Shore team to support the well received event. A number of songs were taught during the 2 hour workshop, including 'Roll the Old Chariot', 'John Kanaka', 'Mingulay Boat Song' and 'It's Time to Go Now'. All of the songs sung with great gusto and enthusiasm. Emily's ability to get a group who have never sung these songs together and by the end of the night produce such a great sound never ceases to amaze us all. The end of the evening was finished with the whole group standing around in a circle and singing to each other. What a brilliant evening; let's do it again sometime.
So people of Worthing when you are next passing the Sailing Club don't be surprised if you hear voices singing from the rigging; you now know the reason why !!

Victorian Christmas Festival - Portsmouth Dockyard

The attendance list is now closed. Details regarding the event will be provided at sessions on 20th and 26th at YOHAH. This is to encourage members to attend the practice sessions prior to the Dockyard Festival on 30th November.

Extra Session for November

As we have this lovely sing at Portsmouth coming up and as last meet up was the first we've had for a fair while, an extra practice session has been planned so we can feel a bit readier for the 30th!

Due to availability of the practice venue we have arranged an additional date. It isn't a Tues, as there are darts on the evenings. We have therefore gone for the following day so, it is on Weds the 20th Nov instead.

 We do hope that's ok for most of us, many apologies to anyone for whom it doesn't work.

 So our next gatherings are:

Weds 20th Nov

Tues 26th Nov

 And then Portsmouth on the 30th.

 Final details for times of sets are being planned at the mo.

What we do know is that there will probably be 4 sets, all on the Warrior, of about 15/20 minutes in length.

Worthing Sailing Club Shanty session.
On Thursday 14th November Worthing Sailing Club will be having a Shanty Session hosted by Emily. Though not a planned SSS event we have been invited along. This is a free event and will be hosted in the clubhouse. Event will commence at 7 45pm.

Southdown's Folk Festival
Another Festival successfully completed, this time at the Southdown's Folk Festival in Bognor Regis on Saturday 21st September. The Secret Shore were joined by 6 other groups singing throughout the day. Other Shanty groups from the local area included the Duck Pond Sailors and the Selsey Shanty Men. Individual singing sessions took place at the Southern Precinct end of London Road which were well received by visitors to the Festival. At the end of the day a Mass 'Big Sing' event took place involving 7 singing groups who performed their own individual songs and then two groups songs to finish off with.

September Shanty Practice Session

Seventeen of us gathered to sing on Tuesday. Not so many as usual, which may have been just as well since Emily had again kindly invited us to practice at their place, the Old House at Home being unavailable.

We ran through some of the more recent songs, Randy Dandy, Old Fid, Bold Riley, The Mermaid, MollyMawk and Northwest Passage. It was decided to try Bold Riley with the men singing the verses and women joining in the refrains. This seemed to work quite well.

After a break for refreshments which included a delicious toffee apple tray bake and home grown grapes – and feeling by now extremely relaxed - we sang MollyMawk very quietly and gently.  Before singing The Grey Funnel Line ourselves, we listened to a quick burst of the song on YouTube, as performed by Maddie Prior and June Tabor and an interesting version with the unmistakable voice of Dolly Parton with Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris! We ended the evening with the beautiful Mingulay Boat Song.
Thanks to Emily, Jonny and the girls for allowing us to invade their home again.