Author: Brittany Shoot / Source: Atlas Obscura
Walking out onto the historic Hyde Street Pier after dark feels a world away from the glittering San Francisco skyline and the iconic cable car just up the block. The pier is lined with half a dozen historic schooners, ferries, and tugs.
Standing on the thick rigging ropes that keep the creaking ships from floating away, sleek night herons scrutinize the frigid waters of the San Francisco Bay, searching for fish. The occasional loud splash signals a sea lion swimming by. Every few seconds, the lighthouse lamp on Alcatraz Island blinks out in the bay.About halfway down the pier is where, on the first Saturday evening of every month for the past 37 years, San Francisco’s sailors, maritime enthusiasts, and a variety of singers and musicians have gathered on the Eureka, a steam ferryboat built in 1890. For three hours, from 8 to 11 p.m., the small crew sings call-and-response work songs about life on the seas, from sailing around Cape Horn to tales of tragic whaling expeditions.
There’s no set list or agenda. And there are only three rules: no drinking, no smoking, no falling off the pier. This is the Chantey Sing.
At the helm of the event is Peter Kasin, a park ranger in the Interpretation Division at the San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park, which includes the Hyde Street Pier. Little has changed since Kasin attended his first sing in November 1989.
Started by retired ranger Dave Nettell in 1981, the “sing” was adopted by several other rangers who inspired and ultimately passed the lively tradition down to Kasin in 1996.The Chantey Sing is part of the park’s emphasis on buoying the public’s interest in all aspects of maritime culture, including sea music. In addition to daily docent tours of the pier, this is accomplished with an events calendar, including what has become the nation’s longest-running sea music concert series, started by ranger Celeste Bernardo in 1989. The park also hosts a “floating film” series, special event sing-alongs, and author events on topics as wide-ranging as the legacies of women in maritime trades, African-American chanteys, and early Hollywood depictions of life on luxury ocean liners.
The wholesome public singalong feels like a throwback to another era, not only because it’s a longtime San Francisco tradition, but because of the concerted efforts of Kasin and his crew to create a welcoming, family-friendly environment. “I think of the chantey sing as a safe place to sing,” Kasin says. “I remember how shy I was about singing [when I first started attending the event], so I encourage people at all levels to sing and try to create a non-judgmental atmosphere.” His success in cultivating an encouraging environment sustains the event’s most devoted fans, some of whom come wearing…
The post San Franciscans Sing Sea Chanteys by the Seashore appeared first on FeedBox.