Three sea shanties

There is a wealth of sea shanties on offer on YouTube. I have chosen three of my own favourites.

If you are new to shanties, here is a short description (from Wikipedia):

Sea shanties (singular "shanty", also spelled "chantey"; derived from the French word "chanter", 'to sing') were shipboard working songs. Some speculate that shanties may have been sung as early as the 15th century though there is little evidence to support this claim. The shanties that survived to be collected and preserved date from the 19th century through the days of steam ships in the first half of the 20th century.---
In the days when human muscles were the only power source available aboard ship, sea shanties served a practical purpose: the rhythm of the song served to synchronize the movements of the sailors as they toiled at repetitive tasks. They also served a social purpose: singing and listening to songs is pleasant; it alleviates boredom and lightens the burden of hard work, of which there was no shortage on long voyages in those days

Phil Beer: "Blow, Boys, Blow!"

Sweet Roseanne, performed by Gadaya

French sea shanty, performed by Les Souille´s de fond

A certain sign of spring: The first luxury cruiser

Today could be considered the inofficial opening of the spring and summer season in this part of the world. About half an hour ago I spotted the first luxury cruise ship - the Aidasol - this spring. That is as good a spring sign as anything. The 258 meter long ship is on its way to Oslo. Let´s hope this is the start of a great cruising season!