The crew of ten on that auspicious first voyage consisted of Eric Ruff , David Sollows, David Mahoney, Wayne Robicheau , Lloyd Prosser, Stephen Sollows, Christopher Allworth, Oliver Bonham, Don Soucy, and Peter Zavitz.

Living in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, an Age-of-Sail shipping port and, now, an active fishing port, made it easy to love the time-polished melodies and worldly-wise lyrics. After a return presentation at the Museum, we became The Yarmouth Shantymen.

Three of those charter members remain: Eric Ruff, David Sollows, and David Mahoney. Wayne Robicheau remained a member until he retired to Cape Breton in the 20-teens. Those who replaced originals and still haul lines are: Brad Fulton, Gordon Rothwell, and Jim Rideout. Long-time crewmen who marched inland in the 2000s are Mark Pitman, James Colbeck and Bob Macconnell; while Stuart Bradley, Mike Mason, Mark Palmer, and Ed Kennedy sailed with us at various times along the way.

Singing at th'YARC playhouse in Yarmouth on Canada Day, 1992
left to right: Bob MacConnell, James Colbeck, Lloyd Prosser, Wayne Robicheau, David Mahoney, Brad Fulton, and Mike Mason.

The Shantymen perform in a variety of venues for diverse gatherings. We can be found singing at the local "Fish Feast" celebrations during SeaFest each July, participating in community events such as Canada Day, Battle of the Atlantic Sunday services, entertaining a tour bus crowd in a local hotel dining room, performing for participants at a conference, doing educational workshops in schools, and we provided entertainment on board the Nova Star ferry between Yarmouth and Portland several times while she served that route. Occasionally we sing just for fun on Yarmouth's historic waterfront - this usually followed with a visit to the brew pub on the wharf!

Some of the groups for which we have provided a lively source of entertainment are: the Association of Nova Scotia Municipalities, the Nova Scotia Chiropractic Society, Nova Scotia Block Parents, the Swedish Women's Hockey Team, and the Nova Scotia Women's Golf Championships.

At the Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival, 2012

We have travelled as well, joining in the festivities at the Mahone Bay Wooden Boat Festival, the Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival, and the "Pirates Brannigan" at the Explore Oak Island Days, as well as giving concerts in communities between Yarmouth and Halifax. We have done exchange concerts with Before the Mast, a fine shanty group from Saint John, NB, in Yarmouth and New Brunswick, and have represented the province of Nova Scotia on the waterfront of Bar Harbor, Maine, and joined with other international performers at La fête des chants de marins in Saint-Jean-Port-Joli, Quebec, in 2003. We've been appearing annually on the waterfront stage at Halifax's Maritime Museum of the Atlantic each summer, and in 2019 entertained at FIN (the Halifax International Film Festival) for the reception following the premiere of The Lighthouse.