Logbooks and Legends

⚓ Nelson’s Victory: A Shanty from the Decks of History ⚓

"England expects"

You’re looking at "Nelson’s Victory," a brand-new shanty with an old soul. We’ve traded the mines for the mainmast to tell the tale of the 21st of October, 1805. It was a day when the salt spray turned to iron and a Devon-born breeze (mostly) carried the finest fleet ever to sail into the mouth of history.

"Proper job, Henry! Proper job!" ⚓️💎

Ever wondered why some pirates end up swinging from a rope while others end up retired with more diamonds than a Duchess? Meet Henry Avery—the West Country lad who pulled off the "Heist of the Century" and then pulled the greatest vanishing act in history.

The Saddest Tale That Fowey Ever Told: The Ballad of Mary Bryant

From Cornish Green to a Ghostly Return: A Journey of Incalculable Loss.

Step back to 1791 and witness one of the most remarkable stories of survival, defiance, and heartbreak in British history. This song is an original tribute to Mary Bryant (née Broad), a Cornish woman whose indomitable spirit captured the imagination of her era and beyond.

"Alright, m'ansums? Pull up a bench and tuck into a proper bit of history. The Kernow Krew is back with a real rouser about the Devon lad we almost claim as our own—Sir Francis Drake. To the Spanish, he was El Draque, a fire-breathing nightmare in a ruff. To us? He was just the local boy who knew exactly how to 'liberate' a boatload of silver and finish a game of bowls while the Armada was looming.

⚓ "The Shanty Man's Beat" ⚓

The Lore of the Line

In the days of the tall ships, the Shanty Man was the heartbeat of the vessel. He wasn't chosen for a golden voice, but for his seamanship and his ability to command a rhythm. On the decks of a Cornish merchantman, a good Shanty Man was famously said to be "worth four extra hands on the rope."

This here is "The Bounty." It’s a proper, "off-the-shelf" sea shanty, the kind you’d hear from a sailor who’s forgotten where his home port is. It’s all about that famous business with Mr. Christian and Captain Bligh—though, between you and me, if they’d had a bit more Cornish cider and a few less lashings, they might’ve just settled their differences over a nice pasty and a game of euchre.

🔨 THE CAULKER’S HAMMER ⚓

Avast, Krew! You’ve heard the Shanty Man lead the chorus on the deck, but have you ever wondered what keeps the freezing Atlantic on the outside of the ship?

Meet the Caulker—the man with the stickiest job and the steadiest hand in the Kernow Krew. While the rest of us are shouting at the stars, he’s down in the dark with a bucket of pitch and a bag of iron, fighting the ocean one seam at a time.

⚓ THE CAULKER’S HAMMER ⚓

The Shanty Man gives us the voice, and the Caulker holds the hull together, but it’s the Sailmaker who gives us our wings.

Descending into the sail-loft today to bring you the rhythmic pulse of the needle and the snap of the heavy canvas. This is the third and final part of our "Jobs of the Ship" trilogy. Whether it's a North Cape gale or a light summer breeze, the stitch must hold!

🌊 The Wolf of the Seas

Cochrane & The Speedy 🏴‍☠️

Alright are 'ee, Krew?!

Pull up a bench and grab a pasty, 'cos we’ve got a proper yarn for 'ee today. We’re talkin’ about Lord Thomas Cochrane—the "Sea Wolf" himself—and the time he took his tiny little brig, the HMS Speedy, and went toe-to-toe with a Spanish monster called the El Gamo.

⚓️ From Epic Verse to Cornish Curse: "The Ancient Sailor"

Today we’re tackling a proper legend. We’ve taken Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s massive  epic, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, and give it a bit of a Cornish haircut. You know the story—big bird, bad luck, and a thirst that’d make a man drink the Helford River dry.

We’ve distilled that long-winded tale into our brand new track: "The Ancient Sailor."

This is a proper, raw, "boots-on-the-deck" shanty. We wanted it to sound like a crew of salt-crusted sailors huddled in the back of the First and Last Inn, sharing stories that’d make your hair stand on end.

From the white-maned horse that escaped the flood to the ghostly church bells that still ring out when the fog is thick over the Seven Stones.

Apparently, the white stallion ran so fast to escape the rising waters, it threw a shoe. As the story has been passed down over time, this is why there are so many pubs and inns have been called "The White Horse" and "The Three Horseshoes"

This isn't just a song about rum and parrots. It’s about the blokes who had enough of the "King’s Shilling" and the grind on land. They traded the shackles of the law for the freedom of the swell—and they worked bloody hard for it!