This album includes traditional shanties from the early days of navigation around the New Zealand coasts. Shanties were divided into halyard shanties (hauling songs), windlass or capstan songs used for heaving the anchor, and pump songs, used for pumping the ship out. On this recording we have tried to bring together as many types of sea shanty as possible, as well as sailors' hornpipes. The songs range from the famous "Drunken Sailor" to "Orpheus," relating the tragic loss of HMS Orpheus on the west coast of North Island. They are sung by members of the New Zealand sail training ship "Spirit of Adventure."