With the Covid-19 lockdown restrictions still in place, sea shanty groups throughout the land are very much confined to port.

But one member of South Zeal shanty group Mariners Away was determined not to let that get in the way of a rousing singalong.

Trevor Munkenbeck, who lives in Okehampton, originally put out a call to fellow sea shanty groups in Devon to join him in a virtual performance of South Australia, a song made popular by Cornish sea shanty group Fisherman’s Friends.

But when he was contacted by fellow shanty groups as far afield as Gemany and Italy, they were invited to join in as well.

Trevor explained: ‘I sent them out a sound file of me singing South Australia and one by one they sent me back their recordings. I was the first to hear what it sounded like. As I put the individual voices together it all suddenly came to life. I put them all together to produce a video of 25 people singing in harmony.

‘One member of each group sings one of the verses and then we all joined in on the chorus.’

Among those taking part is all-female sea shanty group called the Silver Darlings from Southend in Essex. ‘One or two of them were in tears when they heard it for the first time,’ said Trevor. ‘It is wonderful. I’ve now had a call from the guy in Germany saying what can we do next? We have been invited to a sea shanty festival in Dusseldorf. We are all stuck in our homes wherever we are and this has been away for us to carry on singing together.’

See South Australia — the Shanty Lockdown Crew on YouTube.