Sing songs of the sea on a tall ship - San Francisco - Sunset's Travel Guide

Sunset, Oct, 1991

In most San Francisco concert halls, patrons run for the exits when they feel the place moving. During the sea music concerts at San Francisco Maritime Museum National Park, however, a gentle rocking motion aids to the appealing nautical ambience. Arriving for a concert, you're treated to an enchanting view of the city lights from the nearly deserted Hyde Street Pier. But once you're seated on a wooden bench in the low-ceiling shelter deck of the square-rigged Balclutha, lustily belting out a chantey chorus with your shipmates, it's easy to forget that you're docked safely in a city harbor, rather than on a perilous voyage around Cape Horn.

Performs in the four-concert series are well versed in the time-honored songs and lore of the sea. Irish-born Tom Lewis kicks off the series on September 21; it continues with a concert by American traditionalists Jeff Warner and Jeff Davis on October 26. Concerts begin at 8 P.M. Tickets cost $7, or $23 for the series. For tickets or information on the other concerts, call (415) 929-0202.