They are based a good 25 miles from the coast, but a Norfolk shanty crew are pinching themselves after being invited to perform at an esteemed festival at the Cutty Sark.
Pot of Gold Shanty Crew, which was founded and rehearses in Swaffham, is set to sing at the Sea Shanty Festival 2022 in Greenwich this Saturday (November 19).
The group was only formed five years ago by choir singers looking to try something new, but has continued to grow in size and reputation.
Pot of Gold now has 10 members - nine men and one woman - and treat audiences up and down the country to their traditional folk tunes about life at sea.
Looking ahead to their performance in London, Steve Price, skipper of the crew, admitted they could scarcely believe their involvement in such a special occasion.
"Where I originally come from, which is Liverpool, a commonly used expression is 'gobsmacked' - and we are certainly gobsmacked by this," he said.
"We still see ourselves as a group of friends who meet every week, sing shanty songs and have a good time.
"It seems it has now gone beyond that. It is absolutely phenomenal."
Founding members of Pot of Gold were singing in a choir when they decided they wanted to try something a bit different.
Soon they had formed a small crew and the rest was history.
"We are all retired, and what we found this was a way to make the most of our retirement," added Mr Price, who is in his 70s.
"Rather than sitting around doing nothing, we decided to do this. And we are a group of friends as well, which really helps."
While shanty singing is clearly an age-old practice, it has enjoyed something of a resurgence in recent years thanks to viral social media trends and the renowned Cornish band, Fisherman’s Friends.
Among the best-known crews in Norfolk are Sheringham Shantymen and Nelson's Shantymen.
Pot of Gold was supposedly spotted by one of Cutty Sark's resident shanty singers while performing at Harwich International Shanty Festival in September.
"We have already had 35 gigs this year which is a pretty fantastic amount," said Mr Price, who lives in Shipdham, near Dereham.
"This one [at the Sea Shanty Festival] came up for the end of the year and we simply couldn't turn it down."
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