A sea shanty group has recorded a string of songs inside a historic RNLI lifeboat station.
The Saltburn Smugglers, who were formed just two years ago, recorded shanty classics like Santiana and Drunken Sailor at the Staithes and Runswick RNLI Lifeboat Station.
Led by professor of songwriting Keith Ayling, the group chose the boathouse for its authentic coastal setting, “superb” acoustics, and deep connection to local seafaring history.
The recording session, which also featured original song Across the Ocean, celebrates the region’s rich maritime past and the vital, and the ongoing life-saving work of the RNLI.
The session was made possible thanks to the support of RNLI volunteers, who were on hand throughout the day to facilitate the recording and move the lifeboat out of the boathouse to create space for the performance.
The day also included the filming of a music video for the Saltburn Smugglers' rendition of Santiana. They will release an EP of the live session this summer.
Keith, who set up the group with a desire to improve mental health and create new modern shanties on the Yorkshire coast, said the venue was “perfect”.
He explained: “We wanted to find a venue that was genuinely near the sea and highlighted some of the maritime history that was in the music. We’d seen the Boathouse and knew it would be the perfect venue.
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“The acoustics were superb, and it was a joy to record there. We hope that it helps to increase support for the vital work that the RNLI do on our coastline.”
This connection to maritime heritage is especially fitting, as the Staithes and Runswick RNLI Lifeboat Station has recently been recognised by Historic England as a site of significance.
As part of the Missing Pieces Project, the station’s story is being preserved and enriched through public contributions, and now, through music.
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