Square Riggers

The group, Square Riggers, is a Delfzijl-based maritime music group that began performing in the early 2000s.

In 2004 the first three men forming the Square Riggers started their adventures as an a capella shanty group after previously performing for a number of years in one of Netherlands’ oldest shanty choirs.

The Square Riggers’ presence at Shanties in Krakow in 2005 was one of their early highlights; Langesund, Norway another. They participated in the ISSA Baltic Sea shanty festivals where at least 10 traditional sailing ships with on-board maritime music groups sailed from Kiel to call on various other ports where concerts were given.

The original Square Riggers group dissolved for several years, but reformed in 2023 with three men who had all been previous members.

Iwe van der Beek, one of the founders in 2004, has been working in the shipping business all his working life. He was long interested in tall ships and folk music, and, discovering a sea shanty LP at the public library, was hooked on this kind of music. After a number of years away from actively singing, he is happy to sing again with his new mates.

When his “day-job” company was asked to act as an agent for the schooner Sir Winston Churchill in 1984, he set foot on his first tall ship. Three months later its sister ship Malcolm Miller visited Delfzijl. In 1986 Iwe volunteered to crew on her, signing up for his first voyage. He joined as member of the afterguard with a crew of 39 young people in what was then called a “character building experience” – a Chance of a Lifetime. What was meant to be a one-off opportunity ended after 12 voyages on the Sail Training Association schooners and 3 on the brigs Stavros S Niarchos and Prince William.

That experience was a benefit to his shanty singing, having worked at sea in all kinds of weather, on ships referred to in many of the songs.

The two other members of Square Riggers, Hans Voolstra and Geert Zeef, came from completely different backgrounds, their sailing experience was limited to the ISSA Baltic Sea shanty festival, their group having participated on board the Stella Maris. Nevertheless, their enthusiasm for the shanties, forebitters and sea songs was on the same level.

Today, the re-formed Square Riggers are open to invitations from small venues, shanty café’s and festivals where their traditional, a capella singing is appreciated.

Square Riggers perform their sea shanties in the traditional way: unison acapella. Their motto is: if harmonies happened among tall ship sailors during work or leisure, it would have been by coincidence and so it is with us. Their goal is authentic recreation of classic sea shanties in the true manner in which they were performed in the Golden Age of Sail.

In 2003 Segars of Poland and friends, the future Square Riggers of the Netherlands collaborated on a CD, “Shanties of Old Time Sailing Ships”. After visiting a festival in Drachten, Friesland, the Netherlands, in 2002, the two groups conceived this CD. The groups went on to record and produce a limited edition, ten-song album, beginning at the 2003 season of Festival of Seven Seas in Delfzijl, the Netherlands. The songs were performed in Polish, English and Dutch.

By 2022, both groups were retired and the album is both sold out and out of print.

Iwe van der Beek has also been involved in the ISSA from day one as minute taker, secretary, vice-president and president (he prefers chairman) which was already in existence when Shanties of Old Time Sailing Ships was recorded.