Carol joined the Tars in 2006 to provide a little nautical backing.  She started playing concertina to make sure she could have live music onboard Bruce’s boat and has since sailed extensively in Scandinavia, France and Spain.  Hers is now a well travelled concertina, but there is never enough time to practice! 

Clive spent his early years living on a marginal farm on the eastern edge of Dartmoor, but came west to Bere Ferrers in 1974 (via Surrey, Leeds, Heathrow Airport, London and Mexico City). He teaches geography in the University of Plymouth, so loves songs that feature places and landscapes. If the rest of the Tars didn’t stop him, he’d happily send audiences to sleep with long explanations about capes, bays, ports, riverzzzzzzzzz..... Frankly, his delight in looking at ships and the sea exceeds his real nautical prowess (shockingly, he doesn’t own a boat). But singing with the Tars is brilliant fun that compensates for lifetime failure to emulate John Coltrane, Jimi Hendrix or Phil Beer. 

Mike and his wife moved down from Somerset to Bere Ferrers in 2006 to be near their boat and fulfil the ambition of retiring by a muddy creek.  Discovering the Bere Ferrers musical activity, he resurrected his 1960s guitar, which promptly fell apart. He came across the Tavy Tars and joined them a little later, having found a new interest in singing shanties. He later invested in various guitars and 5 string banjos!  He continues trying to extract the sound he wants from all of them playing folk, country and American roots music.

Peter was born and raised in Birmingham. He therefore has more canal water than sea water in his veins. He joined the Merchant Navy when he was 16 because he wanted to be a ship’s captain. He left four years later because he didn’t want to be an alcoholic. He and his wife have now lived in Devon since 2003. He has been working on his accent and the natives now understand what he is saying.

Rae is a relatively new member of the Tars. He lived in various countries in his early years and ended up studying in London. He's lived in Devon for the last 35 years and brings a love of singing to the group. He tells us beer is only an incidental pleasure!

Rob comes from a fishing community on the shores of the Moray Firth. His grandfather followed shoals of herring. His father, a shipwright, advised Rob to remain on shore so he headed south to seek his fortune in swinging London. He later went on to man frontier outposts in Dover, Heathrow and Plymouth and to represent Her Majesty in far-flung corners of the old Raj. He joined the Tars in 2005. His varied musical interests cover folk and rock, as well as sea shanties. As a Tar, he has many opportunities to jump around with his guitar and to indulge in rousing, close harmony singing.

Robin is an original Tars singer who developed his debatable skills through the equivalent 'university of life' - in other words in the shower and the pub bars following a game of rugby.  This has resulted in an unbridled enthusiasm for rendering a melodious sea shanty standing shoulder to shoulder with like-minded extroverts with a glass of ale in his hand."

Will lives on a farm near Bere Ferrers, a far cry from the Crystal Palace in London where he was born and raised. After a short spell as a biochemist he went through flying college and joined B.E.A. in 1969 on Tridents flying all over Europe. Later flying Boeing 707's on worldwide charters and ending up on 747 Jumbos with British Airways- a total of 33 years to the day. He still thinks flying through a thunderstorm is easier than hitting a first note and landing on an icy runway preferable to a high harmony!!!