The Crew

Paul was one of the original 4 members of SDR which started way back in 2002. The nickname “Short Drag”, came from the fact that he was significantly shorter than the other 3 crew members. Paul’s rather loud singing voice had enabled him to ensure that on deck, with no microphones that the crew could still be heard, whatever the weather. Paul is one of the crew who actually sails, and is also a Canoe & Kayak coach and still works with the Scouts to provide boating activities. Paul’s wife and daughters have both been subjected to his singing over the years and although his daughters are both grown up, the next generation have already started to be press-ganged.

At the age of nine Peter started his singing life as a Chorister at St Mary’s Cathedral Choir School in Edinburgh, and he never stopped, singing Opera and Choral music at the highest level. Moving to England in 1977 he continued singing with Choirs and Choral societies, becoming a Choirmaster teaching youngsters and adults to sing. In 2003 after thirty years, he decided a change was in order, joining the recently formed Short Drag Roger where he stands at the far left of the line singing the bottom line to the harmonies and is now known as ‘Peter the Deep’.  He hopes to continue in this role for a few more years to come.

Geoffrey joined the crew in 2007 after knowing a musician from his Morris side who was also in Short Drag Roger. He was already singing shanties and folk songs with his Morris side. He still dances Morris as well as dancing Ceroc/Modern Jive with his wife. He was also a pantomime dame for over ten years (oh no he wasn’t!), and still enjoys wearing a dress.
He is a keen gardener with two allotments and is a rescuer for Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital.
His first career was as a stockman/shepherd/relief milker and he then became a full time gardener. He has two children and five grandchildren.

Chris was pressed into SDR eleven years ago in 2014: He could not stay quiet when a former member of the crew led the odd shanty at The Red Lion in his South Oxfordshire village of Blewbury. He comes from a family whose fondness of singing (for their own and each other’s amusement) comes second only to their love of water and boats of any kind.  He’s perhaps the first of them to sing regularly in public – rising (falling!) from treble to bass in the local church choir, appearing in amateur musicals, choral societies, and at last the pinnacle – the world of shanties!

In 2014 Robin found the Queen’s Shilling at the bottom of a glass in a West Oxfordshire pub after singing louder than everyone else in the chorus of a shanty.  After being a chorister, a member of community choirs and a frequenter of folk clubs, he found his calling in the ranks of Short Drag Roger.  As the sound engineer of the crew, he steers a steady course through tangles of cables in unfamiliar venues and prides himself on delivering the best sound we can to our audiences.  Robin also curates most of the set lists and produces some of the artwork.

Graham joined the crew in 2017, when he was working in marine engineering. Since then, he has charted a new course, navigating the murky and often tempestuous waters of helping gay engineers and scientists show up more comfortably in their organisations, without crushing their identities. His singing experience is widely varied, from traditional church choirs (most notably in Wallingford) through stage musicals and concerts (the eponymous Phantom, Paul in Kiss Me, Kate, a tap-dancing sailor in Anything Goes, many ensembles), to American a cappella. He acts often with the Sinodun Players, most recently as Lucio in Measure for Measure.

Patrick joined SDR in July 2023 as the newest member of the crew, but has sung for many years in choirs in Oxfordshire as a bass-baritone, occasionally singing solos.  Patrick has always loved a cappella singing and when growing up in Wiltshire he and his siblings would sing while doing the washing up, making up their own harmonies. Patrick has also been known to sing in pubs after a few drinks, which may explain how he became a shantyman! When not singing, Patrick is married with four children, and is a Professor of Planetary Physics at the University of Oxford.