The Falmouth International Sea Shanty Festival is inching ever closer with just nine weeks to go before the town reverberates once again to the sound of shanties coming from numerous venues.

As we at the Packet continue our countdown to the festival, we concentrate this week on another two of the acts that will be entertaining the crowds this year.

The Pirates of St Piran are a non-profit making, charity fundraising group of "piratical" shanty singers who like to "rock and roll and go." They say: "We also enjoy a bit of theatricals and lots of audience participation. Wherever we perform there will be fun, flintlocks, cannons and a grand rumbustification, so do come and join us."

They add: "This will be our sixth visit to the festival and we look forward to meeting old friends for a tankard or two of grog and making the acquaintance of many new ones."

The Longest Johns are a Bristol based, a cappella folk music band, born out of a mutual love of traditional folk songs and shanties. They "rock" maritime songs alongside the more unusual and less traditional folk tunes. After becoming a five-man group in 2015, they've taken their harmonies to new heights, while always retaining just the right mix of quality and hilarity.

Whether performing songs that are hundreds of years old, or their own original creations, the Johns bring a new feel to audiences wherever they go.

The festival takes place over the weekend of June 16 to 18 and raises money for Falmouth RNLI, with this year's proceeds going to the charity's £100,000 appeal to raise the money needed to upgrade the lifeboat station ahead of a new lifeboat arriving in two years.

All performances during the festival are free, apart from the gala concert which takes place at the Princess Pavilion on Saturday, June 17. Performing at the concert will be Kanerien Trozoul, Flash Jack, Portsmouth Shantymen and Bounding Main, who are coming across from America for the festival.

Tickets can be bought via the festival website, falmouthseashanty.co.uk, where you can also find details of the acts appearing this year and keep up to date with the latest developments.