The reason we have a strong legacy of sea music is because sailors invented songs not just to entertain themselves while they worked but also because the structure of the music provided a cadence and buoyancy that energized the tasks.

It’s fun – sort of – to imagine if that practice had continued to modern times and expanded to other professions: The surgical team singing hearty work songs as they perform your Spinal Osteomyelitis procedure! The Coast Guard rescue helicopter crew lustily belting out “Yo-ho-ho-and-a-bottle-of-rum” through the 200 mile-per-hour winds and 70-foot seas in a nighttime hurricane rescue!

But no work music is better than the original, which is why the Second Annual Sea Music Festival Friday through Sunday in Essex is a fine bet for your weekend activity.

Australia’s 40 Degrees South and Canada’s Pressgang Mutiny highlight the touring acts, with strong regional and local representation from The Ancient Mariners Chanteymen, Bob “Bobaloo” Basey and Tracey Wright-Basey, Bob & Jeanne Zentz, and Dan Milner.

Also: David Iler, David Jones, Jeff Davis, The Johnson Girls, Ken Sweeney, Nick Apollonio, Rick & Donna Nestler, Skylark, Stout, and The Dirty Blue Shirts.

The action is joyfully frenetic and takes place at stages across Essex and the town green. In addition to the tunes, look forward to workshops, demonstrations and a fest-open symposium.

Connecticut Sea Music Festival, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Fri. and Sat., 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sun., Essex; daytime activities free, donations welcome, evening concerts $25-$50 available at gate; ctseamusicfest.