Never Say P*g

Never Say P*g merits signing aboard with anyone's library, be they pollywog or shellback. It will inform as well as entertain on dark and stormy nights or in the noon-day sun, at sea or ashore. -Captain Jonathan Bacon Smith, SEA HISTORY magazine Nicely illustrated throughout with black-and-white images, Never Say P*g: The Book of Sailors' Superstitions is an inherently fascinating and informative compendium of maritime beliefs that will fully engaging the reader from first page to last. Unique, informative, thought-provoking and fun, Never Say P*g: The Book of Sailors' Superstitions is highly recommended. -Midwest Book Review The information is interesting enough for a non-sailor to find enjoyable and crucial for a sailor to know and respect...interesting and informative. -San Francisco Book Review, 5-star review A fun and informative book on a subject near and dear to sailors across the globe. Anyone who has worked on the world's oceans will have encountered shipboard superstitions and will love this book that brings them all together. -Keith McLaren, author of A Race for Real Sailors This wonderfully researched compendium will give any superstitious sailor all the ammunition needed to make safe passage at sea. It provides everything necessary to avoid bad luck, attract good luck, and stave off the horrors awaiting unsuspecting sailors. Every boat should have a copy aboard. -Gordon Miller, author of Voyages: To the New World and Beyond Now here is a real nautical treasure-a salty compendium of boating superstitions, customs and expressions. And all between two covers. Bruce Macdonald has spent a lifetime on and around boats and it shows with his deft coverage of worldwide sailorizing, plus gratifying details of Canadian maritime idiosyncrasies from Queen Charlotte's Sound to Gabarus, Nova Scotia. Put this book aboard. If it doesn't bring you luck, at least it will be more entertaining than scratching the backstay! -Captain Martyn Clark, former Executive Director of the S.A.L.T.S. Sail and Life Training Society, the Maritime Museum of British Columbia, and the Los Angeles Maritime Institute A well hoisted Bravo-Zulu to Bruce MacDonald and Never Say P*g. Sailors have always had superstitions, and this still rings true with today's mariners who would not dare jeopardize a ship's good luck. Be ye landsman or ancient mariner, you'll appreciate the well-researched explanations and origins of these traditions. -Capt. Seann O'Donoughue, Master Mariner Bruce's book is a thoroughly enjoyable read. As a life-time sailor myself, I had no idea I was living so close to disaster. Now I will have to get myself a coffin nail, black handled knife, wind bag, brandy, slate, dried apples, bat wings and God knows what else, just to survive at sea. -Arnt Arntzen, designer, boat builder and sailor Capt. Macdonald's book Never Say P*g is an insightful and entertaining look at the vast history of nautical superstitions. It brought to light the origins of the many that I've adhered to in my 39 years of being a mariner and has added many more to my repertoire. Read it for good luck. -Capt. Michael Rodaway What an age we live in! Trust in science is deeply polarized. Truth and lies have equal value, while good old superstition is replaced with advice to gargle with bleach. Established rules of morals and behavior morph into fanaticism approaching madness. Take a breath of clear ocean air and read how sailors of yore, yon and hither attempted to make sense of their perilous world, avoid calamity, and have someone to blame when bad ju ju inevitably happened. This compendium by Bruce MacDonald will guide the reader through these perilous solutions. Caution, a sense of superiority may help. It needs religious icons, gestures, a chantable phrase or two to make it in our modern world, but in simpler times, sailors made do with what they had. And so it goes.-Capt. Len Pearson What a treasure! Bruce shares an addictive collection of superstitions carried by mariners from around the globe. I am taken by the complexity and detail involved in the creation of these long-standing beliefs. They won't soon be forgotten the next time I step aboard a vessel (with my right foot first). -Nicola Clur, Assistant Director of Operations, Vancouver Maritime Museum