The writer R. Bruce Macdonald discusses his new book Never Say P*G: The Book of Sailors’ Superstitions (Harbour Publishing, 2022), with Joseph Planta.

Never Say P*G: The Book of Sailors’ Superstitions by R. Bruce Macdonald (Harbour Publishing, 2022). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Never Say P*G

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

There’s that episode of The Office, the American version, where Michael Scott looks into the camera and says he’s “stitious” but not superstitious. There’s a terrific new book out that you didn’t know you needed, Never Say P*G: The Book of Sailors’ Superstitions. It’s a compendium of everything superstitious having its derivation from things maritime and marine. There’s a lot in here that goes back to references in The Bible, some that seem far fetched, some that seem outrageous. Naturally with most myths, there’s a lot that doesn’t make sense, some things herein that are contradictory, and some that are outright outmoded thanks to time and today’s cultural mores. It still makes for great fun, fascinating reading. Our captain of this voyage of superstitions is R. Bruce Macdonald, the book’s author who joins me now. He complied this collection of marine insurance as it were. As he says near the beginning of the book, a lot of it might not make sense, but why tempt fate. And when venturing near or in the water, you need everything to be on your side. R. Bruce Macdonald is a writer, sailor, and artist with a passion for Canadian history. He has logged over 100,000 nautical miles, and for many years now, has lived along the BC coast aboard North Star, where I reached him late in March, docked near English Bay here in Vancouver. He is the author of previous books North Star of Herschel Island, and Sisters of the Ice. @arcticship is his Twitter handle. This new book is published by Harbour Publishing. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Bruce Macdonald; Mr. Macdonald, good morning.

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