We are excited to announce that Kingston Yacht Club Speakers’ Series will start
in January with an informative and fun presentation by Bruce MacDonald,
author of Never Say P*g, The Book of Sailors’ Superstitions.
Ever wondered why the skipper gave you a hairy eyeball when you stepped
aboard the ship with your left foot? Or why a brolly or a bumbershoot—for the
newly seasoned sailor, an umbrella—will bring trouble aboard? Find out all this
and more in Never Say P*g, the never-seen-before collection of maritime
superstitions ranging from the East Coast to the Great Lakes of Canada, the Inuit
to the First Nations Peoples of the Pacific Northwest. From A: why killing an
albatross is bad luck, but seeing one is good luck—to B: why bananas are so
feared that some sailors only refer to them as “that curved yellow fruit”—to C:
clapping aboard a ship will bring thunder—you’ll be fluent in sailing
superstitions in no time!
From sailor and author R. Bruce Macdonald—who swears he didn’t know not to
stir his tea with a knife—comes an indispensable guide to the ways in which we
ward off bad luck at sea and attempt to keep ourselves safe by shaping fate
through signs and symbols. The original “marine insurance” for sailors,
superstitions offered a semblance of control amidst a dangerous and volatile life
aboard, at the mercy of the weather, the crew, the ship—even pirates.Ultimately, this encyclopedia reveals that superstitions have always been with us
to comfort, to charm and to ease fears. Learn them all as you sail the high seas!
The nautical reference book you never knew you needed: a compendium of all
superstitions maritime and marine. Learn your A-B-Seas of sailors’ guiding magic
and mythos—and why you should never stir your tea with a knife, lest you invite
trouble and strife.
We hope to see you at KYC for this entertaining and enlightening presentation!!!
|
