Survive the Savage Sea: Stories from Our Ocean Heritage Creative Publishers, 1998 In November 2000, Survive the Savage Sea went to its third reprint. To Order Book (Go to site) Robert Parsons - Newfoundland Author How it came to be, or how I wrote this manuscript

I kept working and polishing the core (which by 1997 had grown to over sixty stories); then about mid-September I rearranged the lot into some semblance of order. The question was whether the layout would be chronological, geographical or by type (stranding, fire, abandonment, etc). I decided the best format would be to work my way geographically around Newfoundland clockwise. But where to start?

I selected a story which would have appeal to many; i.e. elements of tragedy, mystery and adversity. That story of the S.S. Sandbeach which occurred near the Bay of Islands began my new book. Incidentally the story "Wreck of the Salvage Ship Sandbeach" appeared in the Evening Telegram on Saturday, February 28, 1998.

How it was Arranged

From the Bay of Islands, shipwrecks and intrigue upon the sea work their way clockwise around the coast and ends at Wreckhouse on the west coast. When it came time to include stories of the south coast, I presumed there would be little to me to write since I had already done four books centring on that particular area. But I was wrong. Six or seven new and interesting (to me at least) tales of the sea which occurred along that stretch of the coast are included: Lawn, Burin, Fortune, Grand Bank, Harbour Breton, Boxey and a unique mystery related to Burgeo. In addition and where possible I included titbits of the history of the towns, large and small.

Title

Now what to call this latest volume? I had several ideas which I presented to my publisher, Creative Publishers, St. John's. They liked Survive the Savage Sea and I agreed, but I would like a subtitle Tales from Our Ocean Heritage so that readers would know what type of book this would be -- fiction or non-fiction. Thus it will be Survive the Savage Sea: Tales from Our Ocean Heritage. Over three hundred pages long, sixty-three stories and over eighty photos/illustrations.

What's Unique About It

I like to think that the ships in this book are relatively unknown; that is, we have probably heard of Truxton/Pollux, Florizel, the Newfoundland disaster, the Viking explosion and the loss of the Lion and the Southern Cross and so on. I believe the vessels in Survive the Savage Sea are lesser known (but that doesn't mean the wreck or loss of life is less intense). The ports they sailed from or were wrecked near are outports large and small scattered around our sea-girt island -- Little Bay Islands, Silverdale, Triton, Twillingate, Fogo, Horwood, Carmanville, Badger's Quay, Greenspond, Bonavista, Trinity, Brigus, Burnt Point, St. John's, Trepassey and many more.

Where possible every piece of Newfoundlandia (or scrap of information) I had and which I thought unusual was worked into the stories. But what's more unique, in Survive the Savage Sea practically every story has the crew listed, and their place of residence.

Well that's it. Let me know one way what you think of this one.