Description

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Start Ship Watching on the Great Lakes Today

Ship watching on the Great Lakes is fascinating It's hard to fathom how big a 1000-foot-long ship is until you see one navigating on the Great Lakes or passing under a lift bridge. Immediate questions come to mind:

• Where is it from? What is it carrying? How fast does it go? What do all those ship markings mean? Why did it blast its whistle?

With this beginner's guide by Brett Ortler, you'll discover:

• helpful tips on where to go to view ships and what to look for
• how to spot a "laker" vs. a "saltie"
• a longtime mariner's take on life aboard ship
• which ships have succumbed to storms
• information about the U.S. Coast Guard, tall ships, Canadian ships and more

About the Author

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Brett Ortler is an editor at Adventure Publications. He is the author of "Minnesota Trivia, Don'tcha Know!," "The Fireflies Book," and "The Mosquito Book." His essays, poems, and other work appear widely, including in "Salon," "The Good Men Project," "The Nervous Breakdown," "Living Ready" and in a number of other venues in print and online. He lives in the Twin Cities with his wife and their young children.