Crew's Ship Affairs is the third book in the stand-alone Blue-Collar Romance novels series, written by Bob Ojala. The previous two books, A Tugboater's Life and The Tugboater Family revolved around the drama and romances of the Great Lakes sailors working in the tough and dangerous Marine Construction business.This third novel continues with many of the same endearing characters, with a new character, Bob Evers, continuing to tell the tugboater crews about his unusual experiences w...

Curt Steiner has served twelve years as a Boatswain's Mate in the Coast Guard, but it is time to move on. He is still deciding on the where and how to move on when he runs into his high school sweetheart, Lois, at a party during a visit home to Michigan. What Curt does not know is that Lois still holds a torch for him, and their meeting at the party is not by chance. When Curt meets Lois's son, Steve, he is even more convinced that it is time to become a family of three. In doing so, Curt ...

Take a trip on the Great Lakes with Sweetwater Sailors. This entertaining, historical and factual book brings you up close and personal with Great Lakes Merchant Mariners, both men and women, including the only American woman Captain of a large Great Lakes ore carrier. You'll have a first person perspective on the jobs they perform and what makes them continue working in a potentially dangerous profession, which keeps them away from home most of the year. Great Lakes merchant sailors provi...

Take a trip on the Great Lakes with Sweetwater Sailors. This entertaining, historical and factual book brings you up close and personal with Great Lakes Merchant Mariners, both men and women, including the only American woman Captain of a large Great Lakes ore carrier. You'll have a first person perspective on the jobs they perform and what makes them continue working in a potentially dangerous profession, which keeps them away from home most of the year. Great Lakes merchant sailors provi...

This book is a compilation of many of my working trips around the world. All the stories are true. it is more than a travelogue; describing some of the work I did, but also commenting on the various cultures in the countries I visited.Looking back at the opportunities my career has given me, sometimes I have to "pinch myself" and ask, "Did I really do all of this?" Many traveling businesspeople hate their nomadic life, but not me. Other than a few minor glitches (and the increased ...

COLOR VERSION: Commercial Fishing is the most dangerous profession on a worldwide basis. So, the next time you buy fish, whether it is Great Lakes caught or Deep Sea, remember what the fishermen and their families endure so that you can enjoy that fresh fish! Our Great Lakes fishing fleet is a small fraction of what it was just 50 years ago, and it is getting tougher all the time for these families to make a living.

Curt Steiner has served twelve years as a Boatswain's Mate in the Coast Guard, but it is time to move on. He is still deciding on the where and how to move on when he runs into his high school sweetheart, Lois, at a party during a visit home to Michigan. What Curt does not know is that Lois still holds a torch for him, and their meeting at the party is not by chance. When Curt meets Lois's son, Steve, he is even more convinced that it is time to become a family of three. In doing so, Curt ...

The lives of men and women working under potentially dangerous conditions must not only cooperate, but they must watch out for one another, and even care for their fellow workers. Knowing the family members of the people whose life may depend on your actions creates a special bond. Those who do not take that responsibility seriously are not part of the family.Ship and tugboat operations are one of those dangerous professions. Potential danger is lurking nearby most days, and the ve...

Why would a young, middle-class woman with a law degree, having a great job as an Assistant District Attorney, decide to place her life in danger by going undercover against a ring of human traffickers? Liz Trent is obsessed with young kids being lured into sex-for-hire "stables" using offers of extra money for modeling careers, and she can't let the traffickers get away with destroying a young girl's life.Liz's investigations then find evidence of Asian and Eastern European childr...

Being a tugboater is sometimes a dangerous job. Going out to buy pizza for the crew isn't dangerous, is it? Captain Ashley Walters and her husband, Adam, the tug's engineer, decide to treat their hard-working crew to Chicago-style pizza, but they don't return from their errand. Being kidnapped by sex traffickers just doesn't happen to "normal" people, right? That's a Third World or big-city, ghetto problem that doesn't involve average Americans.However, when it actually happens, ca...

This book also tells the stories of the unusual, non-typical sailors on the Great Lakes, such as those in marine construction and passenger excursion captains. These types of sailors are away from home just as much as the cargo ship and carferry sailors are, but they are never seen by the general public.Sweetwater Sailors - The Rest of the Story starts by spotlighting two engineers who are women. These engineers have earned the respect of their shipmates by being tough and highly s...