Unique among U.S. maritime cargo operations, the Aleutian trade is and has always been carried on by small break-bulk cargo vessels, through severe weather, and a grueling schedule; not an industry for the weak, timid, or foolhardy. Contained in these pages is a history of the Aleutian trade, from the sailing vessels of the 19th century that transported salted cod, to the mailboats that for decades provided the region s only scheduled communication with the outside world, to the make-do, rough-and-tumble, seafood-driven fleet expansion of the 1980s, to the small but capable fleet of today. It is a history of small ships and the people who owned and operated them, set in a severe and unforgiving environment, and framed by an evolving marine resource-based economy.

Have you ever dreamed of traveling around the world? Do you wonder what life on board a freighter is like? What do I do all day? Do I fit the psychological profile of a freighter traveler? What kind of electric plug do I need? What is it like to be on the bridge and watch the captain and pilot maneuver our ship into port? Do they speak English? Will I get seasick? Around the World by Freighter tells you all this and so much more in day-by-day detail. Would you delight in watching a group of Polynesian women line dancing in Tahiti? How about wandering through Singapore's Chinatown at midnight? Sit back and travel hour by hour through the Panama Canal. You might prefer seeing London from a double-decker bus. Would you refuse a cabin search by a Saudi Arabian Customs official? Around the World by Freighter travels 31,184 miles to all these locations and many more. Have you ever wondered why we can't drink sea water? What is an antipode? If only there were a simple explanation of latitude and longitude. What does our weather look like when viewed from the moon? Did Amerigo Vespucci really discover America? What is it like to travel through the center of the earth and for that matter, where did our earth come from? Around the World by Freighter's School Days will answer these and countless other questions. This is a book for potential freighter travelers, armchair travelers, and anyone interested in basic facts about our world. It is a detailed, light-hearted account of a trip around the world on a modern container ship. As a bonus, on those dull days at sea, you will learn some interesting trivia about our planet. On your return home from this world trip you will comfortably be able to say " been there, done that, learned this." "This delightful wonderful story about a freighter voyage offers you much to learn about the ship, ports, oceans, and the world while leisurely navigating with Mr. Hartley." - Maris Freighter Cruises Freighter Travel Club (since 1958)

Set in a dark future America devastated by the forces of climate change, this thrilling bestseller and National Book Finalist is a gritty, high-stakes adventure of a teenage boy faced with conflicting loyalties. In America's flooded Gulf Coast region, oil is scarce, but loyalty is scarcer. Grounded oil tankers are being broken down for parts by crews of young people. Nailer, a teenage boy, works the light crew, scavenging for copper wiring just to make quota--and hopefully live to see another day. But when, by luck or by chance, he discovers an exquisite clipper ship beached during a recent hurricane, Nailer faces the most important decision of his life: Strip the ship for all it's worth or rescue its lone survivor, a beautiful and wealthy girl who could lead him to a better life.... In this powerful novel, Hugo and Nebula Award winning author Paolo Bacigalupi delivers a fast-paced adventure set in the vivid and raw, uncertain future of his companion novels The Drowned Cities and Tool of War. "Suzanne Collins may have put dystopian literature on the YA map with The Hunger Games...but Bacigalupi is one of the genre's masters, employing inventively terrifying details in equally imaginative story lines." —Los Angeles Times A New York Times Bestseller A Michael L. Printz Award Winner A National Book Award Finalist A VOYA 2010 Top Shelf Fiction for Middle School Readers Book A Rolling Stone 40 Best YA Novels Book Don’t miss the other books in the series: The Drowned Cities Tool of War

At a turning point in his life, George Fetherling embarked on an adventure to sail round the world on one of the last of the tramp freighters. The four-month voyage carried him 30,000 nautical miles from Europe via the Panama Canal to the South Pacific and back by way of Singapore, Indonesia, the Indian Ocean, and Suez. Written with dash, colour, and droll humour, Fetherling's narrative is peopled by a rich cast of characters, from the Foreign Legionnaires of French Polynesia to the raskol gangs of Papua New Guinea. The author captures the reality of life aboard a working cargo ship – the boredom, the seclusion, the differences of nationality and culture that isolation and cramped quarters seem to exaggerate. But the routine of loneliness or tranquility is punctuated by moments of near-panic – shipboard fires, furniture-smashing storms, even a brush with pirates in the Straits of Malacca.