DOOR COUNTY (NBC 26) — It may not be boating season anymore but in Door county a Facebook page dedicated to ship-watching is active year round.
- Rebecca Struck the admin of the Facebook page Sturgeon Bay Ship-Watchers talks about why she started the group
- Rosann Hollinger a member of the Sturgeon Bay Ship-Watchers explains her favorite part of being in the group
- The "Burn Harbor" first of nine ships on the bay for this years winter fleet
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
"I have like a whole route I follow from like the canal all the way to the ship-yard" Rebecca Struck, the admin of the Sturgeon Bay Ship-Watchers said.
For ship-watchers the first of the winter fleet arriving is an exciting time. Rebecca Struck of Sturgeon Bay started a Facebook page for fellow ship enthusiasts.
"I started about two years ago there was talk online about it and I was like why don't we just have a group" Struck said.
She says the page Sturgeon Bay Ship-Watchers has flourished.
"It's grown to I think it's just over 4,000 members now" Struck said.
Rosann Hollinger is a a member of the group and says the best part of being in the group is meeting everyone at boat sightings.
"It's kind of fun in real life when you're standing there like at the end of Florida street and people drive up and get out of their cars. That's actually the fun part it's the whole person to person connection" Hollinger said.
Members of the page make sure to keep each other in the loop with all things ship related like pictures, locations and facts about different boats.
"That's one really awesome thing about the ship-watchers group that we all share information" Hollinger said.
The ship-watchers share the locations of incoming ships by using different apps but before they tracked them online, boat tracking information used to be shared differently.
"It used to be in town where the ship-yard would release that information to for yard to the museum and then the museum would make it public right away" Struck said.
For Hollinger ship watching is a hobby she'd encourage anyone and everyone to give a try.
"Each boat just like each person, has a story" Hollinger said.
This is just the first of nine ships expected to layover in Sturgeon Bay this season which is less than in previous years but the ship-watchers are excited to watch everyone pull in.
