Egan Maritime Institute Presents Summer Speaker Series 2013

NANTUCKET, Mass. - June 5, 2013 - PRLog -- Nantucket Island, MA (June 5, 2013)- Starting on June 17th, The Egan Maritime Institute will present a succession of acclaimed authors for the 2013 Summer Speaker Series. Headlining the series will be author of more than ten books and hundreds of articles on lighthouses, historian of the American Lighthouse Foundation, and founder of friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouses Jeremy D’Entremont; Nantucket-resident, national award-winning author and historian Nathaniel Philbrick; Shipwreck Discoverer and National Geographic Speaker Barry Clifford; Author, avid sailor, and former correspondent for The Wall Street Journal Bruce Knecht and dynamic speaker and award-winning author of 18 books Michael Tougias.

June 17th, 7:00pm- Jeremy D’Entremont, author of more than ten books and hundreds of articles on lighthouses and other maritime subjects, will talk about New England Lighthouses and the People Who Kept Them followed by a casual reception to meet and talk further with Jeremy personally. D’Entremont, who has appeared on the History Channel and the travel channel, has been called the leading expert on New England’s historic lighthouses.

July 25th, 7:00pm- Nathaniel Philbrick, author, Pulitzer Prize finalist, and winner of the National Book Award for his 2000 work for maritime history “In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex,” will present his latest book
“Bunker Hill: A City, a Siege, a Revolution”. In this novel, Philbrick revisits the beginnings of the American Revolution where a turning point in American History unfolded.  

August 1st, 2:00pm and 7:00pm- Barry Clifford, a shipwreck discoverer and National Geographic speaker will discuss his finding of the pirate ship Whydah.  The Whydah sunk as a result of a storm off the coast of Cape Code in 1717 and is the only pirate shipwreck ever found with her treasurers and other artifacts still intact.  

August 13th, 7:00pm- Bruce Knecht, a journalist, author, and avid sailor, will reveal his latest book “Grand Ambition: An Extraordinary Yacht, the People Who Built It, and the Millionaire Who Can’t Really Afford It”.  The story follows the boat-owning adventures of a self-made tycoon and his wife as they build their extravagant dream yacht and set sail.

September 5th, 7:00pm- Michael Tougias, a dynamic speaker and award-winning author of 18 books, will be giving a book talk on his novel “A Storm Too Soon: A True Story of Disaster, Survival, and an Incredible Rescue”.  The book illustrates a true story of three remarkable 2007 maritime rescues near the dangerous waters of the Gulf Stream.  

The Egan Maritime Institute 2013 Summer Speaker Series will be held at the Coffin School, 4 Winter Street. Admission is $10.00 per person and free for all members.

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About Egan Maritime Institute:

The Egan Maritime Institute is the island’s only non-profit organization devoted exclusively to celebrating Nantucket’s seafaring heritage. The Egan Maritime Institute fulfills its mission by supporting activities of its Nantucket based affiliates, the Nantucket Shipwreck & Lifesaving Museum and Mill Hill Press.  Three years ago, the Egan Maritime Institute launched ACKweather.com, recognizing that travel to and from an island is often a major production, requiring strategies involving fog, wind, surf, and storms, it is your one stop, easy-to-use source for information on weather and sea conditions. Their newest affiliate, Sea of Opportunities was created to bridge Nantucket’s historical connection with the sea with today’s young Nantucketers, enriching their future by exposing them to maritime traditions, trades, and sciences.