Author Talk with
Tom Verde

In a Class All Their Own:
Unique and Historic Boats of New England

Friday, April 12 at 2:00 p.m. in the Great Room

Join us for an Author Talk with New England author Tom Verde. Verde will offer a glimpse at some of the classic boats of New England including some of Maine’s unique vessels. He’ll also take us on an in-depth exploration of the histories of some of these unique boats through stories, photos and videos.

Tom Verde is a freelance journalist who writes for the New York Times, National Public Radio, AramcoWorld magazine, the New London Day, and the Westerly Sun. On his first solo sail, on the Charles River in Boston, he ran aground, collided with the Longfellow Bridge, and generally enjoyed himself. He lives in Pawcatuck, Connecticut.

Book description:

Each boat has a tale to tell. In a Class All Their Own: Unique and Historic Boats of New England (Globe Pequot Press, 2020), Tom Verde recounts the colorful stories of nearly forty classic/unique New England vessels.These include the fabled history of the cat boat; the first fiberglass sailing yacht; a NY ferry boat repurposed as a houseboat; the oldest working fishing boat in Stonington, CT; racing rivalries in the Sound; the French love affair with American boat designs; and the Jazz Age era of luxury yachting, among others. In his presentation, Verde will discuss several boats featured in his book, including their classes and designers, as well as their relationships to the waters in which they sailed, raced, and cruised.