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; a Down East rum runner; 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.

Tom Verde is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in the New York Times, Yankee Magazine, and on National Public Radio. He is the author of Maine Ghosts and Legends: 30 Encounters with the Supernatural (Down East Books) and In a Class All Their Own: Unique and Historic Boats of New England (Globe Pequot Press). He lives in Pawcatuck, Connecticut.

Sponsored by the Friends of the Library