Adventurer and TV Host Steve Thomas Brings Ancient Seafaring Traditions to Lyme Public Hall, Oct. 7

LYME, CT – On Wednesday, Oct. 7, author, adventurer and television personality Steve Thomas will present a talk and book signing for his updated edition of The Last Navigator.

The free event will be held at Lyme Public Hall, 249 Hamburg Road. Wine and cheese will be served at 6:30 p.m., followed by the presentation at 7 p.m.

Thomas will share the story of Mau Piailug, a master Micronesian navigator whose knowledge of traditional wayfinding techniques helped preserve an ancient seafaring tradition. The illustrated presentation will explore how navigators used stars, ocean swells and bird flight patterns to travel vast distances across the Pacific without modern instruments.

The revised edition includes updated stories and research from a new generation of islanders and scholars.

Thomas spent 11 months in Micronesia in 1983 and 1984 as an apprentice to Piailug. He documented the experience in The Last Navigator, first published in 1987, and a PBS documentary of the same name released the following year.

Thomas is also known for serving as host of PBS’s This Old House from 1989 to 2003. During his television career, he received a Daytime Emmy Award and multiple nominations before earning a Lifetime Achievement Emmy in 2022.

Registration is required. To sign up, email info@lymepublichall.org.