Michael Tougias, author of Ten Hours Until Dawn, will appear at the Gloucester Maritime Heritage Center (GMHC) on Thursday evening, January 26th at 7 p.m. Tougias will present a slide lecture detailing the events that occurred during the height of the Blizzard of 1978, when the pilot boat Can Do set out from Gloucester to assist a lost Coast Guard boat and an imperiled oil tanker. Using audiotapes from all the boats involved including recordings of every word exchanged between Can Do captain Frank Quirk and the Coast Guard, Tougias recreates the actions and emotions of those who played a role at sea and onshore in this incredible tale of heroism and sacrifice.

The 2005-2006 GMHC lecture series will draw to a close on March 2nd with Manchester resident Tom Walker’s slide/lecture, “Marching with Penguins: A Tourist’s View of Antarctica.”

All lectures take place at 7 p.m. at the Gloucester Maritime Heritage Center, 23 Harbor Loop in Gloucester. Dessert and coffee follow the presentations. There is no charge, but donations are welcomed. For further information, call (978) 281-0470.