On Wednesday evenings in July and August, the Camden Yacht Club will hold their annual Sunset Seminars. These are free and open to the public. Speakers and presentations are on a variety of topics of interest to the mid-coast. They begin at 7 p.m., and usually last an hour or so, according to the Yacht Club, located at 68 Bay View Street.

The Yacht Club provides the following descriptions:

July 1: International award-winning artist and musician Mark Daly returns for an evening of original paintings, music, and stories inspired by Penobscot Bay. Daly will share work that captures the schooners, boats, harbors, changing light, and many moods of the Maine coast, while discussing how years on the water have helped him create more authentic art. He will also explore the natural connection between painting and music — rhythm, mood, movement, and atmosphere — and how those ideas shape both his visual art and original compositions. The evening will include live acoustic music with fellow musicians and friends.

July 8: Long time member Sandy Welte will present a survey of some of the Clubs’s artworks and historical objects including photographs, drawings, paintings and physical objects. Some of these will be recognized and well-known to people, others will be seeing fresh light after having been hidden away.  They range from recent acquisitions and donations, to pieces that have been onsite since the beginning. Backstories, some of which relate to The Golden Era of Yachting and others connecting early American realist painters will provide interesting and colorful context to the pieces discussed.

July 15: Swimming, learning to swim and knowing where and when to swim are integral outdoor activities we engage in here on the mid-coast. In this seminar, a lively panel discussion with Jodi Maltese, Pen Bay YMCA Aquatics Director, as moderator will explore swimming as both a lifeline and a lifetime activity. The conversation will feature personal stories about how swimming has shaped their lives and deepened their connection to coastal living. The panel will reflect on how learning to swim supports physical health, builds resilience, and opens the door to recreation, work, and joy in and around the water. Just as importantly, it is a critical safety skill—one that every child and family deserves access to, especially in communities where water is ever-present.

July 22: The The Hurricane Island Center for Science and Leadership will give a presentation about their programming opportunities. Offering a hands-on science curriculum that allows students of all ages to explore and connect with the natural world along the rocky shore of Hurricane Island. The many activities built into the lesson plans such as rowing, rock climbing, and swimming all help to shape the emerging leaders who leave Hurricane Island feeling more empowered to build a sustainable future.

July 29: Local photojournalist and women’s rights activist Patricia McLean will talk about her public charity, Finding Our Voices. Breaking the silence of domestic abuse, women survivors aged 18 to 85 are standing proud and speaking loud on Finding Our Voices posters and bookmarks in 100 towns across Maine, alerting the general public to the raging public health emergency that is domestic abuse, erasing the stereotype, and letting our sister-survivors know they are not alone, it is not their shame or their fault, and there IS a way out.

August 5: Maine played an important part in the War for Independence. This year, as we celebrate the 250 th anniversary of that struggle and the founding of the nation, Steve Bromage of the Maine Historical Society will give a talk focused on Maine’s participation in the Revolutionary War, Maine and the Revolution. As part of this, an original copy of one of the Dunlap Broadsheet Prints of the Declaration of Independence will be on display at the Camden Public Library on Aug 7&8.

August 12: Alexis (Lexi) Doudera, founder and director, will talk about her educational organization, Saltwater Classroom. Saltwater Classroom is a Maine-based not-for-profit organization that is committed to a new wave of ocean education. “We believe that the first step towards a sustainable future on our Blue Planet is a renewed emphasis on ocean literacy. From education stems passion, and from passion blooms stewardship.”

August 19: Several years ago, Camden resident Jeffrey Jordan brought together a group of donors to fund a study of the effects of wave action, particularly during storm events, on Camden Harbor. They funded the deployment of monitoring devices and then the subsequent data analysis. Last year, at a standing-room-only seminar, Jeff, along with colleagues, presented the results of that study. He returns this year to give us an update and to present results from a new deployment in Rockport Harbor.

August 26: Henry Sweets, new parks director at the Camden Public Library, and his colleague Kenneth Wright will give a presentation about the history of the CPL Amphitheater and Harbor Park. In 1916, Mary Louise Curtis Bok donated land to the town for the purpose of erecting a free public library. Completion of the main building was in 1928 and it now stands as the centerpiece of the town. Shortly after, in 1931, Mrs. Bok gave the land that the Amphitheater and Park now occupy for the purpose of complimentary green-space and Fletcher Steele of Boston was hired as the landscape architect to create the design.