Greetings, Everyone!
We’re pleased to announce that people are quite enthusiastic about our upcoming biennial Conference to be held at Indian River State College in Vero Beach, Florida, from Monday, January 12 to Wednesday, January 14, 2026.
We now have over 100 guests attending! WOW!
To purchase a FULL TICKET, click HERE, or a SINGLE DAY PASS, click HERE.
For MEMBERS ONLY TICKETS ($335), please email Lenore Wetzel for the link to purchase. Not a 1715 Fleet Society member? BECOME A MEMBER TODAY — JOIN US HERE!
THE 1715 FLEET SOCIETY’S 2026 CONFERENCE & MEETING IS PROUDLY SPONSORED BY:
(Daniel Sedwick, Member #2, Augi Garcia, Member #3)
(Steve Hodges, Member #4)
(Rob Barfield, Member #161)
(Carl Allen, Member #243)
(Jeffrey Behan #259)
(Adam Crum, Member #194, Troy Baker, Member #250)
Admission is $2. Free for children under 6.
On Sunday, January 11, from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm, Fleet Society members Richard Mellin (Member #230) and Mark Culver (Member #222) will host a visit to the McLarty Treasure Museum.
The Society will also be hosting its Meet & Greet/Welcome Reception — a catered event open to the public — at the Vero Beach Heritage Center from 1:000 to 6:00 pm. Bring your coins and artifacts to be examined by experts! We will have a number of vendors and authors available to sign books. These authors include Allen Balogh, John Brandon, Alex Kuze, Steve Singer, Noel Wells, and Charlie Winn. Major bookseller Alan Workman will have a wide array of shipwreck, treasure, and related books from his vast and impressive inventory. Steve Hodges and Noel Wells will be available to evaluate coins and artifacts that are brought in by the local community. Representatives from the Treasure Coast Coin Club and the Mel Fisher’s Treasure Museum (in Sebastian, Florida) will be present. Our Regional Director, Jim Wilson, will have videos for sale.
CONFERENCE AGENDA:
MONDAY, JANUARY 12, 2026:
Please NOTE that, unlike previous years, we are starting earlier due to a power-packed schedule!
- 7:00 – 8:15 AM — Registration
- 7:30 AM — Continental Breakfast
- 8:15 – 8:30 AM — Welcome and introduction by 1715 Fleet Society President, Ben Costello
- 8:30 – 9:00 AM — Dedication to Dr. Eugene Lyon
- 9:00 – 10:00 AM — Charlie Winn — Buyer Beware the Value of a Pedigree
- 10:00 – 11:00 AM — Julian Sancton — The San Jose and its Relationship to the 1715 Fleet
- 11:00 – 11:15 AM — Break
- 11:15 AM – 12:00 Noon — Daniel Sedwick — Arce’s Doubloons: Bogota 2 Escudos of Charles II
- 12:00 Noon – 1:30 PM — Lunch
- 1:30 – 2:30 PM Sal Guttuso — Unique and Notable Discoveries from the 2024 Salvage Season
- 2:30 – 3:30 PM — Richard Mellin — Chinese Export Porcelain
- 3:30 – 3:45 PM — Break
- 3:45 – 4:45 PM — Jim Sinclair — Unique Objects from the 1715 Fleet and Other Associated Wrecks
- 4:45 – 5:00 PM — Closing Comments
Following presentations on day 1 of our Conference is a wine tasting with owner Robert Wayne of Varietals and More. More information to come — stay tuned!
TUESDAY, JANUARY 13, 2026:
- 7:30 AM — Continental Breakfast
- 8:30 AM — Opening Remarks
- 9:00 – 10:30 AM — Sam Wilford, Deputy State Archaeologist & Archaeology Collections & Conservation Supervisor, Division of Historical Resources, Florida Department of State — Plate Fleet Collections Held By the Florida Division of Historical Resources
- 10:30 – 10:45 AM — Break
- 10:45 -11:45 AM — Taffi Fisher — In the Beginning …
- 11:45 AM – 1:30 PM — Lunch
- 1:30 – 2:30 PM — Brent Brisban — 1,000 yd Stretch of Beach
- 2:30 – 2:45 PM — Break
- 2:45 – 4:45 PM — Ben Costello — An Afternoon with the Real Eight: A vintage interview with Real Eight members recorded in March of 1997 by the Indian River Community Library in Vero Beach.
- 4:45 – 5:00 PM — Closing Comments
- 5:30 PM — Dinner at Captain Hirams for MEMBERS (and their guests) ONLY!
Not a 1715 Fleet Society member? BECOME A MEMBER TODAY — JOIN US HERE!
This year, for Fleet Society members and their guests, we have arranged for the dinner meeting to be held at Captain Hirams in Sebastian, Florida. This dinner meeting will be very special — we are holding a silent auction and a private viewing of a portion of the recently recovered treasure that has been the subject of national media attention (special thanks to 1715 Fleet – Queens Jewels, LLC) for MEMBERS ONLY. Sal Guttuso, Operations Manager for 171 Fleet – Queens Jewels, LLC, and Mike Perna, Captain of the Mighty Mo recovery vessel, will be available to discuss the recovered treasure. The silent auction will contain many interesting items, both shipwreck and non-shipwreck-related. We will be posting a list of the items to be auctioned in the near future.
Ticket price for members will be $35 ($45 for guests of members). The dinner meeting will start at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, January 13, 2026. The first hour will be socializing, and the dinner buffet will be served at approximately 6:45 p.m.
For those attending, payment can be made by cash or check, in person, at the Conference.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2026:
- 7:30 AM — Continental Breakfast
- 8:30 – 9:00 AM — Opening Remarks
- 9:00 – 10:30 AM — Bob Evans — The Smaller Treasures of the S.S. Central America
- 10:30 – 10:45 AM — Break
- 10:45 AM – 12:00 Noon — Sal Guttuso and Ben Costello — The Archaeology of Fort Capron, its Artifacts, Location, and Lost Payroll
- 12:00 – 1:30 PM — Lunch
- 1:30 – 2:30 PM — Russell Augustin — Loss of the S.S. Pulaski and the S.S. North Carolina
- 2:30 – 3:30 PM — Jeff Garrett — The Great Kentucky Hoard
- 3:30 – 3:45 PM — Break
- 3:45 – 4:45 PM — Barry Clifford — The Wydah and its Relationship to the 1715 Fleet
- 4:45 PM – ? — Closing Comments and Conference Gifts
Despite all of our efforts to maintain schedule consistency, this agenda is subject to change. Any changes will be posted immediately.
We will provide more information about the upcoming conference as things develop.
Ben Costello
President, 1715 Fleet Society
