Greetings. This is Ben Costello, President of the 1715 Fleet Society. It is hard to believe that the time has arrived where we are actually about to sell tickets to our next conference in January 2026. Time has sure passed by quickly since starting this project late last year.
We always try to outdo ourselves from conference to conference. Just when we think we can’t do any better, we seem to conjure up something to add to our program that makes it special. For instance, our Society has members who are deeply interested in other shipwrecks, land finds, and related subjects. To satisfy this interest, we have added a third day to our usual two-day conference. This extra day is devoted to archaeology, other shipwrecks, treasure, hoards, and finds.
So far, there has been a very positive response to our new venue, the Indian River State College in Vero Beach. The facility will be able to accommodate well over a hundred attendees, if we are fortunate to get that many interested people.
Below is pertinent information about the ticket sales as well as the agenda. We have a lot of great speakers who have honored us by agreeing to participate. Please see the agenda for more information about our speakers and their topics of discussion. Note that the agenda is subject to change as we are still working with a few other prospective speakers who may join us at the conference.
We do expect that there will be more than a hundred people attending, so get your tickets early before they are gone. Note that tickets will be available ONLY to Society members until August 15. After that, the tickets will be available on the open market.
Thank you for your help and support!
Ben Costello, President, 1715 Fleet Society
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The 1715 Fleet Society is pleased to announce that it will be hosting its biennial Conference at Indian River State College (IRSC) in Vero Beach, Florida, from Monday, January 12 to Wednesday, January 14, 2026.
PROUDLY SPONSORED BY:
Sedwick & Associates, LLC (Daniel Sedwick, Member #2, Augi Garcia, Member #3)
West Bay Trading Company (Steve Hodges, Member #4)
Vision Development & Construction (Rob Barfield, Member #161)
Allen X Exploration (Carl Allen, Member #243)
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Tickets: $375 for nonmembers, $335 for members, and $150 day pass; tickets to go on sale August 1.
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SUNDAY, JANUARY 11, 2026
10:00 AM – 1:00 PM — McClarty Treasure Museum Visit Hosted by Fleet Society members Richard Mellin and Mark Culver
1:00 PM – 6:00 PM — Meet and Greet/Reception — FREE! OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!
The Heritage Center, 2140 14th Avenue, Vero Beach, FL
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, Terry Armstrong, Alex Kuze, Steve Singer, and Noel Wells. 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. Some of our vendors are Nichole Johanson from the Mel Fisher Treasure Museum in Sebastian, who will have items for sale, and Jim Wilson, our Regional Director, who will have videos for sale.
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CONFERENCE AGENDA
MONDAY, JANUARY 12, 2026:
Please NOTE that, unlike previous years, we are starting earlier due to a power-packed schedule! We need to start early so that we can present everything.
- 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 — Daniel Sedwick — Arce’s Doubloons: Bogota 2 Escudos of Charles II
- 11:00 – 11:15 AM — Break
- 11:15 AM – 12:00 Noon — Julian Sancton — The San Jose and its Relationship to the 1715 Fleet
- 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
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
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.
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Please note that 50% of the ticket price is NON-REFUNDABLE. The 1715 Fleet Society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Much of our work is done by volunteers, but there are still expenses that come up from outside vendors that have to be met. Many of our expenses for the conference are based on the number of attendees. We believe that this is a reasonable policy so our basic expenses can be met, and enough will be left over to make our efforts profitable if cancellations are made.
