LCSC BBQ + Guest Speaker Thomas Dolby
Online tickets are now only available for the Talk - please secure your ticket for the talk below. BBQ tickets can be purchased on the evening at Linden House.
The BBQ will start at 7pm, until stocks last.
We are delighted to welcome to the club a very special guest: pioneering musician, producer, sailor and writer, Thomas Dolby, who ahead of his upcoming Shepherd's Bush tour date, will be joining us to discuss the inspiration behind his new novel, Prevailing Wind.
About the Book
Autumn 1913: As dark political clouds gather over Europe, the New York Yacht Club's membership possesses more wealth and power than the US Treasury itself.
Railroad barons, steel magnates and factory owners control the U.S. from the squeaky leather couches of the opulent 44th St Manhattan clubhouse. Far from the troubled immigrant slums, the Suffragettes, and the Ludlow massacres, the NYYC plutocrats wager small fortunes and pit their egos on their favourite distraction: big yacht sail racing. Its absolute pinnacle is the America's Cup, the oldest trophy in world sport. Sir Thomas Lipton's latest challenge is due to be contested the following summer; and as always, the defenders' 35-man crews will be recruited from the hardy seamen of the Maine coast.
For two penniless lobstermen brothers Davey and Jacob Haskell, it's the chance of a lifetime: to get the heck out of Deer Isle, Maine, and etch their names in Cup history. But they'll have to fight for places with the rival West Bay crew. There are old feuds to be settled on and off the water.
Prevailing Wind is a ruthless exploration of the vast chasm between rich and poor in the Progressive Age. It is laced with breathtaking depictions of classic yacht racing moments, and deep insights into the hearts and minds of working sailors and millionaire owners.
About the Author
Thomas Dolby is an English musician, producer, composer, entrepreneur, and teacher.
Dolby came to prominence in the 1980s, releasing hit singles including "She Blinded Me with Science" (1982) and "Hyperactive!" (1984). He has also worked as a producer and as a session musician.
Dolby is associated with the new wave movement of the early 1980s, a form of pop music incorporating electronic instruments, but Dolby's work covers a wide range of musical styles and moods distinct from the high-energy pop sound of his few, better-known commercial successes.
In the 1990s, Dolby founded Beatnik, a Silicon Valley software company that developed the polyphonic ringtone software and created the Nokia tune. Its technology was used in more than half a billion cell phones. He was also the music director for TED Conferences. On the faculty at the Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University since 2014, Dolby leads Peabody's Music for New Media program, which enrolled its first students in the fall of 2018.
In July 1998, Dolby received a "Lifetime Achievement in Internet Music" award from Yahoo! Internet Life. In 2012, he performed at Moogfest and was the recipient of The Moog Innovation Award, which celebrates "pioneering artists whose genre-defying work exemplifies the bold, innovative spirit of Bob Moog."
In February 2018, Dolby was awarded the Roland Lifetime Achievement Award. In all, Dolby has received four Grammy nominations, two each in 1984 and 1988.
A keen sailor from an early age, Dolby has also cultivated a passion for classic racing yachts. He has won regattas at the helm of his own wooden sailboat.
Last updated 3:36am on 4 April 2025