Dennis Powers' "Sentinel of the Seas: Life and Death at the Most Dangerous Lighthouse Ever Built," is the subject of his talk at the Maritime Museum Friday, Nov. 23. Photo from archives.

Miles off the coast of northern California lies one of the most hazardous reefs on the West Coast. For more than a century, St. George Reef Lighthouse has had the distinction of being the most dangerous, expensive and remote sentinel ever built in America.

The Columbia River Maritime Museum will present “Sentinel of the Seas,” a presentation by author Dennis Powers, about the building and operation of this infamous lighthouse. The program takes place at 2:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 23, in the Kern Room at the museum, and is free to the public. A book signing will follow the presentation.

Shipwreck and lighthouse enthusiasts will enjoy hearing about the building of this lighthouse in response to the wreck of a gold-bearing steamship that Powers describes in another book, “Treasure Ship.” Builder and superintendent of the project, Albert Ballantyne, had also been in charge of building Tillamook Rock Lighthouse. Powers spent five years of extensive research on national archives, original journals and personal interviews to write “Sentinel of the Seas.” This book captures the tumultuous history of the lighthouse, the astounding construction feat, and the lives of those who had a love of the sea – or had little choice in the matter. At times, office-building-sized waves and whistling winds imprisoned crews for weeks, including one 16-story wave that totally engulfed it. At other times, keepers battled rogue waves when trying to leave.

Powers is a graduate of Harvard Business School and the University of Denver Law School. He was a full-time attorney specializing in business law before turning to writing and then teaching at Southern Oregon University in Ashland. He is the author of nine published nonfiction books, including “Sentinel of the Seas: Life and Death at the Most Dangerous Lighthouse Ever Built,” “Treasure Ship: The Legend and Legacy of the S.S. Brother Jonathan,” and “The Raging Sea: The Powerful Account of the Worst Tsunami in U.S. History.”

The Columbia River Maritime Museum is located at 1792 Marine Drive. The museum is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily except Thanksgiving and Christmas days. Admission is $8 for adults, $7 for seniors 65 and older, $4 for children ages 6 to 17, and children younger than 6 are admitted free. For more information, call (503) 325-2323 or visit www.crmm.org