covediver
Contributor
I just finished reading Pieces of Eight--Recovering the Riches of A Lost Spanish Treasure Fleet by Kip Wagner as told by L.B. Taylor. 1966 (Florida Classics Library edition 1998).
As I kid, I recall siting in the barbershop and thumbing through old "Argosy" and "True" adventure magazines that featured stories about the discovery of treasure from sunken Spanish galleons off the coast of Florida. To a youngster in the frozen north, Florida was an exotic, warm place that meant sunny beaches and adventure. These magazine articles gave the impression that gold was laying on the bottom of the sea just off the beach waiting to be scooped up by any snorkeler who passed by. "Pieces of Eight" reinforces part of that childhood fantasy about gold and adventure while dispelling the part about it being an easy endeavor.
The book tells the story of the Real Eight Corporation, a group of men led by Kip Wagner who banded together to salvage gold, silver, and other artifacts from several wrecks of the 1715 fleet that came to grief off the Atlantic coast of Florida around Vero Beach. As Wagner unfolds the story the reader is swept up in the frustration, excitement, and the very laborious work of salvaging a number of sites. "Glamorous" is not a word that comes to mind we follow the trials and tribulation of the group from initial probes on a beach for isolated coins to several near shore sites in relatively shallow water plauged by confused seas, low visibility, and ever present sharks. The story rekindled some of that excitement I experienced as a boy looking at the coins and other treasure in those well worn magazines. Given the high tech search and recovery techniques used by salvors today, the strategies employed by the Real Eight team seem downright primitive, at a time when technology was an improvised necessity is the mother of invention operation. But, the book descibes an evolutionary strategy starting with a hit and miss approach to working a site which evolves into a methodical, systematic way of working the site.
The Florida described in the book with its deserted beaches seems quite distant and distinct from the coastal areas of today's Sunshine state. What remains constant is the thrill that treasure hunting still engenders in my soul rekindled by this book.
Wagner writes that there are supposed to be four types of treasure seekers
1. The armchair adventurer who draws excitement from the written word; interest is whetted by a mere hint; active imagination takes over from there. Me as a boy and me today.
2. Scientist or historic researcher who cares nothing about finding gold, but derives pleasure from proving or disproving, from identifying and cataloging. Me as an adult, at least for a few years of my life (yep, I was real lucky).
3. Active adventurers, modern day soldiers-of-fortune look for treasure but really are seeking adventure. They run down any rumor, pursue any legend, often without checking its authenticity. Clive Cussler, except he does his research!
4. Hardened professionals who bring vital resources of business to bear on the glamorous world of treasure. They assemble he proper supplies and equipment, gather experienced crews,research legally, take proper legal steps, and commit a major outlay of capital. Real Eight including Mel Fisher.
Those of us who aspire to be or remain at least one of the four will enjoy the book.
As I kid, I recall siting in the barbershop and thumbing through old "Argosy" and "True" adventure magazines that featured stories about the discovery of treasure from sunken Spanish galleons off the coast of Florida. To a youngster in the frozen north, Florida was an exotic, warm place that meant sunny beaches and adventure. These magazine articles gave the impression that gold was laying on the bottom of the sea just off the beach waiting to be scooped up by any snorkeler who passed by. "Pieces of Eight" reinforces part of that childhood fantasy about gold and adventure while dispelling the part about it being an easy endeavor.
The book tells the story of the Real Eight Corporation, a group of men led by Kip Wagner who banded together to salvage gold, silver, and other artifacts from several wrecks of the 1715 fleet that came to grief off the Atlantic coast of Florida around Vero Beach. As Wagner unfolds the story the reader is swept up in the frustration, excitement, and the very laborious work of salvaging a number of sites. "Glamorous" is not a word that comes to mind we follow the trials and tribulation of the group from initial probes on a beach for isolated coins to several near shore sites in relatively shallow water plauged by confused seas, low visibility, and ever present sharks. The story rekindled some of that excitement I experienced as a boy looking at the coins and other treasure in those well worn magazines. Given the high tech search and recovery techniques used by salvors today, the strategies employed by the Real Eight team seem downright primitive, at a time when technology was an improvised necessity is the mother of invention operation. But, the book descibes an evolutionary strategy starting with a hit and miss approach to working a site which evolves into a methodical, systematic way of working the site.
The Florida described in the book with its deserted beaches seems quite distant and distinct from the coastal areas of today's Sunshine state. What remains constant is the thrill that treasure hunting still engenders in my soul rekindled by this book.
Wagner writes that there are supposed to be four types of treasure seekers
1. The armchair adventurer who draws excitement from the written word; interest is whetted by a mere hint; active imagination takes over from there. Me as a boy and me today.
2. Scientist or historic researcher who cares nothing about finding gold, but derives pleasure from proving or disproving, from identifying and cataloging. Me as an adult, at least for a few years of my life (yep, I was real lucky).
3. Active adventurers, modern day soldiers-of-fortune look for treasure but really are seeking adventure. They run down any rumor, pursue any legend, often without checking its authenticity. Clive Cussler, except he does his research!
4. Hardened professionals who bring vital resources of business to bear on the glamorous world of treasure. They assemble he proper supplies and equipment, gather experienced crews,research legally, take proper legal steps, and commit a major outlay of capital. Real Eight including Mel Fisher.
Those of us who aspire to be or remain at least one of the four will enjoy the book.
