Following a Dream

(Through the Eyes of a 'Golden Girl') by Jean Thornton

I'm sure it is an unusual sight to the Key West visitors who are having dinner and drinks at the Conch Republic Seafood Company, a new restaurant located right on the water at the foot of Greene Street. After watching several sleek catamarans unload their cargo of tired but happy tourists who have just enjoyed a day on the water, the large, cumbersome, and rusty blue and white salvage boat must look quite strange by comparison as she pulls into her slip at the dock.

"What kind of a boat is that?" "I don't know. Is it some kind of treasure hunting boat?" "Maybe it's one of Mel Fisher's boats." "Yes, you might be right. I think those big tubes on the back are used to help look for the treasure."

But even as the crew are tying up and securing the M/V Dauntless, locals are already making their way down to the dock. They're wanting to know all about the trip - the weather, the diving conditions, and most importantly, "What did you find?" These people know that this unimpressive-looking old boat has had enough treasure on her decks to buy half the boats in all of Key West Bight.

As more friends gather to welcome home the weary crew, Captain Robbie Hanna climbs down the ladder from the upper deck to greet them. He shows them the pottery shards and the encrusted iron spike, as they look on in wonder at these treasures which were recovered from the floor of the ocean after nearly 377 years. Then, eyes twinkling with good humor, Captain Robbie pulls out a ziplock plastic bag and says, "Oh, we found these, too."

The intakes of breath and exclamations of excitement are heard throughout the small crowd of onlookers, as they behold the 21 beautiful dark green emeralds from the Neustra Senora de Atocha. These are a treasure hunter's dream, and the rewards that keep the crews motivated and working hard on those long, hot and grueling days at sea. I was lucky enough to be a part of this small crew on our 7 day trip. Let me give you an insider's look into a treasure hunter's life that most people never see. The trip actually began eight days ago. Captain Robbie made a trip to the office to get a check for groceries, gas, and other necessary supplies. Steve and I drove to Publix to buy water and groceries. Buying, unloading and putting away groceries for a seven day trip is easily a 3-4 hour job. Filling the fuel and water tanks and checking the engines, generator, air compressor and all other parts of the Dauntless to make sure she is ready for the task ahead is a full day's work in itself.

Our plan was to leave at 7:30 am on the morning of Wednesday, May 12. I arrived at the dock by 7:15 and was met by my already-at-work captain and crew of Robbie, Stuart & Steve. Being a 47-year old, female, retired Alabama school teacher does not classify me as one of your typical Dauntless crew, so maybe a brief explanation as to how this opportunity came to me is in order. (And I will try very hard to be brief.)

In January 1996, I was in Key West with several friends for a 4-day mid-winter break from school, when two of us, Debbie and I, split from the rest of the group to go visit the Mel Fisher Museum. We were in the gift shop when the announcement was made for the last showing of the video that day, and since we had to meet our other friends on Duval Street very shortly, I told Debbie to go on to the video and that I would get our other friends and meet her at Mallory Square for sunset. Well, as fate would have it, after purchasing some earrings, I found myself in Mel's office for a picture, gold chain around my neck & gold disc in hand. Meeting Mel was like meeting an old friend, and the fact that my mother's maiden name was Fisher, and we were both originally from Indiana, AND the fact that Mel had attended the University of Alabama, my alma mater, well - you get the picture. I will skip the gory details of how mad Debbie was at me for not coming to get her out of the video when I went in to meet Mel. Her only consolation was for me to take her back the next day to meet him for herself. We had a delightful meeting, which included a trip to the boats and seeing several emeralds which had just been brought in. When Mel told us that we could become a part of his business and actually get to look for treasure ourselves, we pulled out our VISA cards and invested right there on the spot! That is how 2 school teachers - in their 40's - ended up in SCUBA lessons in Birmingham that very same month. We may have seemed like "Lucy & Ethel" to our dive instructor, and most people didn't believe that we would ever actually dive the Atocha, but much of Mel's contagious optimism and "can-do" attitude had already rubbed off on us, and we were not to be stopped. Fast forward to July 1996, as Debbie and I, now both Advanced PADI Open Water Divers, approached the Dauntless on Eric Denhart's Liberty Bell. Even Nemo, Eric's friendly white lab, couldn't distract us from the overwhelming excitement and nervousness that we were experiencing. We were greeted by Dauntless' Captain Kane Fisher, so much like his father in looks and speech, and by the crew of Robbie, Wayne, Sully and Grouper. After that glorious day of sifting through sand, finding emeralds, and diving the Atocha's ballast pile with Kane Fisher, we were hooked. I think we became treasure-hunters and Pirates that very day and begged to go back out and dive the Atocha one more time. Kane agreed, so the rest of our Key West vacation was not spent lounging on the beach, riding the Conch Train or visiting the Hemingway house. No, Siree, not us. We spent our days helping buy supplies, scrubbing decks and getting the Dauntless ready for the next trip. Yes, I'm sure we were very much like Lucy & Ethel, but I think all the guys knew that our hearts were in the right place, so they were all very good teachers and very patient with us. All of our diligence - and the crew's patience - paid off on our 2nd dive on the Atocha. That's when we found an incredible 21-link GOLD money (or wedding) chain!!! So much for all of the disbelievers and nay-sayers! We have been known as 'the Golden Girls' ever since that glorious day, July 8, 1996!

Debbie and I have continued to be investors since 1996, and every school holiday or opportunity that we have, we are in Key West diving, working on the boats, or doing whatever we can do to help increase our investments and find more treasure. That's why, when I was able to retire from teaching this year, I chose to come to Key West and work for Kim Fisher and his staff, who are all following Mel's dream. The reason that I have not moved to Key West permanently is that I am married to my dear husband of twenty-seven years. Joe is still working and not able to retire or relocate with me, but he is a dear and has been very, very tolerant and understanding in letting me follow this dream of mine. So that's how I came to be working in Mel Fisher's office for 6 weeks in April and May, mainly to help out with the overflow of work at Division time. It only made sense that when the division party was over, office work had been pretty much caught up, and Robbie just happened to be short of crew on the Dauntless, that this Golden Girl was chosen (or allowed) to make the trip! J

Flash forward now to May 1999, and the Dauntless is at the dock and the crew is ready, but as is the way of boats, a final inspection revealed that the air compressor was not working. After a couple of trips to the hardware store, several adjustments and a replaced belt, the air compressor was repaired and we were finally under way. It is about a three-hour trip to the Marquesas, and during that time, the crew stays busy with chores while Captain Robbie navigates and studies the charts to determine exactly where we will be looking for treasure. As it was explained to me, in 1985, when Mel was still searching for the main pile of the Atocha, Kane (in the Dauntless) had been following a 10 mile trail of treasure and artifacts. A second hurricane in 1622 had apparently ripped apart the Atocha and pulled her through the water, scattering treasure along a long but relatively narrow path. Anyway, accurate charts have always been kept, and because the boats "leap-frogged" down the trail in search of the main pile, we are now going back and filling in the gaps, searching for the 300 silver bars, 8 bronze cannons, 100,000 silver coins, and 25 boxes of church gold that we know by the manifest are still down there. That's not to mention the unlisted treasure (like the 60+ pounds of emeralds) which were smuggled on board to avoid paying taxes. Our work is cut out for us. We have arrived at the site and there is treasure to be found!

First the bow anchor is set and then the port & starboard mooring anchors are set. This process involves a crew member getting in the whaler and taking a line from the boat and attaching it to the anchor line. Once all three lines are attached, the captain's voice then comes over the speakers directing us to, "Pull in on the bow, pull in on the starboard, slack the port, hold that, now slack the bow" etc. and etc. until Robbie, with the aid of a very accurate GPS, gets the Dauntless in the exact position he wants her. We then tie off all lines and the mailboxes are lowered into the water and pinned into position. All the while the winches are being used, a crew member (generally me) has to scurry back & forth to the engine room below to engage or disengage the clutch. The engines are now revved to begin "blowing the holes." This takes about 45 minutes, during which time, air tanks are filled and divers begin checking equipment and gearing up for the dive. As soon as the engines are turned down to idle, two divers are over the side, and on their way to the bottom, 50 feet below. On this first dive, it's Stuart and me. I am familiar with the metal detectors and how to use them, but this is the first time I've been a part of a circle search team. Stuart is rigged with what appears to be a large fishing reel clipped to his gear. We descend on a weighted drop line, which is hanging from the mailboxes and ideally should place us right in the center of the crater-like hole which has just been dug. After using the metal detector to search the center of the hole, Stuart will then drive a stake into the bottom, clip his "rec reel" line to it, and then begin working his way out from the center in 5 foot increments and swimming in a circle around the center stake to insure that every bit of bottom is covered. (Picture a bull's eye & working your way out from it's center.) My job was to swim out to the berm, or edge of the crater, and use my detector to check for hits there. When the metal detector zings, the diver must then dig up the hit, and if the hit is too deep or the diver runs low on air, then a stake is driven to mark the spot, and someone else returns to finish the job. More often than not, hits which can produce a great deal of hard work and consumption of air to uncover will end up being an aluminum can, an old piece of lobster trap, or some other piece of trash. Every piece of useless metal is bought to the surface and thrown into the trash to avoid having to find and dig it up again. Thus, Mel's crews have done much over the years to make the Atocha site a much cleaner area of the ocean. However, on the joyous occasions when treasure or an artifact is found, the diver gets to bring it triumphantly to the surface and share with the crew the successful fruits of his labors. Robbie will then question the diver for compass bearings and carefully plot on his chart, which looks like a series of slightly overlapping circles, following the line of "Kane's trail", the exact location within each circle where the artifact was found. The artifacts and treasure are color-coded on the chart to indicate what was found in each and every location (gold, pottery, iron artifacts, etc.) Each artifact is also given a small plastic ID tag and number (which always remains with that particular artifact) and then carefully recorded in the log book.

A brief word is in order here concerning the diving conditions. Summer months are best for diving, but even with that currents can be very strong and visibility can be close to nil. During this particular week, there was an invasion of some sort of slimy green sea algae that not only made it nearly impossible to see and very easy to lose one's bearings, but it also seemed to "attack" us - getting hung up all over our masks, regulators and other equipment. Sometimes the line from the "rec reel" would get so heavy from the accumulated algae and the strong currents pulling at it that the diver would have to stop working and clear it off before he could continue. Throw this in with the fact that, as anyone who has ever owned a boat knows, something is always breaking and in need of repair. Needless to say, there is never a dull moment on one of Mel Fisher's salvage boats.

This scene is repeated over and over each day from sun up to sun down, with each diver stopping only long enough to fix himself a quick lunch or to grab a snack between dives. Crew members who are not diving are busy filling air tanks, repairing equipment, cleaning the boat, or doing whatever it takes to keep The Dauntless in good working order. After the last dive of the day, the mailboxes are raised and the lines to the mooring anchors are unattached. Sometimes, depending on the weather, the boat is moved to a safer, less windy, location to anchor for the evening. Brief showers are taken, and one crew member begins preparing dinner. Others will finish cleaning and stowing all gear. After the evening meal, dishes are washed, bilges are checked, and the boat is secured for the night. Captain and crew fall into their bunks exhausted and ready for a good night's sleep and to dream of what treasure still lies below.

Every day follows a very similar routine, beginning at sunrise and ending well after sundown. Sometimes divers are using the airlift and sifting for emeralds on the surface rather than searching the bottom with metal detectors, but one thing is certain: the crews are hard-working and relentless in their search for more treasure. Mooring anchors will occasionally have to be repositioned, which is no easy task, and unexpected boat and equipment problems are always cropping up which have to be repaired before the work can continue. So, problems are quickly fixed and the work goes on. After all, "Today's the day!" Who knows what treasures the next dive will uncover? The spirit of Mel Fisher is alive and well in this dedicated bunch.

The boats stay on site as long as conditions permit or until the last bit of food and water are gone, whichever comes first. On this particular trip, the seas were calm, so we stretched our trip out as long as possible, having to get some drinking water from the J.B. Magruder on the last day. On the three hour trip back to Key West, the salt water pumps are hooked up and the decks are thoroughly scrubbed, all equipment is washed and put away, and the galley and sleeping quarters are given a thorough cleaning. If there is enough fresh water left, there may be time for a quick shower before pulling into port. So this is the condition of the crew as the Dauntless comes chugging up to the dock. We are exhausted, sore and bunged up, hungry, and sweltering from the heat, but I know my that crew mates are feeling the same, indescribable sense of exhilaration. As I look at the happy tourists getting off of those sleek catamarans and see the refreshed and neatly dressed patrons enjoying their food and drinks at the Conch Republic Seafood Company, my only thoughts are, "Those poor people. If they only knew what they were missing…"

People sometimes ask me how expensive it is to operate these treasure hunting boats. Well, I know that the Dauntless and Magruder both have recently returned to the water after necessary repairs in the boatyard. The combined bills were in excess of $30,000. The Dauntless' tank holds 1000 gallons of diesel fuel; that's roughly $1500.00 per fill-up. Buying groceries alone for a trip costs between $350 and $550 per boat per trip, depending on the number of crew and length of the trip. None of this counts salaries, minor repairs, miscellaneous equipment and supplies or office and administrative costs. Judy Gracer once told me that it costs well in excess of one million per year, just to keep the boats in operation. Do I think it's worth the expense? Well, all I can say is, "How can you place a price tag on the historical significance, not to mention the sheer THRILL, of recovering sunken Spanish treasure?" Combine this with the opportunity to follow such a wonderful dream, and in my opinion, no price is too great. Today's the day!!