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| May - June 2008 Newsletter |
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200 Greene Street , Key West, Florida 33040
~ 305.296.6533 phone ~ www.MelFisher.com ~ 305.296.2220 fax ~ |
| May - June 2008 Newsletter
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"From the Desk of the
Barefoot CEO"
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Once again Division Week has brought us closer to old friends and allowed us to get to know many new ones. Lee and I look forward to this time of year and always wonder how the time went so quickly, leaving us with so many more people with whom we would love to have spent more time. We hope those of you who weren’t able to make it to Division will come see us at some other time during the year, for example at our upcoming Mel Fisher Days celebration or during the calm and beautiful summer months. We thank all of you for your support and involvement in our continued adventures and for making every Division week like a family reunion.
On the treasure side of things, those pesky winter winds have been holding out later this year than normal, but we’ve managed to get a good number of sea days in since the beginning of May. The Dare is fully operational and the Magruder once again provided the recovery platform at Emerald City during Division. The Blue Water Rose continues to make fascinating and unique recoveries on the Margarita site. In the third week of May they found a one-of-a-kind gold artifact, believed to be a combination toothpick and earwax scoop, in about 22 feet of water. According to our archaeologists, the 3-inch-wide, 17th-century grooming tool was probably worn on a gold chain and could be worth as much as $100,000. We’re very excited about the summer ahead and the amazing new discoveries it will bring!
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Today's the Day!
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Newsletter Questions or Comments:newsletter@melfisher.com
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Article by Terry Strickland
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| Division Week goes to Dominica
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This year’s activities took guests to the first Caribbean “port of call” for the Atocha: the island of Dominica, a lush paradise where breathtaking white sand beaches quickly give way to lush tropical rainforests, misty cascading waterfalls and vast volcanic mountains. But this island also had a darker side. It is rumored that the native Carib Indians had a taste for the “long pig” – that’s right, Cannibals! Despite the “danger,” as usual the weeklong series of activities, parties, and exhibitions gave investors a chance to get involved with the Fisher family and the treasure operation at a level that no other investment opportunity affords. Picking up their share of the year’s finds is usually incidental to real reasons investors attend. Diving the Atocha Trail, hunting for emeralds, meeting and sharing stories with other investors and the family and just spending time enjoying all that Key West has to offer top the list for most. Speaking of emerald hunting, due to high demand the Magruder again spent the week before and the week of Division out at Emerald City in order to give the maximum number of investors a chance to discover a jewel. The haul this year added up to 35 emeralds.
On Monday evening the courtyard of the Mel Fisher building transformed into a welcoming island hideaway with the warm sounds of steel drums and the gentle currents of conversation and laughter as investors, staff, and family members caught up on the events and stories of the past year. Tropical drinks and hors d'oeuvres may have pleased the palates of the visitors, but was there a hint of predatory gleam in the eyes of the "natives" as they contemplated another type of feast?
The traditional Sunset Dinner Sail was held Tuesday on the 125’ schooner Liberty Clipper. Live island music complemented the sound of the canvas snapping and rigging singing in the wind as the beautiful tall ship replica skimmed the waters of Key West. Dinner included Caribbean favorites such as slow roasted pork, Jamaica citrus rubbed grilled chicken, and Caribbean fritters with conch, shrimp and corn. Libations flowed as the sun, sea and clouds all played their colorful roles in creating another memorable and beautiful sunset. If dancing on the deck wasn’t enough exercise, everyone got a chance to lend a hand raising and trimming the sails.
Last year’s second installment in the High Road to Danger series, “Treasure Trove of the Century,” focused on the family’s quest for the 1715 fleet. It was a huge success, as was the first. This year’s special multimedia presentation “Treasure Salvors of the Florida Keys” dug deeper into Mel’s archives to document the family’s journey from the “Treasure Coast” of Florida in search of a new wreck called the Nuestra Senora de Atocha! These presentations have become widely anticipated so a large crowd filled the lobby of the Tropic Cinema Theater for the champagne reception and all agreed that the series just keeps getting better.
Thursday and Friday evening’s gatherings provided everyone a chance to check out two interesting new venues for these traditional soirees. The open-air Quarterdeck upstairs at Pat Croce’s Rum Barrel provided a fine place to “Lose Your Head” with their giant selection of exotic rums and appropriate drinks like the “Shrunken Head” and the “Cannibal Cocktail” and snacks with names like “Joe’s Toes.” A quick count at the end of the evening indicated that although a few might feel like it the next morning, the cannibals were still behaving and none of the party had actually lost their noggin. Water was the medium, if not the drink for Friday night’s fun. The refreshing freeform pool at Dante’s, complete with waterfall, played the part of an idyllic rainforest grotto one might find on Dominica. With an excellent view of the activity in the Old Harbor and poolside beverage and dinner service, more than one person was heard to remark that they didn’t see how paradise could get any better.
The Division Party on Saturday returned to the Casa Marina beach with a feast and celebration hosted by the Carib Chieftain himself, a tall fellow with suspiciously blond hair. A procession of pirates, conquistadors and would-be cannibals paid homage to the great Chief on their way to the beautiful waterfront tableau of sand, palms, and blue sea. While a sumptuous dinner and generous libations were served a torchlight singer provided the musical background – that is until a rowdy crew of pirates stormed the stage to offer their version of dinner theater - ribald entertainment and authentic shanties from the days of Tortuga and “the Code.” Although there could have been a serious costume contest just for Best Fake Bone Through Some Part of the Body the judges narrowed it down to two finalists. Don and Penny Feeser and Sylvia VanDyke and Dave really outdid themselves and we couldn’t pick just one winner, so we had 2! Congratulations to both couples and we hope you enjoy your new Atocha Coins! Wayne and Eileen Crosby won a quarter-share in the annual Pin the Sterncastle on the Trail contest for picking the point closest to the most valuable dig hole for the year.
Since even pirates and cannibals have Moms too, Mother’s Day brunch on Sunday at the Gift Shop and Emerald Room was dedicated to all Moms everywhere. A few more stories and a lot more laughs rounded out another wonderful week. As many investors will tell you Division Week isn’t the only reason to become part of the Mel Fisher’s Treasures family, but it’s one of the highlights!
If you’d like to have a wonderful keepsake of the week we are again producing a Division Week Memory Book. This photo album will include shots of the week’s social events, treasure diving, Emerald City activities, and “yearbook photos” of the investors in order to help everyone remember their newfound friends. An order form is available online in the Investor Relations section of www.melfisher.com or call Sharon Wiley at 305-296-6534.
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Article by Terry Strickland
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| Investor Profile: Roland Valois
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Roland Valois is a man who knows the value of hard work. He also knows the value of free time and how one chooses to spend it. Growing up in the historic whaling community of New Bedford, Massachusetts gave him exposure to the sea and the work ethic of the men who work on her as well as the deep roots and traditions of the craftsmen on land. He is a New England man through-and-through. You not only hear it in his accent, but in his views. When he first came to Key West about a dozen years ago he liked what he saw - but not just the tropical aspect of the island. "I really liked the architecture because it reminded me of New England - in fact I refer to Key West as P-Town with palm trees" he chuckles, a reference to Provincetown on the tip of Cape Cod, another small eclectic community.
Roland's passion for architecture has been life-long. He became a carpenter right out of high school, spending time on building sites in California before returning to Dartmouth, Massachusetts and starting his own business at the age of 23 with only his tools and one helper. He specialized in historic structures and slowly built his reputation along with a lot of homes. In 1985, with an eye toward getting married to his sweetheart Suzanne and starting a family, he decided that taking on a job that offered better stability and benefits would be a good move; he became a full-time firefighter. That didn't mean giving up his carpentry business though. "We worked a 4 days on/4 days off schedule at the station," he explains, "so that gave me 4 days off to continue my construction work as well as working the days of my two weekly night shifts."
After eleven years of this grueling schedule, now married with two daughters, Elise and Nicole, Roland decided it was time to go back to construction full-time. "Over the years I'd built up my crew and my name in the business and I couldn't continue to serve both masters" he says. "So I quit my job at the fire department and focused on my construction business, which is when it really took off." And take off it did - at present Roland has twenty carpenters, two architects, and an office staff of 7 in his construction company; he runs real estate and land development companies as well. They have a large range of projects to their credit, including building and expanding the signature restaurant of Celebrity Chef Ming Tsai (host of the Public Television cooking program "Simply Ming") and hundreds of new homes and restored historic structures. "I've always loved building and restoring old homes because of the personal satisfaction you get when you're done, standing back and looking at a job well done and thinking about the legacy it leaves" Roland explains. On one of his visits to Key West Roland decided to take a step toward possible future retirement here and bought a house. But since he comes to Key West to get away from work, he hired local contractors to perform necessary repairs and upgrades. "That was a learning experience," he observes. "I learned that the pace of work is very different in the Keys than the Northeast." He notes that the house has been a good investment as a rental property and because his family all enjoy vacationing in Key West. "We like to rent it out to other investors" Roland states, "and then we visit in between their stays."
As one would expect, living by the ocean and being a frequent visitor to Key West Roland was aware of Mel and had an interest in treasure hunting long before becoming an investor. "About fifteen years ago I read a book about Barry Clifford and his discovery of the pirate ship Wydah off Cape Cod," he recalls. "That piqued my interest in shipwrecks and pirate stories, and I already had 'learn to scuba dive' on my list of things to do before I die." Frequent trips to Key West and visiting the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum helped reinforce the desire. Then a chance meeting in Key West planted a seed that would take years to germinate. Roland and Suzanne were at Monte's restaurant (now Dante's) and met a "pirate" named Grant. Grant Roland, as it happens. "We talked for a while and he told us about working for Mel Fisher's Treasures on the investment side." Roland explains. "He had a lot of amazing stories and we weren't sure whether to believe them all since we didn't know him, but I remembered his name because of the match with mine."
A few years later in early 2006 Roland earned his scuba certificate - in the less-than-tropical waters of the Northeast. "During the summer the water temperature might get up as high as 68 or 70 degrees" he points out, "which is why I just leave my dive gear in Key West!" On a dive trip to the Keys in August of that year, Roland had been telling his dive buddies about Mel Fisher and they were interested enough to go through the museum. "I remembered Grant's name and decided to stop in and talk to him while we were there," he recalls. "He gave us a very low-pressure pitch, showed us some of the gold and artifacts and by the time we left I had my mind made up." A few days later he officially signed on. "I knew very well that this wasn't an investment that you make with an expectation of monetary return," Roland explains. "My main reasons for investing were participating in the adventure and the opportunity to go dive on the Atocha. Any division I might receive is an added bonus." He didn't waste time before heading out to dive but weather interfered with his first three trips that winter. "At one point Grant called me the 'unluckiest investor diver'" Roland laughs. In the spring the weather improved and he made his first dive, finding several encrusted objects and some musket balls. His third trip was a memorable one: the day this February when divers Bill Burt and Chris Norwood found a foot long gold bar. "I was on the bottom right alongside of them when they pulled that gold bar out of the sand," he recalls. "I could hear them screaming through their regulators! I've learned now that I have more fun if I tag along with the divers that have metal detectors and help them whenever they get a hit."
When it comes to work Roland Valois' attitude is obviously that of patient determination, one that Mel Fisher exemplified. When it comes to play, Roland's attitude is also one Mel would appreciate - if it makes you happy, do it. His wife supports that: "When we're in Key West she likes lying on the beach and she lets me do what makes me happy, whether it's boating or fishing or diving. This 'investment' has to come from our disposable income, but this is an adventure and even though you might think about the other things you could do with that money, just being a part of it, the pleasure of being able to dive and work with the guys on the boat makes it worthwhile. If I weren't part of it I'd feel like something was missing."
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Article by James Sinclaire
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| The “Poison Cup” from the Nuestra Senora de Atocha, 1622
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Perhaps one of the most recognized treasures from the Nuestra Senora de Atocha is the “Poison Cup” a solid gold, footed, two handled chalice that served a very specific function for the wealthy person who had this made. The cup weighs in at 311.3 grams and its dimensions are 14.9 x 10.8 x 9.0 cm. Mel Fisher’s son Kim found the cup in a crushed condition in the “Quicksands” area of the Atocha site:
Kim says of the find:
“I was the last person in the water after a long day of diving. We were digging a little east of the Bank of Spain exploring a new area and had been finding very little. After the Virgalona finished her dig just as I was about to go down and check the hole, my wife (now ex) Jo told me to find her a "gold chalice". The sun had already set and when I descended into the dimness of the underwater twilight I realized that the there was very little bedrock exposed. I hovered on the edge of the prop wash watching the sand wash away as the light disappeared. All of the sudden I caught the glint of gold out of the corner of my eye. I swam over and watched as the prop wash gently dusted the sand away from the poison cup. I noticed that the forces of the hurricane that had sent it to the bottom had smashed it almost flat. I took note of its position in hole and then picked it up. I was the first person to touch it in nearly 400 years. I got goose bumps all over my body. I surfaced and passed it to Captain Mo and immediately returned to the bottom. It was almost totally dark now. Within five minutes everyone else on board was suited up and in the hole with me looking for the rest of the table setting we hoped would be found nearby.
I have tried taking special orders before dives many time since that day but it rarely works”.
The “Poison Cup” and the rest of the Atocha treasure was soon embroiled in legal battles that would extend over eight years and 112 court cases. In 1982 Mel Fisher was awarded sole rights to the Atocha and her treasures in the Supreme Court of the USA. In 1981 in preparation for a museum exhibit at the Queens Museum of Art in Flushing Meadow, NY the cup began a lengthy restoration process preformed by Joseph Turnbach, a noted gold restorationist who had done work with such museums as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. After many months of work the object was finally ready and the results were superb.
A technical description of the cup sounds like this: It (the cup) has a lobed everted-circular form, having a wide conforming border chased with stylized scrolling leaf-tips interspersed by dolphins, dragons, a rabbit and a phoenix above twenty-four deeply-conforming lobes each chased with floral decoration. The interior having traces of twenty gemstone settings around the rim and further set at the base with an ovoid pierced mount, scrolling dolphin-form handles, raised on similarly-chased molded spool foot. It has two crown stamps on bottom and two along rim. When it was first found the remains of two of these were visible, however, those remnants were lost in storage while the ownership of the cup was being decided. In the center of the cup is a setting for a large stone, this at one time held a “Bezoar Stone”. These stones and their use were described in the Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Society. Many persons of status accepted potential poisoning as a chronic threat and armed themselves for battle against it. Improperly trained and unlicensed “surgeons” who could often do more harm than good often practiced medicine of the time. Those who were wise would take preventive action to avoid having to depend on unreliable "cures." Because wine and other drinks were often laced with arsenic, the most popular poison of the period, many magical devices were employed to negate its deleterious effects before it was consumed. Amethyst, crushed emerald and "unicorn horn" (often narwhal tusk) were all immersed in suspect beverages in the belief that they would render them safe. The most common and effective of these amulets was the bezoar stone...
"Discoveries on the wreck of Nuestra Señora de Atocha show that, in colonial Spanish-America of 1622, bezoar stones were certainly popular, and relied upon. Bezoars were rare, and the extravagant contexts from which they were found on the wreck show the power and esteem that was ascribed to them. The most spectacular item to reflect this belief is the gold "poison" cup, which once held a permanently mounted bezoar in its interior to absorb the poison from any drink it may have held. Another, chicken-egg sized bezoar is beautifully mounted in an engraved and enameled gold framework that was apparently designed to be suspended from a chain. This stone could then be immersed in any drinking vessel to remove toxins. A group of ten unadorned bezoars was found in a silver canister, apparently being shipped to Spain for more formal treatment. Because the Atocha primarily traded in South America, it is assumed these bezoars were extracted from llamas or alpacas, although there are accounts of the Spanish taking them from deer in the New World."
Bezoars were commonly thought to be an old-wives' tale until recently:
"Modern examinations of the properties of bezoars by Gustaf Arrhenius and Andrew A. Benson of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography have shown that they could, when immersed in an arsenic-laced solution, remove the poison. The toxic compounds in arsenic are arsenate and arsenite. Each is acted upon differently, but effectively, by bezoar stones. Arsenate is removed by being exchanged for phosphate in the mineral brushite, a crystalline structure found in the stones. Arsenite is found to bond to sulfur compounds in the protein of degraded hair, which is a key component in bezoars.
By the eighteenth century the marriage of magic and medicine was coming unraveled. Too many ailments, such as epilepsy, jaundice and plague were said to be treatable by bezoars, and people began to grow wary of such claims. The popularity of the bezoar soon faded."
Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Society
The Spanish name for this type of cup is a “bernegal” the fact that is was produced in gold and set with cabochon emeralds seems to indicate that the objects place of origin would have been in present day Columbia which at the time was part of the Viceroyalty of Peru. The marks found on the object are not known well enough to state whether they indicate a place of origin or are a “tax stamp” from one of the caja reale (royal treasuries) that operated in the New World at the time.
So it would seem that one of the greatest single treasures recovered from the wreck of the Nuestra Senora de Atocha was also an insurance policy of sorts for one of the wealthy individuals on board. To whom did it belong? It is impossible to say with assurance but from the Corrigador of Caracas, who held absolute power over the native populations to the “Visitor to Peru’ an emissary from the Pope are just two of the powerful individuals that might have feared poison. This cup protected them and was also an ostentatious display of their wealth making this object one of the great treasures recovered from the Atocha.
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