Misc data and adventures of a Tayopa treasure hunter

[KANACKI]

Well Amigos

The journey to my island way so uneventful one. Except you can see a transformation in them. At the first the wife was afraid to see her son climbing up on rigging as any mother would be. But in time their reservation dwindles. You go to sea as strangers but after a voyage your brothers.

At sea mobile telephones, smart phones mean nothing. at sea everything gets coated in salt from sea spray. it is so corrosive and electronic items are soon wrecked. However some times it good to disconnect from the world. At sea on the drumbeat your in your own little world. Sea, sky and dreams my friends. Your empire kingdom what ever you call it. the day came as most days at sea fell into routine of 4 hours on 8 off rotating shift. You fall into a blur of night and day blurring into one. Time means nothing nor does the outside world of the ship.

Chores keep you focused and only tall ship even at see they is always jobs to be requiring teamwork. My children grew up experiencing those things and the old working songs, the old sea shanties my kids sing as a ode to their experiences working on tall ship in memory of those who has sailed before us. These working songs did three things, being a boredom breaker and morale boosters. But most of all created rhythm of working rope hauling up sail.

Well the day came my Texan family grew a little tall my friends. My family had carried on the old traditions of singing old sea shanties. My wife in dragging us to church all these years made most of us reasonable good singers. As well as musical with drums pipes accordion and banjo.

Its spontaneous in the family and this Texan not accustomed to such things got witness such moments in awe in which they got caught up in the song themselves. Who cares if your a bad singer my friend your thousands of miles away from anywhere? It was inspiring day as you see them fall under the spell being a living breathing part of ship.

And excellent working song hauling the sails up for one moment we was transported to another time and places.



To heave sails you need to work in team and it can be physically demanding.These songs evolved to working rhythms. The following shanty Don Jose you might enjoy what old salts used sing about mexico.



And Don Jose yeah Skipper does likes whiskey the wife likes rum and crew likes both but can't get none ?:-)

Anyway my friends you could imagine there is always a point in voyage you feel like you have entered another time and place.

The more I voyage across the seas my friends the more I respect those ancient mariners of old.

My Texan family had fallen onto a magic carpet ride across the Pacific to my island. And a trust and bond was forming between us.

Once again my friend patience of my slowness to telling this yarn and forgive me as I run on islander time these days. But wanted to give you an vivid insight into a life and experience you may sadly never get the chance to have. The sense of freedom my friends in the wide open expanses on a journey of adventure.

Coffee break for this old 2 fingered typist my friends coffee?

To be continued....

Kanacki

 

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[Shortfinger]

Well, Kanacki, I hope you will know me well enough from my few posts here and there to know that I would have immediately have jumped at the chance to ride the winds down to your island. I also know enough to know that sailing vessels have a vastly different motion than that of motor vessels, no matter what the size. Although I have never been on a sailboat larger than 45' or so, I am well aware of the differences. In my opinion (for what it's worth, with that and about $5, you can buy a cup of coffee), sail is a better ride in most cases given equal size vessels.

JB

 

[JohnWhite]

My daughter is a sailor too...She has sailed the high seas and has traveled all over the world...Or quite a bit of it...Here is a little information about the ship she is currently sailing on... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_John_C._Stennis ...It may not be the Drumbeat...But I have heard it is a mighty fine ship...lol...

She does not talk much about her adventures...But she is doing ok...

Ed T

 

[PROSPECTORMIKEL]

So much reading and talking about sailing [emoji569]️ as I relax at bedtime, must have stuck in my mind.

I dreamt that I was relaxing on deck, playing my guitar, when I heard something hit the water.
I ran to the rail and saw a deckhand. I turned and yelled “ Man overboard!”
And without a second thought, I threw my guitar out to him.

He grabbed it and said “If I had known you were going to do that, I would have stayed on board!

#/;0{>~

 

[KANACKI]

Hello John

You must be mighty proud of your daughter.

PM Man over board is a nightmare for any skipper. I have to drill my crew that is you go over board your chances in day light are slim. At night your dead. The brig cannot stop on a dime and by the time you get notice missing your already dead. Even if your noticed strait away it will take a long to time to stop and circle. So i have strict procedure in place to avoid that. Crew working on rigging attached to lanyard. Work in team each check each others link. All crew at night must wear reflect life vests with whistle and flashing light. In the old days of sail with the cape Horners was a death one man per voyage.

You see sailing the oceans is a delicate balance between life and death. That is why you live every breathing moment.

Kanacki

 

[KANACKI]

Getting back to my yarn.

The couple and their son by the time we had got to my island they was well into this adventure. Another on my island enjoyed wonders of the island with the son learning surf with kids. Exploring the island. As I said before the son was a smart kid who loved sailing on the Drumbeat. Wanted to learn everything. And being around my kid some being his age he was not out of place. Before long he was brown as any Polynesian. You recall posted somewhere picture of that beautiful stream. One morning other half nudged me point out me the Texan couple were showed signs of intimacy having a special moment on their great adventure. However time was short.

And the time had come that the Texan came to me told his story of his ancestor. His ancestor was crew member on board a confederate raider that sailed around the world and captured many ships. Mostly Yankee whaling ships during the course of the civil war. One such capture a group of them discovered chest full of money. Profits from many years of whaling in which whalers was making huge profits selling whale oil to the rich and booming gold miners of San Francisco.

This was privately pilfered by a few of the crew members. This ancestor was in exile because he was afraid to rerun to United States after the civil war being afraid of being tried as a pirate. In the letter he sent to his son he told of the hiding place of this money on an island and gave the details on how to find it before he died. his son got the letter but was never able to ever get a chance to recover it. That was in about 1870. the letter has been in this Texans family ever since as strange forgotten curio handed down to him.

Well my friends the mind boggled when he showed me the letter in full.

But alas once again my apologies as I am about to lose internet...

coffee?

to be continued....

Kanacki

 

[JohnWhite]

Hello John

You must be mighty proud of your daughter.

PM Man over board is a nightmare for any skipper. I have to drill my crew that is you go over board your chances in day light are slim. At night your dead. The brig cannot stop on a dime and by the time you get notice missing your already dead. Even if your noticed strait away it will take a long to time to stop and circle. So i have strict procedure in place to avoid that. Crew working on rigging attached to lanyard. Work in team each check each others link. All crew at night must wear reflect life vests with whistle and flashing light. In the old days of sail with the cape Horners was a death one man per voyage.

You see sailing the oceans is a delicate balance between life and death. That is why you live every breathing moment.

Kanacki

Thank you Kanacki...And man overboard is a serious matter...My daughter has had to go through that routine on several occasions...On her last voyage she mentioned one of her members on board had gone missing...Sadly she also mentioned that they never did find that missing crew member...IF that ever happened to my daughter I don't know what I would do...We worry about her enough because of her job...She is an aviation mechanic and she maintains her helicopter diligently...I worry about her a bit because she is on the flight deck often...

Sailing is not in my veins...I am a landlubber...lol...I had a hard enough time on a mule...I don't think I'll be doing that again anytime soon...

Ed T

 

[JohnWhite]

I was on a ship once...long long ago... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Vancouver_(LPD-2) ...We floated from San Diego to San Francisco and back to Camp Pendleton...IF my memory serves me correctly...The whole trip took about a week...We were given a couple of days leave in Frisco...lol...When we got back to Pendleton I took part in an amphibious landing...I got to drive one of these onto shore https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M939_series_5-ton_6x6_truck ...At the time I drove an M-925...I never got to drive a Humvee...The things one does in our youth...hehehe

Ed T

 

[KANACKI]

Hello Again amigos.

Continuing the yarn amigos.

The Texan and wife laid the old letter out. you could see post mark Liverpool December 16 1870 still half penny rose red stamps. It certainly look genuine. I had been passed down through the family.Some parts of letter worn from being folded and unfolded many times gives the appearance it was a well read letter. The letter was from a father to his son saying to forgive him for not being there and not coming home from the war. The letter said he was dying of consumption? We know it TB today. Yet his next dying wish after being able to see his son once more was pass on the secret of money taken from rich capture from a Yankee vessel.

The letter went on to say the confederate raider went after Yankee whalers Okhotsk sea. they had a successful capture of several whalers in the Pacific. On the way they became becalmed in fog near the island and a detail was sent ashore with barrels to search for water. The conspirators who had looted the strong box brought it shore secretly not wanting to share it with the rest of crew.The strong box of money was buried on a small beach near entrance to crater lake fed by the ocean.

They took measurements from this small conical hill jutting out of the crater looking and another outcrop to the north looking like a church spire. lined up with with a gap between a rock islet off shore and the mainland. these 3 lines of sight and the two peaks as exactly 90 degrees from each other is the spot where they buried the strong box.

The fog lifted and got a better view of island the ship was in a bit of bay the one end a rock island and other with headland of a massive sea cave. Other members of landing party found a bubbling hot spring that create steam drifting across the caldera. Being sailors they expected to one day return as whalers and recover the money. But it did not happened as the whaling era came to an end.

There was another part illegible but in essence it was directions to this mysterious island but not the important name.

I looked up to the eager couple after reading the letter and said it might not so easy discover the island that the letter describe? However being an old paper chart man I did find one that might be the island the letter mentions

To be continued....I have been attacked by my little pirates grand children wanting grand dad. So coffee break amigos?

Kanacki

 

[KANACKI]

Okay got the little pirates to bed gee they wear this old pirate out these days.

Where do they get the energy?

Coffee with perhaps a nip of grand dads medicine rum?

Now back to yarn my friends.

The couple had began rely on my expertise more and more. Ironic as I discovered later my quote was nearly 50% cheaper than the original charter company. I still thought I had a good deal. Everything paid for and good pay rates for myself and crew. Yet I have given them much more than a just a charter but a real adventure. I was even offered a share in anything that was found. I declined as everything was paid for I was getting a wage so was some of my family some locals replaced some of my kids who needed to be back at school. My wife will remain on my island in regards to the needs of out younger family members. Some of my youngest kids was disappointed but hey education is important too.

In the week or so they stayed they explored the island, the waterfall the reef, crystal clear streams and more so than any charter company would of gave. But for me it was more than the money or even the charter itself. It was the fact going to place I never been before so in effect a new experience for me.

With the ship stocked and crews ready to go I told them one last time if they wanted to fly to Japan and i meet them there? I continued that they have experienced the warm tropical seas of lower north Pacific . We will now be sailing in trade winds of old manila galleons onto the Philippines. Then onward to the Philippine coast encountering a lot more marine traffic as head north along eastern edge of Luzon in Philippine pushing ever further up north following the return leg part of way pushing up into the upper part of North Pacific before peeling off then tacking to the coast of Japan. We will encounter squall and moderate gales if we are lucky if we are unlucky we will get typhoons. I looked at them deeply gauge their reaction.

They replied one thing you taught so far much more than we would ever got with the original charter company? So we place our trust in your experience. So it was settled they would continued with Drumbeat with us. One last thing I caution them with was if they actually do some thing it was in their best interests because once to get clearance in Japans port of entry we are still technical not left the country so returning to Japan will not require customs immigration inspection. So in theory they could send what ever they find back to their address in United States in series of parcels. However that was for them to decide. Hey it was pre-9/11

A day before we was set to leave we had our papers came through for visiting Japan.We had a port of entry to make then we was free to go to Kuril islands.

The voyage north west my friends like all voyages have its moments. We met a few squalls with short blasts of winds then nothing only encounter another one passing. Once again the the winds of fortune favored us? Although you could notice the further north go the change in temperatures from tropical to temperate.

We sailed to our port of entry Okinawa, Okinawa Prefecture , Japan it was good for us as they more people there speak English although we only had permission of staying 24 hours there because the marina was small there. However enough time for emigrations officials to go through us with a fine tooth comb. Enough for the couple and there son and my second oldest son to do a little tour of Okinawa. I go introduced to bilingual son of an ex American serviceman married to Japanese women. He was about 20 years old and jumped at the opportunity to go on a cruise along the coast Japan to northern Kuril Islands.

We was in race to get to Kuril islands in early September as after that date temperature begin to drop and weather deteriorates rapidly into winter. The prime season of warmest weather is in August. We sailed up the coast of Japan that was in late August then past Hokkaido then onto the southernmost of the Kuril island chain the first 4 the names now escapes me we passed surprising the weather was fine about 10 degrees cool. Hey it was 18 years ago, A lot of other voyages have taken place since then? We started encountering fog banks which was knew for me as most of sailing was in regions virtually fog free. Lucky for us we would have breaks for 1 hour or 2 then another fog bank would roll in.

But like all voyages Our journey was coming to anticipated climax. Many questions sprang through my head was there really treasure buried there? or was it just fools errand? To my fine Texan friends I think it had become some thing more than just a treasure hunt? An adventure in traveling in the footsteps of their ancestor.

They had grown themselves quite knave about world outside of United States yet some thing sparked in them they seemed so more confident in themselves more worldly looking. They was not the middle aged accountant with P and C wife but adventurers with son looking more and more every day like an explorer.

Ah my friends I am all coffee out today Please have patience as it very late or early depending on your part of world?

To be continued...

Kanacki

 

[PROSPECTORMIKEL]

I think that we are all learning the patience of life at sea, right along with your more worldly crew and adventurous Texans.

We will wait for the fog to lift, so to speak.

#/;0{>~

 

[Shortfinger]

I think that we are all learning the patience of life at sea, right along with your more worldly crew and adventurous Texans.

We will wait for the fog to lift, so to speak.

#/;0{>~

Remember one of the first things Kanacki said about sailing ships: Most of the time, you can't get there in a straight line, you have to tack back and forth a lot. The other thing is, it is not necessarily the destination that is important, it is the journey. So, I, for one, am going to sit back and enjoy the journey, no matter how long it takes. I decided a while back to use this approach with Don Jose and his book as well. Even if I never reach the destination, I have enjoyed the journey.

JB

 

[KANACKI]

Hello Amigos

My apologies for island time once again. I will post later in the day today. Got to assist in building a house. A house of young family had burned down and community gets together with donated building materials and build a new house. we have army of helpers and workers today. They will have 3 bedroom house by tonight.

So patience old Kanacki lives under the delusion he is retired? I am more busy now than I ever was when working.

To be continued.

Kanacki

 

[Shortfinger]

Hello Amigos

My apologies for island time once again. I will post later in the day today. Got to assist in building a house. A house of young family had burned down and community gets together with donated building materials and build a new house. we have army of helpers and workers today. They will have 3 bedroom house by tonight.

So patience old Kanacki lives under the delusion he is retired? I am more busy now than I ever was when working.

To be continued.

Kanacki

No worries, Kanacki. I retire tomorrow, and will go on Island time then, even though I don't live on an Island.....And I suspect I will be busier than ever as well.

JB

 

[PROSPECTORMIKEL]

Hello Amigos

My apologies for island time once again. I will post later in the day today. Got to assist in building a house. A house of young family had burned down and community gets together with donated building materials and build a new house. we have army of helpers and workers today. They will have 3 bedroom house by tonight.

So patience old Kanacki lives under the delusion he is retired? I am more busy now than I ever was when working.

To be continued.

Kanacki

I truly wish that I could be there to help.
Such a wonderful labor of love and life.
You continue to amaze me, with your island life. May God bless all of you that had a hand in the works of love for one another.

#/;0{>~

 

[KANACKI]

No worries, Kanacki. I retire tomorrow, and will go on Island time then, even though I don't live on an Island.....And I suspect I will be busier than ever as well.

JB

Hello JB you will be so busy you will not have enough time in the day will make you wonder how you had the time to work.

There are 6000 residents on my island. We are developing a program of developing cheap housing suitable for needs of islanders for tropical conditions. We have 3 basic designs. Money is pooled for materials and labor is given by the participants. Major improvements is for first time islanders having solar power, tank water and seep away compost toilets. All timber built designed in kit form. We have hundred people working making and assembling components. All windows have fly screens to allow airflow through the house without the need of air conditioners. That said very basic but much better than what most had. Families who sign up are obligated to work on each house constructed participants for them to get one in turn depending which design they chose. The houses are sturdy and easy to build and storm proof. The following design 3 bedroom with 2 of bedrooms up stairs. Each can be modified to suit the needs of the individual.

Most of the economy is subsistence farming or fishing. The only cost is the bare material which most is cheap recycled materials. We use the old disused tuna process plant as timber mill and house component plant. We design 3 jigs for each of 3 designed house. So timber are cut according to design, the floor are constructed like jigsaw puzzle. Its part of hundred homes for hundred families program.



The sunny side of roof has strip of solar panels and other side collects rain waters . The the design is a modification new Zealand design to put a lot in small space, but at a very affordable price. However with such manpower I never saw how quick a house could be built. These houses are being built over 5 districts on the island roughly 20 per district. so in effect this has been done in face of no help off government who has control over the island.

However its mind boggling between these two posts of mine a house was constructed.Same work ethic as on the Drumbeat. Hook in get it done. Sick of politicians making empty promises.

People power at its best amigo.

Kanacki

 

[KANACKI]

Hello PM

I have seen your wonderful skills. They would of been like gold on the island as we lack proper tradesmen with such fine skills. Your help would of been priceless. That is why we had design simple construction methods based around 3 designs that can be replicated easily through use of jigs. Door and window frames are all same through the designs.

Kanacki

 

[PROSPECTORMIKEL]

Hello PM

I have seen your wonderful skills. They would of been like gold on the island as we lack proper tradesmen with such fine skills. Your help would of been priceless. That is why we had design simple construction methods based around 3 designs that can be replicated easily through use of jigs. Door and window frames are all same through the designs.

Kanacki

It’s still a beautiful act of brotherly love. I wish it could see a little more of that here in the Ozarks.

#/;0{>~

 

[KANACKI]

My apologies once again I have deviated from the yarn.

So grab a coffee I will be good and continue the yarn. Well the journey finally came to this mysterious Island. We was lucky as we had good run of weather. the island you can see below.



We anchored in bay. the sea was to my amazement flat we had very little wind. But that wealth is just too rosy it does not normally last. All thorough we had rolling fog drifting over the island sea in patches it would clear. I detailed the crew and the Texan couple and their son who awe struck with the island they took hundreds of photographs of us and themselves. It was their great adventure.



The anchorage I was not sure of how safe the anchorages was as I had mixed sounding of the bottom suggest rock pinnacle hidden beneath water. So I delegated my oldest son who had just completed his Mates certificate a year earlier. Today his is skipper in his own right. However as I was senior most experience captain I felt prudent to stay with the drumbeat.

We had two zodiacs so 8 people went ashore in two boats from the drumbeat, weaving its way through the boulder field reef of rocks covered in muscles to black sand beach at the head of the Bay. Lucky for us it was high tide with just enough clearance to enter the caldera lake behind the conical hill towering over the beach.

The Texans had brought with them from Hawaii mine lab metal detectors to use on the island. You could imagine the excitement they must of had. On beach on a uninhabited sub Arctic island looking for stolen money by crew members of confederate raider during the United States Civil war. They were living the dream my friends. But even with the best of directions searching for it with boots on the ground even with a relatively small search was more daunting than first thought.

To be continued my friends,,, Coffee?

Kanacki

 

[KANACKI]

Hello Again I have been very good today I might have deserved that night cap tonight.

Helped build a house and perhaps finish this yarn? Wonders will never cease.

As you see below the fog ever now and again would roll in. It was a wild and woolly place to bury treasure. In the winters its covered with ice and snow. I cannot imagine anyone ever surviving there through winter.



Below you see the jagged rocks covered in muscles before the beach.



On the beach you can see the conical hill as mentioned in the letter. In the foreground of the picture you can see fume-role with hot steam coming out a reminder of the volcanic origin of the island. There is a hot spring running fresh water draining into the salt water caldera lake. In a small pond is still warm enough like a hold bath although sulferish in smell.



On the northern ridge there is rock out crop shaped like a church spire.



There was tall monolithic rock on the north side of bay. My apologies I cannot find the photo. yet the 3 feature lined up but in fact you could still see in several areas of beach? The family worked with their detectors. As time wore on fog banks came in for the evening. I signaled them to come in. Of course will had to have watch. But before my crew left the island we set up two light poles on shore. That was if fog permitted would tell us as each light on sure was line up with stern and bow of the Drumbeat. If we slipped anchor during the might we would not know in total darkness. Having to Kerosene hurricane lights from shore to reference our position from. Since it was still summer night time was short.

once again Kanacki has to have his coffee break to be continued...

Kanacki