This is my first post to Treasurenet after reading a number of fascinating posts.
I'm writing a book on Cortes Bank, also known as the Cortez Banks. The Bank is a submerged Channel Island 100 miles off the California Coast. At its shallowest point, a pinnacle called Bishop Rock nearly breaks the surface. The book will be a bio of a crew of surfers who have ridden the biggest waves in the world out here, but I'm planning on weaving in a good degree of maritime history into the tale.
To that end, I'd like to see if any of you have had any experiences out here, if you know anyone who has, or if anyone has direct knowledge of the mission that Mel Fisher launched out here in 1957. Fisher claimed to have found an ancient Spanish map that showed the spot where a Galleon - likely a Manilla galleon - foundered on the Bank. I actually interviewed the LATimes reporter who went along on this wildly unsuccessful expedition and would be glad to share his anecdotes, and a hairball story of how a crew of guys nearly died after deliberately running a 400 foot long freighter onto the Bank's shallowest reach.
Below is a link to the story I wrote for the New York Times that sparked the idea and research for this book.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/09/sports/othersports/09surf.html
Please feel free to post responses here or to send me an email. I will glady promise anonymity to anyone willing to spin an interesting yarn. My email is dixoncj at aol dot com.
Thanks! - Chris Dixon
Cortes Bank World Record Wave - Ridden by Mike Parsons in January, 2008.
I'm writing a book on Cortes Bank, also known as the Cortez Banks. The Bank is a submerged Channel Island 100 miles off the California Coast. At its shallowest point, a pinnacle called Bishop Rock nearly breaks the surface. The book will be a bio of a crew of surfers who have ridden the biggest waves in the world out here, but I'm planning on weaving in a good degree of maritime history into the tale.
To that end, I'd like to see if any of you have had any experiences out here, if you know anyone who has, or if anyone has direct knowledge of the mission that Mel Fisher launched out here in 1957. Fisher claimed to have found an ancient Spanish map that showed the spot where a Galleon - likely a Manilla galleon - foundered on the Bank. I actually interviewed the LATimes reporter who went along on this wildly unsuccessful expedition and would be glad to share his anecdotes, and a hairball story of how a crew of guys nearly died after deliberately running a 400 foot long freighter onto the Bank's shallowest reach.
Below is a link to the story I wrote for the New York Times that sparked the idea and research for this book.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/09/sports/othersports/09surf.html
Please feel free to post responses here or to send me an email. I will glady promise anonymity to anyone willing to spin an interesting yarn. My email is dixoncj at aol dot com.
Thanks! - Chris Dixon
Cortes Bank World Record Wave - Ridden by Mike Parsons in January, 2008.
