This blog is relatively new so I'm still backwards dating entries from experiences in the last 12 months. Finding buried treasure on an uninhabited barrier island ranks very high on our list of adventures in 2006. This discovery began when my daughter Bella and her friend, Ole Christian, found an old bottle washed up at Atlantic Beach near Beaufort, NC. Teeming with excitement with hearts pounding, we carefully pulled a ragged, brown but legible note from inside the bottle. The note was entitled, "Black beard’s Treasure Map" and dated 1718 the same year of Blackbeard’s death. Bella and Ole Christian screamed with delight. "What's it say, what's it say?" On the back a curious poem read. "Avast Ye, I be Blackbeard, the fearsomest Buccaneer ever to sail the high seas. Alas matey from Davy Jone’s locker, these words I write. While tis true, the end 'as come to me days o’ booty an’ plunder the sweet trade a castle of treasure this pirate did uncover. Ye be the lucky scallywag me bottle a float did meet. A map fer ye an’ hidden treasure to free, fer only a pirate like Blackbeard to greet. Me curse the landlubber me treasure map discover. Best it back to the water, me bottle returned or of me ghost a troubled landlubber will learn." Quickly we organized search party of 4 children and 4 adults. The kids, Bella, 4, Ole Christian, 8, Sawyer, 2, and Carl August, 2, would handle the land search. My wife Molly and I promised to navigate our sailboat within a short dinghy ride to the island drawn on the map. In the spirit of pirates and treasure hunting we provisioned ourselves with Buccaneer attire; swords, shovels, a compass, and food for the day. We definitely did not want to incur the wrath of a "landlubbers curse" finding Blackbeard's treasure. Our skull and cross bones flag, eye patches, bandanas, and swords gave us the look of authentic pirates. We even practiced our pirate accents sneering at each other over how we might divide the booty. According to the map, the spot marked by the "X" was somewhere South of Beaufort, NC near Cape Lookout's National Seashore. We anchored 100 yards north of Shackleford Banks after an hour long sail. Our friends, Ole and Tonje the parents of Carl August and Ole Christian drove our small dingy with the search party to the island. After quickly spotting a series of old wooden towers rumored to mark pirate graves we new we were close. Ole Christian and his dad, Ole, paced off the steps in the direction of "X". With bursting enthusiasm Ole Christian quickly planted the shovel on top of a small dune near the pirate grave markers. After some furious digging, Ole's shovel made an unmistakable "thud." "Stop!" I yelled, "Hand dig!" We all dropped to our knees and dug by hand. The outline of a square red box appeared. Sand was flying and hearts were pounding. The kids could not dig fast enough. We were all speechless. Finally, we heaved the wooden red box with gold trim from it's grave quickly opened it. "TREASURE!" we all screamed. Gold coins, beaded silver and gold necklaces and other jewelry filled the chest. After and evening of celebration with dancing and good cheer we divided up the booty fairly and got some much needed rest.

Last June the weather was perfect with an easy 12 knot wind out of the south west. Our 1972 Ericson "Nimbus Novem" carried us from Morehead City near Atlantic Beach to the bite behind the lighthouse at Cape Lookout Seashore. After playing on the beach for the afternoon we cooked dinner and fell asleep on deck under a star filled sky. Late that night Molly and I carried the little ones to the forward berth below. The next morning I awoke to the most angelic site of my 3 favorite people on the planet sound asleep. I ran up to the foward hatch, opened it and snapped the shot that now hangs proudly in our bedroom at 30 x 40 inches. One day, hopefully before the go to college, we'll actually get the kids to sleep in the their own bed the whole night through!