Dec. 23, 2013
"I want to start by expressing my sincere gratitude to Ms. Sue Jones and others at the Bureau of Public Land Administration for their diligent and prompt delivery of the easement instrument," said Kyle Kennedy, CEO of Seafarer. "We are very encouraged by some of the materials we uncovered from the Juno Beach Site last week including some jade, ballast stones, musket balls and cannon balls. With the state's help, we also continue to pursue our permit for another site located along the coast of Florida and we continue to research and target site number 4."
There was a report of similar if not the same type of items, including jade, published years ago.
May 12, 2011
Seafarer crew hunting for Spanish gold off Juno Beach how the treasure-hunting process works:
About 20 years ago Palm Beach County treasure hunter and historian Jud Laird found an anchor off the coast of northern Palm Beach County. Laird worked the site for a few years, then recently joined forces with Seafarer.
By the positioning of the anchor's fluke, or barbed end, they determined that the ship anchored offshore during a storm. By the distribution of lead musket balls, lead hull sheathing, cannonballs and serpentine jade from the ship's ballast pile, they estimated how far the ship was dragged by the storm before it sank.
The boat in question, though it will remain unknown until something is found that dates it, was probably a Spanish galleon from the 1500s hauling gold plundered from the Incas.
The ship might also be from two Spanish fleets well known to treasure hunters, from 1715 and 1733, most of whose ships sank in storms.
Weighing 600 to 700 tons, the 60- to 70-feet-long ships barely traveled four knots an hour, with 100-foot masts to offset their weight.
"We're pretty confident in that site," said Kennedy.
Ryan Wheeler, the state's archeologist, holds a more sober view.
"If you look at the history of the site, it hasn't produced much in the way of artifacts," said Wheeler. "It's a very risky proposition, but of course we wish them luck."
Treasure salvagers are monitored by the state bureau of archeology, which gets 20 percent of the value of the treasure, including its pick of the most archeologically valuable finds. Landlubber or not, when the divers tell him they have found something significant, Kennedy will leave his briefcase behind and hang over the side of the Iron Maiden, watching for that first glint of gold.
"We wouldn't have invested millions if we thought nothing was out there," said Kennedy.
