Pirate Hunters: Treasure, Obsession, and the Search for a Legendary Pirate Ship (30 page)

For Amy,

my treasure found

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I
am grateful for the help and support of the following people:

Kate Medina, my editor at Penguin Random House, for her unwavering belief in me, sharp instincts about story, and the kindness she has shown me through the years. I have learned much from Kate about writing, and even more about what it means to have a beautiful heart.

I also wish to thank the following people at Penguin Random House:

Derrill Hagood, editorial assistant, who worked with me on this book tirelessly and cheerfully, and was the engine that always kept the project in motion.

Deputy copy chief Dennis Ambrose has worked wonders on my manuscripts—and talked diving with me—for years.

I’ve been very lucky to work with Sally Marvin, director of publicity at Random House, and Tom Perry, deputy publisher at Random House/Dial—the best in the business at what they do—and I count them as friends. I can’t begin to describe how much their encouragement has meant to me.

Gina Centrello, president and publisher, Random House Publishing Group, has believed in me from the start, which helps me believe in myself.

I would also like to thank these terrific people at Penguin Random
House: Barbara Bachman, Laura Baratto, Sanyu Dillon, Richard Elman, Kristin Fassler, Karen Fink, Carolyn Foley, Sarah Goldberg, Ruth Liebmann, Poonam Mantha, Leigh Marchant, Tom Nevins, Allyson Pearl, Bridget Piekarz, and Erika Seyfried.

Flip Brophy, my literary agent at Sterling Lord Literistic. A writer couldn’t hope for a more loyal and fierce champion. People always tell me I’m lucky when they learn that Flip is my agent, and they’re right. She is like family to me.

John Chatterton and John Mattera spent more than two years answering all my questions—in person, on the phone, in airplanes, on boats, standing knee-deep in Samaná Bay, wearing scuba gear, on the L trains in Chicago, sneaking in for free breakfast buffets at my budget hotels, crammed into Chatterton’s Mini Cooper in Florida, on treacherous roads in the Dominican Republic, inside the homes of legendary treasure hunters. I’d known Chatterton to be a great storyteller from working with him on
Shadow Divers;
Mattera was a revelation. He spoke cinematically, painting pictures as much as recounting events, and his instinct for story structure is excellent. It didn’t surprise me to discover that Mattera is a terrific writer. It’s been a privilege to read his work, and to know both of these stand-up guys.

Carla Chatterton and Carolina Garcia de Mattera were always gracious to me in sharing memories of their husbands’ pirate hunt. It takes a special kind of person to support an explorer’s journey.

Victor Francisco Garcia-Alecont, former vice admiral and chief of staff of the Dominican Navy, answered my questions with insight, patience, and good humor. In Santo Domingo, he and his wife, Lcda. Francisca Perez de Garcia, made me feel like part of the family.

Captain Tracy Bowden welcomed me into his home in Florida, where he described his life as a shipwreck diver, treasure hunter, and explorer. Since time began, it seems, men have set out in search of treasure; almost none of them succeeds, and of those who do, few have succeeded like Bowden. His stories of salvaging treasure are gripping, but even better is when he talks about the life of a treasure hunter—how
lonely it can be, the strain it puts on one’s life, the voices a person hears at night eighty miles offshore when anchored over a mass grave. Bowden was a pioneer, and I was lucky to hear him tell me about his odyssey.

Howard Ehrenberg is one of the smartest guys I’ve met. Even better, he’s an adventurer, and his curiosity is an inspiration. It’s hard to imagine the search for the
Golden Fleece
being possible without Howard’s mastery of the cutting-edge technology and equipment—or his easygoing nature. It’s equally hard to imagine how I would have filled in the details of the story without him. No matter how many times I called, Howard was available to explain things to me. Thanks, too, to Howard’s wife, Megan Ehrenberg, an excellent diver (and very nice person) in her own right.

Heiko Kretschmer met with me in Santo Domingo and in Samaná. I’d heard about his tireless work ethic and ability to fix nearly anything, but what I didn’t fully appreciate until meeting him was his fine mind. He added nuance and specifics about the search for Bannister’s wreck that no one else could. His own story, of fleeing East Germany at age eighteen aboard a train for a better life in the West, is worthy of its own telling. As with Ehrenberg, the successful pirate search wouldn’t have happened without him.

I don’t know that I’ve ever met a better storyteller, or a nicer man, than treasure hunter Carl Fismer. He opened his home to me, showed me good breakfast places in the Florida Keys, and took two years’ worth of my phone calls. Whenever I talked to Fizz, he made it feel like I was doing him a favor, rather than the other way around.

Robert Marx met with me at both his home and office in Florida. By then, I’d read several of his books, but nothing prepared me for meeting the famed treasure hunter. (For starters, he told me not to use the term
treasure hunter:
“Lots of guys hunt for treasure, but how many find it? I’m a treasure
finder.
”) And it got better from there. I stayed for an entire day and didn’t have a boring moment. Jenifer Marx, Bob’s wife, was delightful. I’d read her excellent book
The Magic of Gold
, published by Doubleday, and was honored to meet her.

These men sat down with me and brought the world of treasure hunting and wreck diving to life: Dave Crooks, president of the Sunken Treasures Book Club; Joe Porter, publisher of
Wreck Diving Magazine;
Kim Fisher and Sean Fisher at the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum in Key West; and (by phone) David P. Horan of Horan, Wallace & Higgins LLP.

I can’t offer enough thanks to Professor David Buisseret, senior research fellow at the Newberry Library, for the help he gave me in researching Joseph Bannister and the
Golden Fleece.
I think it’s safe to say that without Buisseret’s work, little would be known about the pirate captain and his ship. By a stroke of good luck I found Professor Buisseret living near me in Chicago; even better, he made himself available to me, at his home, in coffee shops, by phone, whenever I needed him, and always with grace and warmth. It’s been a pleasure watching him work and a privilege knowing such a fine man.

Naval historians Sam Willis, Jonathan Dull, and Frank L. Fox all spoke to me by phone and helped me understand the subject of seventeenth-century naval warfare, ships, weapons, and tactics. I leaned especially hard on Fox, who astonished me with his vast working knowledge of these subjects, and his ability to answer whatever question, no matter how obscure, I put to him. Whenever I reached out to Fox, he was always there, and for that, and his warm demeanor, I’m grateful.

In the Dominican Republic, thanks to the minister of culture, José Antonio Rodríguez; the vice minister, Luís O. Brea Franco; and the director of the ministerial cabinet, Carlos Salcedo.

Many thanks to these people for their feedback on chapters and ideas, and for talking writing with me: Dick Babcock, Andy Cichon, Kevin Davis, Ivan Dee, Katelynd Duncan, Jonathan Eig, Joseph Epstein, Robert Feder, Brad and Jane Ginsberg, the Glover family, Ken Goldin, Elliott Harris, Miles Harvey, Ryan Holiday, Len and Pam
Kasper, the Kurson family, David Shapson, Joe Tighe, Randi and Rob Valerious, and Bill Zehme.

Mitch Lopata of Lopata Design in Skokie, Illinois, did beautiful work on illustrations, photos, and charts. Carolina Garcia de Mattera, Celia Reyes, and Virginia Reyes provided fast and sharp assistance with Spanish translation.

I was aided in some of my research by the superb work of Av Brown of Your Man in the Stacks, and Dr. Andrew Lewis of Andrew Lewis Historical Research. Copy editor Michelle Daniel did fine work with my manuscript. Todd Ehrhardt, a great guy, supplied photos of Samaná Bay and helped me dig for treasure there.

Dr. Steven Tureff means the world to our family. We couldn’t hope to know a kinder or more caring man.

A special thanks goes to “Superman” Sam Sommer. He was one of the first people to whom I told the pirate story. The look on his face helped me believe. He will be missed.

Thanks, also, to Ken Andre, Stuart Berman, Mitch Cassman, Pat Croce, Dr. Michael Davidson, Dr. Samuel Goldman, David Granger, Peter Griffin, Rich Hanus, Jordan Heller, John Jacobs, Richie Kohler, Jeff Lescher, Jon Liebman, Ann Marie Mattera, Dana Loren Mattera, Robert Neiman, Gil Netter, Scott Novoselsky, John Packel, Tracey Patis, Scott Rosenzweig, Dr. Dan Schwartz, Chris Seger, Jaynie Smeerin, Jason Steigman, Gary Taubes, Mark Warren, Dan Warsh, Dr. Phillip Werner, Victor and Sally Reyes, and Virginia Reyes.

My family has supported my writing since I quit law and took the leap onto the page. Much love to Jane, Larry, Sam, and Mike Glover; and to Ken, Becky, Steve, Carrie, and Chaya Kurson. My mom, Annette Kurson, died while I was writing this book, but I always felt her with me. She and my father, Jack D. Kurson, were the two best storytellers I’ve known. I wish they were here.

A special thanks to my brother, Ken Kurson. He was never too busy to read my drafts or talk to me about writing, baseball, or life.

Finally, my deepest thanks to Amy, Nate, and Will Kurson. They
are my world and my truest loves. Both boys edited my work, and I (mostly) took their suggestions. They also stayed up late with me, even on school nights, allowing me to structure the story aloud for them, helping me see Bannister and the
Golden Fleece
through their wide eyes. Amy is my best friend, editor, confidante, and soul mate. When I need her, she drives with me to the place that hangs over the road to get snacks and talk, even at five in the morning. I can’t imagine a book, or a life, without her.