Pirate Treasure Island by Gadgetman and ScrappyGirl

Pirate Treasure Island (GCGEWF)
by Gadgetman and ScrappyGirl (7/13/2003)
rating 4/5
container size 1 (micro)
Photos by jarsalie and mrteb

As of Nov 26, 2007 this geocache has been archived. While geocachers will no longer have the opportunity to try to find this geocache the review will remain on this web site as a tribute to it.

The fancy fellow in this picture is Edward Teach AKA Blackbeard the Pirate. You'll need to look closely at the picture to see the beard. Blackbeard was known to have visited the area that was to later become Delaware on several occasions. Some say the our current town of Blackbird was actually named for Blackbeard and the name got mispronounced over the years. He was known to have sailed the local waters there.

Another place with a Blackbeard connection is the subject of this month's geocache review - Pirate Treasure Island. This area is almost as far south as you can go and still be in Delaware. Gadgetman and ScrappyGirl created this site on the "Point of Cedars Island (known by the locals as treasure Island) in Little Assawoman Bay, east of Fenwick Island, Delaware." They also note the "rumors that Bluebeard hid his loot around Fenwick, most of which was not recovered because he was captured and hanged.

If that mention of treasure is not enough to whet you appetite for adventure, how about the possibility of meeting up with the ghost of this pirate? Gadgetman and ScrappyGirl add, "Occasionally lights are seen moving about the island, although it is not inhabited (by humans at least -- some say the ghost of Bluebeard is seeking his treasure.)

While Gadgetman and ScrappyGirl mention Bluebeard in their description the name Bluebeard is often a substitute for Blackbeard in pirate stories. There was a Bluebeard and a Blackbeard but the two men lived in different centuries and were of different nationalities. Bluebeard was French and lived in the 1400. Blackbeard was English and lived in the later part of the 1600 and early 1700. Regardless of whether you call him Blue or Blackbeard - this pirate is known to have visited Delaware and to have hidden some of his treasure here.

Geocachers who participated in this year's Cache Around The Colonial Hundred's Event and who found the Baltimore Hundred cache probably saw this cache site without realizing it. The Baltimore Hundred's cache was located in the Assawoman Wildlife Area located on the Little Assawoman Bay. If you squint your eyes and peer out across the bay you can just make out the island near the horizon. Unless you brought your own boat, though, this is not the recommended staring point.

By the way, since this site IS on an island that is far out in the bay there is no way to get to it except by boat. Even then once you get to the island you'll find yourself getting wet as this island is does not feature any easily accessible mooring spot.

Pirate Treasure Island went up back in July of 2003 making it one of the older caches in Delaware. Despite it's long history only 52 entries are in its log. They make for interesting reading.

The FTF was geocacher Lost@See. On July 31, 2003 he wrote. "My wife and I rented a 2 person kayak and rowed out on my birthday. The water was slightly choppy, but we had fun. WEAR PANTS! I got poison ivy. The birds were cool and the cache was a challenge after the bushwhacking. I left a CPR shield key chain and signed the log. I took the travel bug. Wow was this hard and fun."

BasketballLover adds."This was one of my first finds. I was a little taken aback at the six foot plants and the scary birds, but it was definitely worth it. It was a fun experience all around, especially getting to the cache."

Seen here is mrteb who, despite the stickers and poison ivy all around seems to be wearing shorts. Brave man that mrteb.

Kayaks are mentioned by several of the geocachers who endured and found the cache. Since not everyone owns a kayak they can be rented at Fenwick Island. And, if you check any of the geocaching map services you notice that Fenwick Island is a whole lot closer to "Treasure Island". Hint - Hint.

Possibly Gadgetman and ScrappyGirl, knowing that getting there is more than half the fun, made the find quite obvious. In the hint they publish on the description page they come right out and tell you what the container looks like and where it can be found. Your challenge is getting there. mcglynn's log seems to confirm this." This was a fun cache...The water was calm and the 1/3 mile kayak trip was fast and easy. Things got a little harder from then on. There were a few people on the island when we got there. Don't know if they were also looking for the cache or if they were just out looking at the island. We waited for a while till they moved away. Then we landed and looked around. Greg circled the island without finding the cache and then we decided to decrypt the clue. That made a big difference. It still was a bit of a struggle but Jan picked the proper landing and while the underbrush looked fearsome enough, there was a trail that led directly to the cache.

We took a key chain and a carabiner and left a finger puppet and a five pence coin. We hadn't really thought about how small a microcache would be, so most of the things we had brought didn't fit. Signed the log and sailed back without incident.

We didn't get to see much in the way of bird life. What was most impressive -- in a sad way -- about the island was the flat black patches that seem to have been covered and all vegetation killed by oil slicks. For such a tiny island there was a remarkable variety of landscapes.

This was certainly one of the most challenging caches we've done -- only slogging 4 hours through rain forests and lava flows for the Pu'u O'o vent cache beats it. It really shows what I think is the best part of geocaching -- it took our family to a little bit of land that we'd never have visited otherwise. Thanks."

(While mcglynn didn't see any birds, Accident Prone Hiker did. He snapped this picture of a sea gull chick. It had fallen from the nest and was being vigorously defended by its parents.)

TV Warrior, in his own way, also confirms that the find is an easy one.

"I found this one with jarsalie, Accident_Prone_Hiker, wormcatcher and Questmaster. I've been in plenty of boats and canoes before, but this was my first time kayaking, and being in a double made it even more interesting. On the way out, I was in the back seat, and had to keep concentrating on _NOT_ hitting Questmaster in the back of the head with the paddle. Once we got out there, as I was reading the GPS I noted that we were about 2 feet away, must be in the right spot. Questmaster said something to the effect of 'Look up from the GPS idiot' and there it was......well, OK, maybe he didn't say it, but he was probably THINKING it, and I sure felt like one, I was practically brushing against the cache before I was even really looking at it. On the return trip across the bay, the water seemed choppier, and there seemed to be more boats running the channel. I thought we were OK to start across, when all of a sudden we're in the middle of the channel, with boats coming both ways......We made it back fine, but somehow got were dry on the way out, and got soaked on the return.......All in all this was a great cache, even if there wasn't room for trade items. See Questmaster, not all micros are inherently evil, you seemed to really enjoy this one......."

Another factor that needs to be considered when trying for this cache is the weather. It can be quite changeable. Gadgetman himself confirmed this in this picture showing his son holding a TB being taken to the island. So does geocacher Tall Guy " My mother and I paddled on a two person ocean kyack from the nearby Fenwick Island State Park launch point, out to the island yesterday. The waves were 1-1.5 feet and threatened to capsize us the whole time. Plus, a strong wind pushed us about." And really getting into the spirit of this cache geocacher Pirates Be Here adds" Found thee Coastal Kayak at thee park and traded some currency fer a one-man kayak. Its bin some yars since I stepped inta such a small boat - felt like I was maroonin meself fer once! Thee waves and swell be pretty choppy and thee wind be blustery, but thee skys be clear."

Despite the changeable weather, the long paddle across the bay, and the overgrowth on the island just about every geocacher logging this cache describes it as a fun and memorable experience. If you are looking for a geocache site that presents some challenges, this could be it. And, now that summer is past and the beach crowds have thinned out, this is a great time to try this watery adventure. In another 30 days or so that water will be a LOT colder. Hint- Hint