Copper Nail Found on a Beach on the Other Side of the Gulf.I got an interesting email and was glad to hear from someone from the other side of the Gulf. The email was from Scott, who hunts the Yucatan coast northwest of Merida. He found the copper nail shown in the photo. It seems to be a different shape than those that I've seen. It could be that part of the shape is due to corrosion, but I can't tell how much.
I'd like to hear if anyone has any thoughts at all about the possible age or identity of this item.
Scott goes on to say, "There were, at my last count, over 60 or so wrecks between Veracruz and Havana or Spain routes which records showed the survivors hitting the coast of the Yucatan state. One of them was a pretty important wreck which has not been found yet, the Nuestra Senora de Juncal."
I don't know if any of you have ever detected in Mexico before, but Scott says the authorities (INAH) there never give permission for water hunts.
It can be fun to take your detector when you travel, but it is sometimes difficult to find out what the relevant local laws are. There is also the disadvantage of not knowing the beaches as well as your home beaches. Still, it can be fun to explore new areas with a detector.
Concerning the Nuestra Senora de Juncal, INAH turned down Odyssey Marine's requests to scan the possible site of that wreck, which sank in the Bay of Campeche in 1631.
INAH based the rejection of Odyssey's request on the fact that the US firm “neither has the intention to do research nor the backing of archaeologists or of an academic institution of recognised prestige, conditions without which it is impossible to authorise this type of initiative”. Somehow I don't think that is the real story.
To read more about this wreck, check out the following web site.
http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/uncategorized/us-firm-denied-permission-to-hunt-treasure-in-spanish-galleon_100156914.html#ixzz0iR0SwH1A
If you are planning a Spring Break trip to Mexico or want to dive the shipwrecks down there, be careful. Don't get yourself in trouble. You can explore shipwrecks down there by linking up with an organization called CEDAM. Here is a link if you want to explore this further.
http://www.atochatreasures.com/TreasureQuest/Still%20Out%20There.htm
Metal detecting, or should I say treasure hunting, is different things to different people. And it can become different for any particular person at different times ln life.
Some people are very casual about it. They might detect when the weather is nice, and they don't expect to find much, but hope they'll find something interesting. And sometimes they do.
Other people are very intense about detecting. Their mood is affected by what they do or don't find.
And some people do it primarily for financial gain.
All of those attitudes or styles have different results. If you just like getting out and poking around with the kids that is great. If you get too intense about detecting, or put too much importance on the financial aspect, you can lose a lot of the fun of it. If you don't have an intense inner drive, you'll be tempted to quit when things are not going well unless you learn to just enjoy the activity. If you enjoy just being out there and exploring, you'll probably be able to stay motivated through any those times when you aren't finding much until you find something that makes you glad you stuck with it.
One way to have fun when you are in one of those droughts, is to broaden your range of targets. Conduct research. Learn a little about fossils or artifacts. And try some different things and different locations.
I think there is s tendency for most detectorists to get stuck in a rut of one kind or another. They tend to hunt the same old spots, and when those spots quit producing, get discouraged or give up.
Different people have different personalities, or what I call, operating characteristics. Some people get discouraged easily. Some people are always optimistic. Some people have the necessary patience to spend years without any success going after that one big long-shot until they are finally successful.
It will help you to know what kind of person you are, what you want out of the hobby and what your own personal strengths and weaknesses are. Try to utilize your strengths and compensate for or overcome your weaknesses.
And, most of all, keep it in perspective. There are more important things in life.
Forecast and Conditions. We still have a northeast wind but seas of only about 2.5 feet. Thursday the seas are predicted to increase to near five feet. If the winds come from the northeast and increase to five feet, we might see some small cuts on the front beach. Until I see how that turns out, I'm sticking with my 1 TCBDC rating.
