Who found the Whydah Pirate Museum treasure? Here's what happened

Denise Coffey, Cape Cod Times
·4 min read
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FALMOUTH — Eric Jensen credits his sons, his friend Louie Kerr and his daughters, stubborn persistence and pure luck for finding a message in a bottle that brought him and Kerr a $500 reward.

The treasure hunt was the latest of several sponsored by The Brewster Boys, a nonprofit whose goal is inspiring “Indiana Jones” experiences while supporting the Cape’s nonprofit organizations. Jordan Fowler and Aaron Lynn, aka The Brewster Boys, have been putting on treasure hunts since 2020, trying to recreate the fun and adventures they had growing up in Brewster. This is the fifth treasure hunt they have planned.

During the Dec. 23 rain storm on Cape Cod, friends Louie Kerr (left) and Eric Jensen put their heads together to figure out the location of a message in the bottle and a $500 reward. The Cape-wide treasure hunt was sponsored by Whydah Pirate Museum in West Yarmouth and The Brewster Boys.
During the Dec. 23 rain storm on Cape Cod, friends Louie Kerr (left) and Eric Jensen put their heads together to figure out the location of a message in the bottle and a $500 reward. The Cape-wide treasure hunt was sponsored by Whydah Pirate Museum in West Yarmouth and The Brewster Boys.

The hunts get people outside and bring them to places that showcase the geography, history, and beauty of the Cape. Successful hunters who solve the riddles find items that they turn in for real loot. Treasure hunters win, but so do area nonprofits. And businesses who sponsor the hunts get publicity aimed at helping their bottom lines.

This latest hunt was sponsored by the Whydah Pirate Museum. This time hunters were searching for a bottle (bamboo case) that contained a message written by the pirate Sam Bellamy, and a key to a treasure chest. The key opened a chest filled with $500 in gold coins, and an opportunity to donate another $500 to a charity of the finder's choice.

More:A $500 cash reward? Whydah Pirate Museum sponsors Cape-wide treasure hunt.

The Brewster Boys decided on the hiding spot, and Lynn wrote a poem laden with clues. They launched the hunt on Dec. 16 and set Dec. 31 as a deadline for finding it. If no one found it by then, the entire "treasure" would go to a nonprofit of the Whydah’s choice.

Jensen and Kerr started tossing around ideas about the riddle’s clues on Dec. 22. Both men work at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole. Jensen enlisted his sons, Aksel and Gunnar, and within minutes they were sending texts back and forth to each other. In the first stanzas of the riddle/poem were words and phrases that stood out.

More:Second pirate lovers' treasure hunt on Cape Cod comes to an end

The ground on which this treasure stands

Is not far from the crane

But without wings, the silent spring

Is visible in rain.

The men knew the Crane family was famous in Falmouth. They knew Rachel Carson’s book "Silent Spring," and that a statue of her sat at Waterfront Park. They also thought Nobska Light figured prominently in the riddle.

Jensen decided to try his luck alone that day. What he found was confirmation that he was close to the treasure.

Treasure hunter Eric Jensen holds the bamboo bottle he found on Dec. 23 in Falmouth, in a hole in a rock. The Cape-wide treasure hunt was sponsored by the Whydah Pirate Museum in West Yarmouth and The Brewster Boys.
Treasure hunter Eric Jensen holds the bamboo bottle he found on Dec. 23 in Falmouth, in a hole in a rock. The Cape-wide treasure hunt was sponsored by the Whydah Pirate Museum in West Yarmouth and The Brewster Boys.

He called for backup and Aksel and his five college friends met him. They searched for hours but came up short. Jensen stayed. Another group of treasure hunters came along, and they teamed up, but again couldn’t find the treasure. That night Jensen spent the night thinking about the clues.

Kerr and his daughters, Hadley and Sarah, drove to the area on Dec. 23, even though Surf Drive was flooded and a winter storm sent gusts of 60 miles an hour his way. Jensen joined him and they continued the search. Hadley and Sarah went off in search of something to eat. Jensen and Kerr sat on a bench and reconsidered the clues.

“Let’s look one more time,” Jensen said.

Two wooden poles drew his attention. Twenty minutes later Jensen found the bamboo bottle in a hole in a rock. They ran to the car as rain started pouring. The day before, the group he’d been searching with had scoured that area and come up short.

Meredith Katz holds a sterling silver replica of a 1693 coin made into a necklace at the Whydah Pirate Museum. The replica necklace is part of the prize put together by the West Yarmouth museum for the person who solved The Brewster Boys poem riddle by Dec. 31.
Meredith Katz holds a sterling silver replica of a 1693 coin made into a necklace at the Whydah Pirate Museum. The replica necklace is part of the prize put together by the West Yarmouth museum for the person who solved The Brewster Boys poem riddle by Dec. 31.

An interesting side note is that the men found a real note in a bottle during their search. An 8-year-old girl from Connecticut had written it in 1997 and thrown it into the water at Vineyard Haven.

Jensen and Kerr split the $500. Jensen gave his $250 to his sons, calling them instrumental in the find. His wife got the necklace. Kerr, his wife and daughters are going out to eat with their winnings. The men chose Wings for Falmouth Families as recipients of the $500 donation. The charity provides financial assistance to local families experiencing a medical crisis or tragic event. 

“Their message hit home,” Jensen said, adding that a good friend is currently receiving treatment for a brain tumor.

Contact Denise Coffey at dcoffey@capecodonline.com. Follow her on Twitter: @DeniseCoffeyCCT.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Treasure hunters weathered storm to find bamboo bottle in Falmouth