Treasure Hunters, Artists and Authors
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​Robert Jacob  Author - Historian
With a lifelong passion for history, Robert Jacob has been heavily involved in living history interpretation and reenacting for over 40 years. He has participated in activities covering a wide range of time periods including numerous French and Indian War and Revolutionary War reenactment groups, Western Gun Fighter groups, regularly attending Mountain Man Rendezvous and Renaissance Fairs.  During the past 12 years he has focused on the golden age of piracy with a concentration on Blackbeard. 
Originally from Pittsburgh, PA, Robert graduated from Duquesne University with a Bachelor’s Degree in education in 1978.  He taught in the West Point public school district, West Point, VA for five years while completing his Master’s Degree from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1983.
In 1982, Robert entered the United States Marine Corps reserve and augmented to active duty in 1983.  During his service, he became a military occupational specialty instructor and earned the designation of Master Training Specialist.  Later in his career, he became the Commanding Officer of the Marine Detachment at the same school where he had earlier instructed.  He achieved the rank of Chief Warrant Officer 5 and retired after 31 years of service in 2013.
While researching information on the golden age of piracy, Robert realized that most of the publications on the subject were contradictory and even incorrect.  This motivated him to write his current publication, “A Pirate’s Life in the Golden Age of Piracy.”
​Think you know everything about Pirates?
Fascination with Pirates has for centuries driven stories of heroic proportions—true, exaggerated, and imaginary.  Legends of their high seas debauchery continue to inspire modern day books, movies, and groups, dedicated to acting out their past. Pirates are heroes to some and the lowest of crooks to others, but do we really know the truth?
The facts are that the historical record on pirates is vague, contradictory, and rarely accurate. Digging deep into the true history of Piracy and those who lived this life, Robert Jacob has unearthed a treasure of information that allows you to see, feel, and experience the true life and motivation of pirates in their Golden Age.
Come aboard and see what pirates actually wore, the type of ships they used, and how they planned and executed some of the most cunningly successful heists ever known. A Pirates Life in the Golden Age of Piracy will fascinate and transport you back in time with rich stories and visual accuracy. If you thought you knew all about pirates you’re in for some surprising revelations that will leaving you even more intrigued!
 Allen Balogh  Author - Historian
Allen Balogh is a retired educator who taught World and U.S. History for over twenty years. In 1985, he began exploring the locations of the southernmost ship of the 1715 Armada Fleet off the coast of Stuart/Hutchinson Island, Florida. He is a lecturer and historian on the Golden Age of Piracy. 

​For pleasure, Allen plays 1st violin in a symphony-orchestra in Boca Raton, Florida and enjoys lobstering with his buddies in the Florida Keys. He is a member of the Florida Historic Society, the National Historic Preservation Society, and the 1715 Fleet Society.
​Black Sails 1715 is the first of his Black and Gold series followed by his latest, Black Sails 1715, The Goat with the Glass Eye.
Allen resides in Palm Beach County, Florida
​Black Sails 1715
​is a 77,000+ word historical novel inspired by the fate of the 1715 Spanish Fleet. Eleven galleons succumbed to a hurricane off the coast of Florida, sinking to the ocean floor—along with a cargo of $14 million in treasure.
​ Though more than 1,000 sailors perished that day, those who roamed the high seas cared for only one thing: the recovery of the treasure. The promise of unimaginable wealth inspired the inevitable double-crossing among the warring nations, politicians, and pirates. The tale of the hunt for this legendary treasure is one of life and death, alliances formed and betrayed, and a love left behind at each turn.
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     As he researched the 1715 Fleet, he became enamored with those who lived during the Golden Age of Piracy: Benjamin Hornigold and his prodigy Blackbeard, along with Black Sam Bellamy and his associate Paulsgrave Williams. Other rogues of the day, such as Henry Jennings and the insane Charles Vane, add mayhem to the chaos. Their nemesis, Governor Woodes Rogers of Nassau, wanted all of them at the gallows. All of these historical characters are prominently featured in the book.

    His novel is unique as it’s the only account that combines historical records,
inclusive of the 1715 Fleet, with the actual pirates of that era. 
Traditional history books have disregarded this epic tale.
Little by little, the story has resurfaced, just like its treasure of gold!
​Carl Fismer -
​World Famous Treasure Hunter


Captain Carl Fismer is one of the most respected and
knowledgeable treasure diving professionals in the world. 
 
His area of expertise is shipwrecks, especially Spanish
shipwrecks and has recovered millions of dollars in gold, silver, jewels and other artifacts.

He has worked over 300 shipwrecks including the Taj Mahal Treasure and the famed galleon Concepcion.

 The Concepcion; not to be confused with a ship baring the same name, Nuestra Senora de la Concepcion which sank in 1638 near the southernmost point of Saipan, the second Concepcion sank in 1641, 70 miles off the northern coast of the Dominican Republic upon the coral reefs known as the Silver Bank. 

 "Fizz” as he is known to friends, directed part of the salvage diving of the Santa Margarita, sister ship to the Nuestra Senora de Atocha, which was discovered by Mel Fisher. 

  In 1992, he traveled to Sri Lanka and dived with Sir Arthur C. Clarke of 2001: A Space Odyssey fame, in association with the Great Basses Reef Treasures.
 
In May, 2010, Captain Fismer was awarded the Mel Fisher Lifetime Achievement Award.
Don Maitz - Creator of the Captain Morgan Spiced Rum Character
​Don Maitz is an American artist whose amazing work covers the spectrum of Science Fiction, Horror and Fantasy Art including a very extensive collection of Pirate Art.

He has twice won the Hugo Award for Best Professional Artist, science fiction's highest honor for an artist and honored ten times with a Chesley Award for outstanding achievement in the Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists, still he is probably best known for his creation of the iconic Captain Morgan spiced rum character.

 His art has appeared on the covers of books by famed authors and writers such as Stephen King, Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, C. J. Cherryh, Gene Wolfe, Michael Moorcock, and Raymond E. Feist. 
 
His works have been showcased in public exhibitions and museums across the nation.  Major works have been privately purchased and or commissioned by numerous celebrity collectors.

Don Maitz has been recognized by a certificate of merit from New York City's Society of Illustrators Annual Exhibition committee for his painting "Forty Thieves". 

Watercolor paintings by Maitz have been a yearly installment in Gallery One Masterworks in Miniature exhibitions, and his art has also been juried into the International Marine Art Exhibition at the Maritime Gallery at Mystic Seaport in Mystic, CT, where his oil painting, "A Sheet to the Wind", received an Award of Excellence. 

Imaginative paintings by Don Maitz have been displayed in group shows at the New Britain Museum of American Art, CT; the Delaware Art Museum,DE; and the Canton Art Museum, Canton, OH.        
Each of these exhibits drew record attendance.
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​Patrick S. Mesmer - Author
GHOSTS OF THE TREASURE COAST

The Treasure Coast is such a popular destination that some choose to never leave. From the spirits of ancient Indians who once inhabited the beaches to the pirates who spied for passing victims from the safety of the inlets and coves, the region is infused with eerie, tragic history. A phantom widow keeps watch from the Boston House window for men long ago lost at sea. Spirits of the victims of a murderous cop linger at the Devil’s Tree, where their bodies were found. The dreaded pirate Black Caesar still steers his ghost ship toward Dead Man’s Point in the St. Lucie Inlet. Authors Patrick and Patricia Mesmer navigate through spooky tales of vanished sailors, wandering phantoms and lost treasure scattered across the ocean floor.

Join Patrick and Patricia Mesmer as they explore the fascinating history of Florida's Treasure Coast with a paranormal twist!
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​Steve Witucki 
Nationally Acclaimed Maritime Artist

Around the Great Lakes region, Steve Witucki, of Port St. Lucie, Florida, has been a well-known artist for over thirty years. His art is featured nationally in media, buildings, homes, parks, museums, and art galleries. 
  
Steve, an able-bodied seaman, developed a love for art in 1978. During long voyages aboard ship, he created maritime illustrations and paintings, depicting the lore and legends that enveloped the Great Lakes. One of his prize paintings gained notoriety, opening opportunities in ways he could not have imagined.
       
Sixteen years ago, the Discovery Channel filmed a program aboard the Edwin H Gott. Deep in the ship's interior, producers uncovered the floating studio of a young, talented maritime artist. On display in the studio was a painting of the Edmund Fitzgerald lying on the bottom of Lake Superior. Steve’s painting and 1,500 prints of the Edmund Fitzgerald sold long ago. Prints # 1, and his print of the Carl D Bradley, both signed by singer Gordon Lightfoot, are both currently on display. 
         
Although much of his work focuses on maritime and wildlife images, Steve explores a wide variety of subjects using various medium, some of which are on display internationally.
     
In 2008, the Domaci Gallery classified Steve as a “Nationally Acclaimed Maritime Artist.” His art and biography are featured in many publications including: Michigan History Magazine, True North Magazine, Great Lakes Mariners and Seaway Review, as well as on the front cover of the book, Lost and Found Legendary Lake Michigan Shipwrecks. He is currently creating an oil painting depicting the seventeenth century ship Reformation as well as illustrations for the book series The Jonathan Dickinson Odyssey, which will be published this summer. Steve also provides art and video for television channels including: Discovery, History and National Geographic as well as backdrops for plays and musicals. He also provides illustrations for corporations such as Anheuser-Busch. Steve has created Korean and Vietnam memorials crafted from black Onyx.
        
Steve also includes glass etchings in his portfolio. He designs and creates freehand graphics on entrance doors, sliding doors, windows, drinking glasses, plaques and trophies. His clients include museum gift shops, municipalities, corporations and home owners.

​Steve creates art to meet the needs and wishes of his customers. “The art belongs to the customer. My mission is to create art that reflects my customers' inner thoughts and ideas, not mine. That’s the uniqueness of what I provide,” Steve said.