So many ships have piled up on the hidden sand bars off the coast between Chatham and Provincetown that those fifty miles of sea have been called an “ocean graveyard.” Between Truro and Wellfleet alone over 1,000 ships have been lost, according to the Cape Cod National Seashore. In 1717, the sailing ship Whydah was lost in that ocean graveyard, and legend had it she was laden with pirate treasure when she went down. Much has been written about the 1984 discovery of the Whydah and the artifacts recovered from the wreck, but a new book by Martin Sandler focuses on the life of the Whydah before she went down. The book is titled The Whydah, A Pirate Ship Feared, Wrecked and Found.
Martin Sandler will be giving a talk about his book at the Hyannis Public Library Wednesday, September 13 at 6 p. m.
