The Treasure of Limberakis Gerakaris
Limberakis Gerakaris was born in the village of Oitylo in Mani, Greece in 1644. By the age of 15, he was serving as a galley rower in the Venetian navy. He is next heard of five years later, as a feared pirate. After several years, he was captured by the Ottomans and imprisoned. After a failed attempt to capture Mani, the Ottoman Grand Vizier, Köprülü Fazıl Ahmed Pasha, offered Gerakaris his freedom and to make him Bey of Mani in return for allowing the Turks to garrison some castles in Mani.
In his brief reign, he forced several families to flee from the Mani. He soon returned to piracy and was imprisoned again by the Ottomans. However, when the Venetians invaded the Peloponnese in 1685, the Ottomans released Gerakaris and made him ruler of Mani and in return he promised to fight for the Turks. When the Turks unsuccessfully attempted to poison him, he defected to the Venetians, who acknowledged him as Bey of Mani. In 1696, he sacked Arta as the citizens of the city had burned his property nearby. The Artans complained to the Venetian Doge, who had him imprisoned in Brescia, where he died in 1710. Or did he?
There are some who believe that Gerakaris escaped from the Venetians with the treasure he had acquired in the sack of Arta. He is rumored to have continued operating for a time as a pirate throughout the Dodecanese Islands, further increasing the size of his treasure. Even though he never stayed too long in one place, alternating from island to island, the threat of capture from both the Venetians and the Ottomans was ever present. Fearing for his life, some believe he left the Aegean Sea for good and made his way to the new world. Although it is not clear where his final resting place is, there are hidden clues, markers and tools left behind that may lead to where his treasure is hidden. The following text was copied from a journal thought to belong to Gerakaris.
Ο ΘΗΣΑΥΡΟΣ ΜΟΥ
Γ ΔΕΜΗΓΖ ΠΡΦΧΗΤΖ ΞΕΦΖΧΡΗΝΦ ΖΗΓ ΞΓΕΡΦΝ ΗΕΦΝ ΡΔΗΝ ΞΝΥΩΓΘΖ ΩΤΠΡΑ ΔΡΑΗΡ ΠΡΧΝΠΦΧΓΖ ΗΕΦΝ ΠΘΓ ΠΘΓ ΨΡΔΗΝ ΧΝΦ ΠΘΗΦΧΓΖ ΩΤΠΡΑ ΡΔΗΝ ΡΒΦ ΞΝΥΩΓΘΖ ΡΑΝΖ ΡΔΗΝ ΠΡΧΝΠΦΧΓΖ ΡΑΝΖ ΡΑΝΖ ΔΡΑΗΡ ΨΡΔΗΝ
Among his possessions is rumored to be a Pirate Bones Treasure geocoin. Whoever is the first to find the treasure could claim it as their own. An image of it can be seen in the gallery.
The cache is not at the posted coordinates. It has been placed in Grandview Nature Preserve with the permission of Hampton Parks and Recreation. Permit number 25. The first stage is not inside the park. The park is open from sunrise to sunset. Parking is available from 7 am until sunset. Please respect posted times and warning signs and as always CITO. Strong insect repellent is highly recommended.
Congratulations to Prytz+1 for the FTF and claiming the geocoin prize.