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On Friday March the 9th, long-time Casa de Campo resident Muffi James hosted a wonderful nautical themed dinner at her oceanside Casa de Campo villa in Punta Aguila in honor of the infamous pirate Captain William Kidd and Dr. Charles Beeker, the director of Academic Diving and Underwater Science at the Indian University Bloomington.
The evening before, Dr. Charles Beeker presented a very interesting speech at the Altos de Chavón Regional Museum of Archaeology about pirate, Captain William Kidd and the shipwreck of his boat the “Quedagh Merchant”, which was found just a few years ago in less than 2 meters of water just off of the Eastern coast of Isla Catalina. With the help and support of members of the Casa de Campo community such as Muffi and Jimmy James, Dr. Charles Beeker has been working with the Altos de Chavón Regional Museum of Archaeology, his team at the Indian University, as well as the Children’s Museum of Indianpolis to research and preserve the shipwreck, which has now been proclaimed a “living museum of the sea.”
[For PHOTOS and the ful story of Captain William Kidd and the shipwreck of the “Quedagh Merchant” – click here!]
And so on Friday evening March the 9th, a smaller group of the Casa de Campo community mingled with the team currently working on the “Quedagh Merchant” and enjoyed an enchanting starlit evening, with a delicious typically Dominican dinner of Sancocho and other Dominican specialities. During dinner, Dr.Charles Beeker took the opportunity to introduce “Treasures Expeditions”, the project which Captain Kidd’s “Quedagh Merchant” is part of.
Treasures Expeditions Treasures Expeditions is an extraordinary family travel program to introduce children and families to archeology and the amazing history and stories of the following shipwrecks: (all of which are located off of the coast of Hispaniola Island) • The Lost Fleet of Columbus • Captain Kidd’s “Quedagh Merchant” • The Spanish Merchant vessel; Nuestra Señora de Begoña • Two sites related to Captain Henry Morgan, including the site of his flagship, the HMS Oxford, and the search for the 1675 Jamaica Merchant • The French Slave Ship, Le Marquis de Gallifet Although this project is currently funded to US$1million it is still lacking funds of US$620,000
Also in attendance at the event was Carlos Morales Troncoso, who as Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Dominican Republic is committed to providing support to “Quedagh Merchant” project, which will help to further the development of the Dominican Republic and La Romana as a tourist destination.
The Costa Luminosa sets sail from La Romana
Upon arrival guests were treated to a spectacular view of the Costa Luminosa setting sail for Isla Catalina from the La Romana – Casa de Campo port.