Abaco Gold — David Corbett

In 1656, a Spanish ship sinks under less than usual circumstances, and certainly not where treasure hunters of today expect. Where is the final resting place of the Maravilla, along with the gold, silver, and emeralds her hold contains? A Florida antique dealer, Ted Brewer, quite by accident finds a sketch with the necessary clues to the old ship's location. Unfortunately for him there is another who realizes Brewer is holding the key to a vast fortune, and is willing to brutalize and kill him for that information. Brewer, however, has insured the safety of his secret by sending half the sketch to his sister, Jennifer, and the remaining half to his old and trusted Marine Corps buddy, Jake Bottom. Jake, since his retirement from the Corps, has become an expatriated American, living on a houseboat in the Bahamas. His biggest problem, on any given day, is whether or not to leave his hammock and go sailing on his forty-one foot sloop, or just swing in his hammock out of the sun. Jake and Jennifer team up to solve the mystery of the two halves of the map and along with a reprobate friend of his, Mike Flynn, the three sail in search of riches. Cortez, a Columbian drug lord, has killed once for the sketch, and is not hesitant to do so again. With dogged determination, he hunts the three, as they attempt to keep him blind to their actions. No matter their precautions, Jennifer is nonetheless kidnapped by Cortez and taken prisoner aboard his luxurious yacht. Jake, who has become completely infatuated with his recent lady companion, and Flynn must somehow retrieve Jennifer, yet not lose their claim to the fortune awaiting them. The plan is complex. Using every bit of his sailing skills, and along with Flynn's expertise with demolitions, the two leap into the breech with little real chance of complete success. Dave Corbett grew up in the small, west coast, Florida town of Venice, where his love for sailing and boats in general began. After graduation from the University of Florida, he joined the United States Marine Corps, which he retired from as a full colonel in 1991. During his twenty-eight years of flying fighter jets, he commanded five organizations including a Harrier squadron, a Support Group, and a Marine Air Ground Task Force. Upon his retirement, in 1990, he lived his dream aboard a 41-foot sloop, sailing the winter months in the Bahama Islands for thirteen years. Corbett now resides, with his wife Donna, in Backus, MN during the summer and Lake Placid, FL when the snow flies up north.