Cape Cod Tag | Page 10 of 12 | The Ring Finders

Luke found, Rick returns – another team effort – at Skatet Beach

  • from Cape Cod (Massachusetts, United States)

What are Friends for…yielding a helping hand.

July 31, 2018 Chris lost his wedding band while playing catch in waist deep water. The next morning I searched for 3 hours in an area marked on a birds eye photo of Skatet Beach. The search reviled nothing, except for a few coins and sinkers. At home I planed my next effort to locate the missing ring.
Unbeknown to me, another detecting friend, Luke, per chance without knowing of the lost ring found it. He texted our mutual friend Jim. Jim told Luke that I was looking for the ring he had just found. After confirmation that Luke had found the lost ring, he gave me the ring to return to Chris. It was mailed on Saturday and should be delivered on Monday.
Luke has now made application to become one of the elite TheRingFinders. Welcome, Luke!

Chris’ photo to follow…

What a ring return in Brewster, Cape Cod, MA

  • from Cape Cod (Massachusetts, United States)

Gene was pursuing his fishing hobby and had a big trout on the stringer. Little did he know that Cape Cod’s fish are smart and powerful. Yes, the trout pulled the fish stringer free from the rocky area in which it was anchored and started to swim away. Gene’s keen eye caught the movement and was not going to let a fish out swim him. Well, he really was not thinking about swimming but the fish was managing the rocks better than Gene. Gene went down – Dive Number 1 – and he missed to hold onto the trout. Up and after the colorful fish again, OOPS…Dive Number 2 – took place and up came Gene with the trout in hand, BUT without his wedding band. All the movement in the water caused the ring to go into hiding. The resulting search did not reveal the ring’s hiding place in a bit over 2 feet of water.

Days later, while watching TV and the story of Jim Wirth returning a Manhattan University ring to its owner 47 years after it was lost, a search for a RingFinder was on. I was contacted and agreed to go look for the missing wedding band. Wait a minute – Gene wanted to watch the search. Just short of a week later Gene and his wife made arrangements to meet me at the loss location. After a short hike and a 15 minute search I had the ring in my scoop. I walk into shore and let Gene take the golden ring, a symbol of 51 years of marriage, from its temporary resting nest among the rocks in my scoop.

On the walk back to the parking lot I gave Gene a big at-a-boy for his dedication to fishing to feed his family. However, he does not eat the fish he catches. Oh, if Gene only had a trout or two he wanted to give me as a gift. No such luck, maybe I will have to take up fishing again, but then there would be no time for being a RingFinder. Heck here on Cape Cod there is enough fish for everyone. I’ll keep on metal detecting. The people I have met are far more interesting than any fish I ever caught.

After the pictures of smiles were taken and a stories of West Hartford, CT (where I am from) were exchanged we bid our good-byes. Gene had the fish and the ring that did not get away! What a great __ __ __ __ story! – you fill in the blanks, HINT: found on a stringer, or found in my scoop.
What a fish tale – What memories…

What a welcome to MBL Woods Hole, MA

  • from Cape Cod (Massachusetts, United States)

Martin, a new student at MBL, (Marine Biological Laboratory), in Woods Hole, had one heck of an unforgettable first night. Nothing like this would happen in his motherland of Germany. It started with bright blue lights all around him, the kind he will never forget. The light was not in he rear view mirror but rather all around him as he wadded in the waist deep waters of Buzzards Bay. The bio-luminescence comb jellyfish were the source of this light. – see: http://yesterdaysisland.com/natures-living-light-show-bioluminescence/ for more on this unique sea creature.

However, while thoroughly enjoying the moment, a horrifying second moment occurred that left Martin distracted for the next 27 hours. These hours should have been filled with attention to finishing a cardboard boat for the afternoon’s race he was entered in. No the distraction was not a sting from the harmless jellies, but the loss of his wedding band to Neptune’s dark depths. Not the light from the luminescent jellies nor the light from several waterproof cell phone could expose the ring’s hiding place.

What to do next? What else but Google search for “How in H*** do I find my ring in the ocean?” lead Martin to the web site of TheRingFinders.com. An e-mail sent at 10:30pm was answered an hour later requesting a bit more information and a promise to call around 10am. At 11am I was in the water waving my magic wand. On the seventh target my scoop was filled with black rocks and a glittering gold ring. YES, it was Martin’s. The search was over. Martin removed the ring from the bed of rocks in my scoop and replaced it where it belonged, on his finger, not swimming around with a bunch of jellies.

Pictures, smiles and stories followed along with many congratulations from fellow beach goers.

PS…Martin’s team won the Cardboard Boat Compitition, all team members had a chance to ride the waves. One heck of a great day for Martin. May continued success continue, forever, in all of your endeavors.

Dennis, Cape Cod, MA – Colby a 14 year old detectorist did the right thing!

  • from Cape Cod (Massachusetts, United States)

The plaque sent to Colby for his honesty and « doing the right thing ».

This is what my idea of metal detecting is all about: Doing the right thing, obeying the rules and comradeship. Here is a story of a return that took many turns to a fabulous end. In chronological order this is what transpired, to the best of my recollection. Sunday afternoon Bennet was enjoying the thrills on a Cape Cod beach and took his necklace and wedding band off an put them into a beach chair’s pocket for safe keeping. Sometime later while packing up to leave the beach the chair was folded and carried to the parking lot. During the movement the jewelry fell from the pocket and was buried in the soft sand. The missing items were not noticed until Bennet went to retrieve them from the pocket. They were not there, gone!

Bennet knew about metal detectors, found J&E Enterprise of South Yarmouth, and rented a detector. To no avail Bennet searched the beach area and returned the rental. At this point he was told about TheRingFinders.com and was suggested he contact a Ring Finder that could help. The first to respond was Leighton who made arrangements to meet up with Bennet and search early on Tuesday morning. Leighton also had no luck in locating the missing items.

Leighton called me and explained the situation. I then called Bennet and set up a search time of 5pm. I left my cell phone and Bennet’s phone number at home, a big mistake. Oh, well…I started to search, found a very good large target area and knew immediately that the detector I was using was too sensitive for the iron in the dry sand. I returned to the car, changed detectors and headed back to find a 5 coin spill which I retrieved. As I moved on I was asked if I had found some coins, yes I had, but I was looking for a gold chain and wedding band. A few more words were passed when Anya piped up with “I saw them Sunday evening, a boy had found them with his detector” AND…the boy is right over there…

I knew what I had to do and hoped what I was going to do did not backfire and cause a problem. I went to the group of people around the boy who was pointed out to me. I introduced myself and said I heard that some jewelry was found Sunday. I was so pleased with what came next. Complete agreement that the right thing to do was to return the items to the rightful owner. And this was from a 14 year old boy named Colby! I know how hard it was for him to give up his Best Find EVER in his two years of detecting. I have been there as others I know have been in the same situation.

Now to get Bennet to the beach…I called my wife from Colby’s father’s cell phone. My wife then call Bennet and he showed up about 20 minutes later, alone. Colby’s prize find was returned to its owner who left and promised to return with a gift for Colby and he did along with many family members. What a sight, all the people mingling, thanking Colby and congratulating Bennet…unbelievable to say the least. Even Anya and her family were in on the act.

This has to be one of my favorite returns. No I did not physically find the lost jewelry, but I did coordinate its return by “finding” the means to get things right. I really do admire Colby and wish him the best with his future detecting adventures.

Colby: May the ring of gold be in your ears and its glitter in your scoop! – Rick (WaterWalker)

Orleans, Cape Cod: A ring lost in the sand was found and returned by a Ring Finder

  • from Cape Cod (Massachusetts, United States)

Trying to teach children how to do a hand stand in a lake lead to a lost ring. That is just what happened to Justin. Unlike Little Tom Thumb, Justin stuck his hand into the sand and pulled it out without his wedding band. Unable to find it by himself, Justin’s mother contacted J&E Enterprise to rent a detector and ended up with a better alternative – contacting a Ring Finder, in this case, me. I left home within an hour of being contacted, in the water 45 minutes later and within another 5 minuets Justin was wearing his ring again. As for me…I did not get my swimming trunks wet.

The beach was filled with family members who all gathered around to make a grand picture of smiles.

Falmouth, Cape Cod, MA: Memory Recall is Key to Finding Lost Ring!

  • from Cape Cod (Massachusetts, United States)

As many questions that were asked it was not until James was in the water with me and remembered a small splash which he thought to be a gull’s dropping. But where was the little splash? Close to the big splash from a rock that was being tossed. But where is the rock…Here it is and the little splash was about 20 feet away.

After a two hour search this little splash was right on…but it was not make by a bird, rather it was made by Erin’s engagement ring. Another 3 minutes of searching and the ring was in my scoop. As Erin was not at the beach James had the honor of removing the ring from my scoop. It was now up to James to place the ring back on his wife’s finger.

Many on the beach had heard of the ring’s loss and were amazed that it was found in such a vast area. Had it not been for James’ keen memory, I might still be looking for the jewel that means so much to the wonderful couple.

Cape Cod: Davy Jones held David Yurman hostage for 9 hours.

  • from Cape Cod (Massachusetts, United States)

A mother’s warning went unheeded – “Don’t take your wedding band to the beach.” Well a bit later Alex’s dive into the salty water provided the action that precipitated the need for a Ring Finder. Yes, his ring of only a year had slipped from his finger into the the depths of Davy Jones’ locker. Withing three hours I received a call for help. It seems all the searching by Alex and the Life Guards could not bring the ring out of the deep waters of Nantucket Sound. The tide was now some 2 feet higher than when the ring was lost and the sun was slipping closer to the horizon. It would be another 5 hours before a search could begin without scuba gear.

The sun set, the moon rose and the Big Dipper was now bright in the sky and Jim (my summer detecting comrade) and I were headed south into the darkness and shoulder deep water. As we began swinging our detectors caused flashes of blue light appeared underwater. The bio-luminescence was being given off when we touched small jellyfish. We also kept an eye to the northern sky, hoping to see the very unusual occurrence of the appearance of the Northern Lights as far south as Cape Cod.

Unfortunately we did not sees the Northern Lights, but Jim did rescue David Yurman from the grip that Davy Jones had on him. Jim’s bright LED light caused the diamonds to sparkle brighter than the stars and the circle of gold to shine heavenly against a bed of sea shells in his steel bucket. Now there was nothing more to do except notify Sandy (Alex’s mother) that the recovery had been made and a meeting for the return set.

The return was delayed due to Cape Cod traffic, but the wait was well worth it for everyone. Jim and I had a chance to pass on information about metal detecting, a few stories, and return the ring. As a Thank You gift, Sandy had brought some very special and delicious cookies, which were shared with Eleanor as she was the one that gave Sandy my contact information. Sandy will pass the ring onto Alex on their next meeting. Until then pictures are of the ring and three smiles will fill the void held for Alex’s smile which I am sure matches that of his wife’s because of The Ring Finders.

Cape Cod: Lost Ring Found, with a little help from a friend.

  • from Cape Cod (Massachusetts, United States)

It is great to have a helpful and concerned friend in time of need. That is just what Greg was for Sam. Greg posted signs around the beach. At home he reached out to TheRingFinders for help in finding Sam’s wedding band; that is where I came in. Just hours after Sam’s wedding band had slipped from his finger into the crystal clear water and under the soft white sand Greg and I were exchanging pictures of the area of loss were exchanged and set a time to meet the next day.

Sam met Jim (my summer time detecting comrade) and myself just after sunrise, lead us down a one-way dirt road to a 3 car public parking area were we geared up and took a hike to the lake. After Sam answered a few questions about the loss, Jim and I headed out to the area believed to be where the ring had slipped from Sam’s finger.

I had dug three coins and then a ring. It was not as I had envisioned it and called back to Sam…“is it a square ring?” To which Sam asked “what do you mean?” “Well, not round” I called back. The resounding YES was probably be heard all over the lake. Jim looked puzzled and on my way back to shore I let Jim have a peek at the ring in my scoop. When I got back to shore Sam had the enjoyment of retrieving his ring from my scoop and placing it back where it belonged, on his finger. Time elapse…three minutes. The pictures tell it all!

Cold Storage Beach holds diamond engagement ring overnight – found and returned – Cape Cod

  • from Cape Cod (Massachusetts, United States)

A call for help came via a referral. E-mails followed; one with annotations on a beach photo nailed down the lost ring’s location. After I completed a few to-dos at home I headed off to the beach where I had to use a bit of compassion to have the parking fee waived. I parked, donned my gear and I was off, all set to search the beach. After an unsuccessful first round of searching, I changed detectors and headed back to the sand. I then spoke with a few beach sitters, who were waiting for the sun to set, as to just what I was doing so close to them. To my surprise I was told that they had been present the day before when the ring was lost. I was directed to an area just a few feet away that I had already searched, and Bingo, there was the platinum ring. I thanked the beach sitters as I showed them what I had been looking for and wished them a beautiful sunset and then I left to call Valerie.

A very excited Valerie made arrangements to meet the following day for the ring’s return. She showed up with a spectacular and very fragrant hyacinth and a lovely hand written Thank You card. Photos were taken and a few stories passed. A comment was made about my Japanese Red Maple tree and as it just so happened I had been growing a few and would not let Valerie leave without one for her yard.

A day of Smiles all around!

Blessed by the Pope, Lost, Found and Returned Ring goes on, Harwichport, MA

  • from Cape Cod (Massachusetts, United States)

One ring that could never be replaced slipped from Christopher’s finger just less a few days of of 3 months of being placed there. The ring had quite a history. It had traveled to Ireland and Italy on a honeymoon, had a personal blessing by Pope Franciscus, and lost just yards away from where it origin had started. Chris had the presence of mind to take note of the location the ring slipped from his finger and then his wife contacted me via TheRingFinders.

I arrived and was told the ring was gold with a silver band of Celtic knots and it would be found 15-20 feet into the water when I aligned myself so I could see into the drain pipe protruding from the break-wall. Two pull tabs, three bottle caps and then a crazy signal…the detector had a difficult time distinguishing between the two metals. I thought I had trash and was very surprised to see the ring in my scoop. Smiles, hugs, and thank yous ended the emotional trauma of a very special ring’s short history and the beginning of a very long one.

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