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

Stand-in Wedding Ring(s) – what a story! Sandwich, MA Lost / Found Ring

  • from Cape Cod (Massachusetts, United States)

July 2019

Well, it was a typical 4th of July weekend. The first call for help came with a story about the ring tagging along. The easiest way to tell this is to copy the Thank You note for finding and returning James’ claddagh ring.

Rick,

My father bought me this ring 10 years ago. My grandfather had just passed away and had given his ring to my brother, the oldest boy in the family. So, my father took me when getting that one sized to get one of my own.
A few weeks ago, at my brother’s wedding, nobody remembered the wedding bands, not me, my brother, sister-in-law, planner, nobody. So when the priest asked for the rings, I turned my back to the crowd and slipped off my ring and my brother did the same. They used these to bless their marriage. I was devastated to lose mine. I cannot thank you enough.

James

Wedding / Anniversary Set Lost and Found In Time For Flight Home from Harwich, MA

  • from Cape Cod (Massachusetts, United States)

August 23rd at 5:35pm a voice mail for help was left on my home phone. I had been out detecting and did not answer the voice mail until 6:20. At that time I was told that a fellow detectorist, Luke, was already in the water searching. Knowing the search ethics of Luke I was sure he would find the ring set and all would be good again. To my surprise Janet called again this time to say Luke had detector problems and was unable to locate the ring. She continued to tell me the tide would be low at 5AM and ask if could I come and help that early. Sure I could, but I would rather wait until sun rise and we agreed 5:30 would be OK. I was in the water with information from Luke, Janet and her friend Diane on the location where the ring should be. Luke had cleaned out many nuisance items and I had very few surface targets. However, I did retrieve two rings, neither were the one I was searching for. It was getting very close to the time Janet needed to leave to make her morning flight back home. About 15 minutes to the deadline the ring set was in my scoop, close to where she and Diane said it was lost. Well, I went in to tell Janet that I had found two rings, neither of which were hers and she started to get ready to leave. I then said “but the third…look in the scoop…” Unbelievable rejoicing was her (and Diane’s) response. A rush ensued to take a few pictures for the memory bank and exchange of contact info then it was off the the airport. With her most cherished – I’ll just say “of several years” – ring set made of her wedding band and two anniversary bands, Janet made a safe trip home, thrilled to have her ring back on her finger.

Surfing Haigis Beach Cape Cod, Lost Ring, Exhilarating Search, Book of Smiles

  • from Cape Cod (Massachusetts, United States)

August 2, 2018 Justin Mello lost his wedding band while body surfing the incoming tide. By the time I was contacted it was just too late in the evening to start a search in a rough surf. The next morning Jim and I showed up at 7am and started to search a very angry sea bed. Three foot waves were a threat to our search. We were lucky the waves were calming as the tide was going out. However, our safety was our first objective, finding the ring the second. One set of waves came in and Jim disappeared, playing submarine, not by his choice. When he surfaced he was all in tack save for a bit of seaweed on top of his wet hat. Justin arrived about 8am and told Jim and myself we were in the correct area, but a bit too far out. Heck that was were the big waves were and we were (at least I was) having fun riding them. The tide had gone out for more than an hour, exposing more dry wet sand. We started to search the area that we could not the hour before because of the rough surf. Now in ankle deep water a strong signal said “Dig Me!” and I did. In my scoop was Justin’s white gold wedding band. The exhilarating hunt was over, time for coffee after pictures and a few detecting stories.

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.