Customer Reviews

Shipwrecks and Legends 'Round Cape May: Includes Stirring Tales of Pirates, Buried Treasure, Rum-Runners, War Action

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I've seen "Shipwrecks and Legends 'Round Cape May" in gift shops for years, along with "Cape May Ghost Stories" by the same authors. I considered picking up a copy to pass the time on the Cape May-Lewes Ferry, but I always had other reading material with me. A family member who was clearing out clutter gave me her copy, so my curiosity is finally satisfied. Only 120 pages long, this is a book of brief tales about Cape May's maritime legends and shipwrecks, written in 1987. Due to their location at the entrance to the Delaware Bay, the waters of Cape May have played a role in commerce and in naval wars, from the American Revolution to World War II, so there are plenty of stories to tell.

Most of the book is dedicated to shipwrecks off the coast of Cape May, for which the authors provide some details of the ill-fated ships and crews. These stories are factual and verifiable. But the book starts off with pirates who had some connection with Cape May, in reality or in legend, as the authors readily admit these legends may not be true. We move on to sunken ships believed to contain treasure. There are stories of the Coast Guard fighting bootleggers during prohibition and the U-boats that targeted merchant ships along the New Jersey Coast during World Wars I and II.

There are 84 pages of stories, followed by a list of "Other Shipwrecks 'Round Cape May" and 19 black-and-white photographs. I can't say that "Shipwrecks and Legends 'Round Cape May" is very good, and I doubt that was the authors' intention. This is a light read to get you in the spirit of your Cape May vacation while you approach the town by ferry or by car or relax on the porch of your Victorian B&B. The book doesn't say much about the land-dwelling folks of Cape May but focuses on maritime events, so it may be of more interest to those who come to Cape May for the boating than for the birding or historic homes.