Like most sandbars, this one has a habit of catching ships during storms. Where I have my cottage, there's a bit of pirate history — a famous pirate met his demise off the waters of Wellfleet.
The story goes like this: the notorious pirate Samuel "Black Sam" Bellamy, with his ship loaded with treasure from plundering over 50 vessels, sank on his way to visit his girlfriend in Wellfleet. His massive hoard of gold, silver, and other valuables lies at the bottom of the sea, just a couple of hundred yards off the beach near Marconi Station. The Whydah Gally was driven onto a sandbar shoal about 500 feet from shore [Note: it is probably more like a 1000' now with beach erosion.], in approximately 16 feet of water.
As the legend goes he was coming to met “Goody Hallett,” (Goody is short for “Goodwife”)
When In Your StateAugust 13, 2025By John GhostThe Wreck of the Whydah and the Legend of the Witch of WellfleetCape Cod’s beaches hide America’s most famous pirate shipwreck and its tragic love story. In 1715, “Black Sam” Bellamy fell for local woman Maria Hallett, then sailed off to plunder Caribbean ships.He captured the treasure-laden Whydah in 1717 and headed back to Cape Cod, possibly to reunite with her.But Hallett’s baby had died, the town cast her out, and on April 26, 1717, a violent storm drove Bellamy’s ship onto Wellfleet’s sandbars. All but two crew members drowned.Legend says Hallett watched from the cliffs as her lover perished, and locals still claim her ghost haunts these shores.
There used to be a Whydah Museum in Provincetown, but it was moved to West Yarmouth, Massachusetts, in 2016 as part of an expansion.
Even today, with modern electronic navigation, the sandbar still traps unsuspecting captains. The fishing vessel Seahorse sank near Brewster, and the F/V Guardian ran aground near Wellfleet — both just this year!
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