By Jay Meisel

Meisel@hometownnewsol.com

FORT PIERCE - At Capt. Bob's Place, customers will find deli fare, such as sandwiches and sides.

But they'll also discover some unexpected items, such as a knight's armor and shipwreck artifacts.

The gourmet deli and treasure museum will attract hungry people, but Capt. Bob Bouchlas said the ultimate purpose is to satisfy their appetite for history.

The deli, featuring a variety of sandwiches, sides, wine, beer, juices and soft drinks, is primarily aimed at providing revenue for the museum.

It will provide a venue for Capt. Bouchlas, a noted treasure hunter, to educate people about why the Treasure Coast has its name, he said.

"We are also telling the Spanish story that goes along with the Treasure Coast," he said. "That's because the Treasure Coast goes 'hand-in-glove' with the Spanish movement in Florida."

He said he also wants to continue his 30 plus year efforts, to educate students and adults about the truth regarding treasure hunting.

A lot of fiction has been presented as fact, he said.

He said he's made many presentations to students about the history of the Treasure Coast and it's not hard to get them interested after he shows them some artifacts.

"We love helping children learn about history by using treasure as the cheese to attract the mice," he said.

Capt. Bouchlas made one of his biggest discoveries in 1975 when he found the wreck site of the Nuestra Senor de la Maravillas near the Bahamas.

The ship sunk in 1653, claiming the lives of more than 600 people.

At the site, he said, he found various treasures, including dies for making Spanish money. He returned some of the dies to Spain and received a letter of commendation from King Juan Carlos, he said.

His research showed that Spain sent salvage ships, but those vessels also sunk near Jupiter, with many of the treasures from the Maravillas, including a life-sized golden Madonna stature. A replica of it can be seen at Capt. Bob's Place.

He said he believes he knows the location of the salvage ship.

But, Capt Bouchlas said, the state of Florida has limited treasure hunting in the area and he has been prohibited from searching for the wreck.

"We've absolutely had no cooperation from the state," he said.

Gaining public support for his quest has been difficult, he said, "because it's a hard thing to convince the public you're not in it for the money and I'm not in it for the money," he said.

He said he wants to find and preserve the history.

Capt. Bouchlas also wants to eventually provide a "proper" burial at Maravillas at the Holy Theotokos Shrine in Jensen Beach for the conquistadors and others who died in the wreck.

Capt. Bob's Place is also the western hemisphere headquarters for the Byzantine Order of the Holy Sepulchre, a Christian order. He said the order knighted him because he returned the dies to Spain.

He also operates San Miguel Treasure Tours, where people can go diving for treasures.

And Capt. Bob's Place also serves as an outpost for St. Michael Academy, which he says is an online college that offers Christian theology-related degrees.

Capt. Bob's Place is located at 101 Seaway Drive in Fort Pierce. To order in advance, call (772) 465-2009.