Why an Army Veteran Sold His Farm to Sail the World in Search of Rare Treasure (2024)

Editor’s Note: Our readers responded strongly to this story when it originally ran; we’re reposting it here in case you missed it.

A U.S. Army veteran is sailing the world in search of treasure and adventure, changing communities for the better along his journey.

Kyle Davis, once an Army Infantry combat medic, has a few careers under his belt. He’s served in the military, bought land and built a farm, and now is sailing the world as a treasure hunter and small business owner.

Davis spoke with People about his journey from farmer to sailor, a thrilling tale of danger, setbacks and treasure hunting.

His incredible journey began in 2017 when he bought land in Hawaii and turned it into an agricultural oasis and place of exploration.

“After finishing my enlistment, I decided to use my savings to buy some land in Hawaii to start a farm. I decided that I’d really like to have a cave on the property, so I purchased a vacant 6-acre lot with a 3-mile-long lava tube. I spent 4 years there, turning the raw land into a permaculture farm while simultaneously going to the University of Hawaii to study agriculture,” Davis told People.

“I hosted volunteers from around the world to teach organic farming to, and in return they helped me build the farm,” he said. “With their help, we built roads, houses and fences, and raised a variety of animals and a huge collection of thousands of plants.”

But after four years of farming, Davis could not ignore his thirst for adventure beyond his Hawaiian homestead.

“I absolutely loved my farm and the freedom of living in the little world I’d created for myself,” he said.

“At the same time, however, I longed to travel and experience the world. The responsibility of owning a farm is huge, and with mouths to feed and plants to water daily, there wasn’t much chance for adventures abroad.”

After graduating from college in 2017, Davis sold his farm to a tourism company and made the decision to purchase a sailboat with the intent of traveling the world.

He spent 10 days in Thailand where he learned to sail, and then traveled to Portland, Maine, where he bought his first boat, a Tayana 50-foot monohull sailboat.

“I’d always wanted to be a treasure-hunting pirate since I was a young boy, so the idea of sailing around the world looking for fortune really appealed to me,” he said.

While in Maine with his mother, the pair began to explore nearby beaches, where Davis first experienced the joy of finding sea glass.

“Upon arriving at shore, she suggested we just walk the beach to look for shells. On our walk, she came across several pieces of sea glass, one of which was red. We knew almost nothing about sea glass then, but that was soon to change. After getting back to my boat, a friend came by to say hello and had his young son tagging along,” he said.

“My mom showed him her red piece of sea glass and he asked to have it; she couldn’t refuse the cute kid. Afterward, we looked up red sea glass online and discovered that it’s one of the absolute rarest colors to find, and so she was slightly heartbroken about having given it away. I told her not to worry, I’d go back out and find her another one.”

In the fall of 2018, Davis prepared to sail to the Caribbean but ran into a dangerous setback when his boat got struck by lightning during a storm. The damage to his sailboat was severe, but the nine months it took him to complete repairs turned out to be a necessary path on his sea glass journey.

“I came across a sea glass store in St. Augustine where I learned that people actually sold sea glass, something I’d always assumed was worthless,” Davis said. “This was an epiphany to me, and I began to hunt for sea glass more. Someone even bought me a book about sea glass, which taught me a lot about the different types, grades, colors and more.”

In the summer of 2019, he again set sail for the Caribbean, only to face another setback when his boat again got pummeled by a storm.

“We lost our propeller shaft at sea and nearly sank off the coast of Venezuela,” he said. “We were able to save the ship, and headed for the ABC Islands, the closest place of refuge.

“We eventually made it to Curacao and hauled the boat out of the water for repairs. I imagined it would take a few weeks to fix everything, but the repairs needed were extensive and it ended up taking nearly two years.”

Davis made the most of the next two years, exploring Curacao and nearby Aruba sailing on an inflatable boat with his dog, a Yorkshire terrier named Little Coconut.

“As luck would have it, the first beach we landed on was completely made of sea glass,” he said.

“I’d only ever seen a few pieces of glass on the beach here and there, but I never could have imagined what I’d just discovered. I quickly started beachcombing and, within minutes, found many of the rarest types of sea glass I’d read about in my book — reds, oranges, marbles, bottle stoppers, figurines and much more.”

As Davis’ knowledge and love of sea glass continued to expand, he decided to start his own business, LC’s Glass, named after his beloved dog. He also started a YouTube channel, The Bored Pirate, to help boost business and document his adventures.

“I was ecstatic to have found not only a way to generate income during my travels but also that it was the exact thing I’d always dreamed of doing, hunting for treasure. It didn’t take long and I was hooked!”

As Davis discovered unknown sea glass beaches during his travels, he developed relationships with local community members. As a way to give back, Davis decided to help local people begin their own sea glass tour businesses.

“I would find amazing people in each place who I could hand the reins to for doing tours,” he said.

“I absolutely love to help people, so the idea of giving people good livelihoods in places where opportunity is scarce seemed amazing, and since then, I’ve successfully helped several people start sea glass tour businesses in the places I’ve found glass beaches, of which I ask nothing in return.”

More recently, Davis has had to work through the grief of losing his best friend, Little Coconut, who died last year.

“I am saving and fundraising money to bring back my dog LC. She passed away last year from brain cancer and I miss her dearly,” Davis said in April.

“I’ve been sailing solo the past couple of years with only her by my side, and without her, I feel a great loss, and being at sea seems lonely now,” he said. “I preserved her genes cryogenically and will clone her once I have the funds. So soon, I hope to have Little Coconut back aboard with me!”

On May 12, nearly the anniversary of Little Coconut’s death, Davis updated his supporters that his fundraising goal had been met.

“Many thanks to all of you who have supported this Gofundme over the past year. I am so appreciative of you all!” he wrote. And by July 18, he posted that he had received “amazing news” that the cloning process had begun.

Another future aspiration is his own beachcombing museum, a permanent place to display all the wonderful treasures he has collected over the years, including sea beans, pottery, jewelry, shells and “other oddities,” as he puts it.

This article appeared originally on Liftable.

Conversation