Following in the footsteps one of the more infamous members of his family, Sir Thomas Whetstone a buccaneer operating in the Caribbean in the 17th century, the compiler of the huntfun.co.uk treasure hunts has buried £1,000 on one of the Virgin Islands. Not wishing to put all his eggs in one basket, he has split his hoard into three, burying £500 in one location and £250 in each of two other locations on the island.
In order to claim this money you have to find where it is located. From where he landed on the south side of the island ( marked by an X on the map) he paced out his journey, recording the number of paces he took to the North, South, East & West before burying his treasure.  He started recording the number of paces from the landing point on each occasion. To help him recall the location of the treasure he remembered the following:

• To avoid proposals of marriage from three women he thought on his feet. Winifred wore a long fur. Liz the bigamist was married to 2 Rods. Norah proposed holding him down with 4 chains attached to 2 poles.
• He flounces into the room half wearing his cowboy hat, sipping from a cup, ready to eat accompanied by Gill.
• The baker took his dozen ponies towards the sunset. In the morning he took a pace towards the sun. He kept one pony and swapped each of the rest for a carpet before turning left.

Competition Rules.

1. The closing date for entries is 28th February 2008. 2. The competition is open to all UK residents aged 18 or over who have access to the internet and a valid email address. 3. The promoter of the competition is huntfun.co.uk, Booking Innovations Ltd., The Grange, 7 Lakeside Gardens, Strensall, York, YO32 5WB. 4. Only one entry is allowed per household. 5. Winners will be notified by email within 14 days of the closing date of the competition. The names of the winners will be published on this web site. 7. If no one finds the exact location of any of the sites of buried treasure then that treasure will be awarded to the person selecting the place closest to the location. In the event of a tie, a single winner will be selected at random by computer. 8. The winners of the prizes may be required to supply a photograph for publication and or take part in further promotional activities. 9. No purchase is necessary to enter the competition.

Solutions

• The first sentence tells us we are working in feet. Winifred begins with W (for West) and the measurement is one furlong (660 feet). Liz (short for Elizabeth) begins with E (for East) A Rod is 16.5 feet (2 Rods is therefore 33 feet). Norah begins with N (for North) A chain is 66 feet and a pole is the same as a rod 16.5 feet (4 chains is 264 feet and 2 poles is 33 feet giving a total of 297 feet)
• The first sentence tells us we are working in fluid ounces. Wearing begins with W (for West). The cowboy hat is a Ten-Gallon Hat. 20 fl. ounces in a pint 8 pints in a gallon = 1600 fluid ounces but he is only half wearing it therefore 800 West. Sipping begins with an S (for South). A cup is 10 fluid ounces. Eat begins with E (for East) Gill is a quarter of a pint or 5 fluid ounces)
• Baker's dozen is 13 A Pony is slang for £25 (13 x 25 = 325) towards the sunset or West. In the morning the sun rises in the East so 1 pace to the East. He kept one Pony (£25) and swapped each of the other remaining 12 for a carpet (£3). He is pointing to the East so turning left points him North for (25 + (12 x 3)) = 61.

Congratulations to the Winners

• Hoard 1 (£500) Andrew Dommett, Tividale, West Midlands
• Hoard 2 (£250) Juliet McArdle, Manchester
• Hoard 3 (£250) Melanie Salisbury, Leyland Lancashire