Watch Hill Lighthouse

Watch Hill Lighthouse

Built: 1856

Automated: 1986

New England Lighthouses: Watch Hill Light

Lighthouse Friends (map included)

Panoramio: Schooner Passing Watch Hill Light

Working The Ledge

Something wasn't right! After motoring clear of some ferry traffic near the entrance to New London Harbor, I was about to hoist the mainsail when I spotted Escape circling east of the channel. Lobster boats are common here, and it was obvious she was hauling pots, but something wasn't adding up.

She appeared too perfect...too clean and orderly. Her yellow hull looked all polished and buffed, without the nicks and blemishes from the realities of lobstering. No diesel stains or grease marks - no rusty streaks.

The crew didn't seem legit either. There were too many of them, and their clothing stood out. Sure, they were dressed like lobstermen, but it was an L.L. Bean version of how a fisherman would dress. With the Ledge Lighthouse in the background, it was too choreographed a scene; straight out of a catalogue.

It turns out that Escape is indeed a commercial lobster boat, but she is a charter boat, as well. The smartly dressed people I saw aboard were customers, along for the ride. The fading lobster industry on Long Island Sound has led some creative fishermen to seek harvest  from other sources of income. This thirtysomething-foot boat from Groton offers not only lighthouse and sunset cruises, but working trips to bait and haul lobster pots too. 

According to their website:

"Ever wonder what it's like to make your living from the sea?  Why not learn firsthand from lobsterman?  As the boat leaves picturesque Pine Island Bay and heads out into Fishers Island Sound, we will share our 35 years of experience and knowledge as a commercial lobsterman. You will see traps hauled and baited, lobsters caught and measured, plus a variety of other sea creatures like crabs, starfish, sea urchins, and an occasional fish. Your active participation is encouraged."

Reality Tourism? Vocation Vacations? Carhartt Chic?

There's been considerable press in recent years highlighting farms and ranches which offer visitors the opportunity to work the land. It's only natural this niche market would find its way to the lobster industry, and I like the concept.

Anything which provides a better knowledge of where our food comes from, along with an appreciation of the labor involved, seems like a good idea. I only hope the day doesn't arrive when the words lobster-trap and tourist-trap become synonymous.

Rates: $30/person $20/under12; Reservations required. Lobsters are fished on the tide

DownEast Lobstering Cruises

Forbes: Authentic Farm Vacations

Washington Post: A Knell for Lobsters On LIS (2007)

Soundbounder: New London Ledge Light

Jennifer Lynn: Lobster Cruise A slightly different version offered in Norwalk

Block Island North Light

Block Island North Lighthouse, September 2009

Built: 1868

Automated: 1956

Deactivated: 1973

Relit: 1989

New England Lighthouses

Lighthouse Friends (map included)

Open House At Faulkner's Island

The Faulkner's Island Light Brigade in cooperation with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the US Coast Guard, will hold their annual open house on the weekend of September 11th & 12th. Located about 3 miles from the Guilford shoreline, Faulkner's is part of the Stewart McKinney National Wildlife Refuge. The open house provides visitors a once-a-year opportunity to visit the island along with the 1802 lighthouse.

Ferry service is provided from the Guilford Town Marina, but visitors can also arrive by private boat and anchor, or paddle the 3 mile passage by kayak. Space is limited aboard the ferry and reservations are required.

I attended this for the first time last year, and I highly recommend it. The open house is well organized, and the staff does an excellent job of providing an informative and entertaining visit. This is Connecticut's second oldest lighthouse, and the remote location provides a perspective of Long Island Sound that you otherwise won't get to see.

Faulkner's Island Light Brigade

Soundbounder: Faulkner's Island

New York Times: The "U" In Falkner

Morgan Point Lighthouse

Morgan Point Lighthouse, Noank

First Lit: 1868

Decommissioned: 1919

New England Lightnouses

Lighthouse Friends (map included)

Soundbounder: Sandra & Michelle

Soundbounder: Morgan Point

Fair Winds, Nantucket Lightship

Some of you may remember a story I wrote last year about the Nantucket Lightship. I am happy to report that on Monday, May 10, she departed Jacobson Pier in Oyster Bay, and is presently bound for Boston to become a museum. Her days of floating in limbo appear to be over. I must admit, as pleased as I am that the lightship will be saved, there is a little part of me that is sad to see her go.

Lori at Jarvis House has put together an excellent photo essay of  the departure.

Jarvis House: Nantucket Lightship Departure

Soundbounder: Nantucket Lightship In Oyster Bay

WCVB5: Historic Lightship Returning To Boston 

Boston Globe: Oldest US Lightship Comes Home

Tugster: LV-112 Moves

photo credit: Jarvis House blogspot

Fayerweather Island Lighthouse

Fayerweather Island Lighthouse (aka Black Rock), March, 2010

First Lit: 1823

Discontinued: 1933

New England Lighthouses

Lighthouse Friends (map included)

CT Coastal Access Guide: Seaside Park

Flickr: Fayerweather/Penfield Lighthouses

American Lighthouse Art: Black Rock Light

Historic Buildings Of Connecticut

Merry Christmas

Old Field Point Lighthouse

Southport Harbor

Latimer Reef Lighthouse

Latimer Reef Lighthouse, July, 2008

First Lit: 1884

Automated: 1974

Lighthouse Friends (Map)

East End Lighthouses

New England Lighthouses

Faulkner's Island Light Brigade

The Faulkner's Island Light Brigade held an open house the first two weekends of September. The island and lighthouse, part of the Stewart McKinney Wildlife Refuge are off-limits the remainder of the year. The US Fish and Wildlife Service transported visitors aboard a small landing craft from Guilford to the island, while providing some background information on the refuge. Other visitors arrived by kayak and an assortment of small boats. I was impressed by the whole operation that took place.

The Brigade, through donations and volunteer efforts, works to preserve both the lighthouse and it's history. They also have worked to prevent further erosion on the island's east embankment. It is nice to see people involved in a local cause that they believe in.

Faulkner's Light Brigade

YouTube: Open House 2008

New York Times: The U in Falkner

Wikipedia: Falkner Island

Map

AudubonCT: Falkner Island

Note: While charts refer to the island as Falkner Island, it is known locally as Faulkner's Island.

Peck Ledge Lighthouse

Peck Ledge Lighthouse (AKA Pecks Ledge), August 2009

First Lit: 1906

Automated: 1933

Lighthouse Friends (Map)

New England Lighthouses

Long Beach Bar Lighthouse

Long Beach Bar Lighthouse, AKA Bug Light, July,2009
First Lit: 1871
Decommisioned: 1948
Relit: 1993

When I spent a good deal of time in this area 20 years ago, there was no lighthouse here. A fire in 1963 destroyed this light leaving only the foundation and riprap that surrounds the structure. I was fortunate to see it up close for the first time this summer. Reminiscent of the screwpile lighthouses of Chesapeake Bay, the light marks the entrance to the passage seperating Shelter Island from the North Fork.

East End Seaport Foundation
East End Lighthouses
Lighthouse Friends (Map)
Long Island Lighthouses

Cedar Point Lighthouse

I usually do not write about the lighthouses that I post on here. There are several websites and books that do an excellent job describing their history, engineering, and lore. I see no point in creating a post that is nothing more than a book report of the information gathered from other sources. It seems more honest and direct to simply provide links to sites that already provide the story. Cedar Point Lighthouse in East Hampton is an exception.

I spent several summers in the mid-to-late 1980's working on a large motoryacht docked in Sag Harbor. A Sunday afternoon cruise or a voyage to Nantucket required us to pass this lighthouse before setting a course east or northwest. The abandoned lighthouse was no longer an official navigational aid, but it was a landmark and a photogenic one at that. I shot photos of it many times; early morning orange, afternoon sun, foggy dusk. I was always intrigued by it. The owner and his guests never seemed to share my enthusiasm. They viewed it more like a wilting red autumn tree you might pass along the highway driving to a Lake Tahoe resort to see Peter Allen.
I knew right then that I would never be filthy rich. I had emotional attachments to all the wrong things. Historic buildings, public space, coastal access, walkable towns....my head was in the wrong place!

Fast forward 20+ years:
I saw some photos online of a restored Cedar Point Lighthouse. Postcards, Christmas cards, real estate brochures etc, all showed a fully renovated and restored structure. I was excited to see it.
Unfortunately, like much of the content on the internet, the images were photoshopped to give the building a pristine appearance. Sometimes the information age is really the misinformation age. The lighthouse is in worse shape than it was in 1987. There are holes in the roof and the structure is crumbling.
In one of the wealthiest areas of the country, during a 20 year period of record DJIA returns, it is sad to think the money was instead spent on foie gras, heliports, diamond lined swimming pools, and Ronald Perelman parties.

Lighthouse Friends (Map)
Long Island Lighthouses

Stratford Point Lighthouse

Stratford Point Light, July 2009
First Lit: 1881

Lighthouse Friends (map)
New England Lighthouses
Cyberlights
Flying Santa Photo Gallery

Sheffield Island Lighthouse

Sheffield Island Lighthouse, September 2007
First Lit: 1868
Decommissioned: 1902

New England Lighthouses
Lighthouse Friends (map)
Flickr: Sheffield Island Lighthouse
Norwalk Seaport: Sheffield Island
Norwalk Seaport: Ferry & Tour Schedule

Saybrook Lighthouses

Lynde Point Lighthouse and Saybrook Breakwater Lighthouse 2008
Lynde Point: First Lit 1839
Saybrook Breakwater: First Lit 1886

Lighthouse Friends: Saybrook Breakwater (map)
Lighthouse Friends: Lynde Point (map)
Cyberlights: Saybrook Breakwater
Cyberlights: Lynde Point

Nantucket Lightship In Oyster Bay

To some, it may be just an obsolete hunk of steel that served it's purpose for almost fifty years. But for lovers of old ships and maritime history, viewing the Nantucket Lightship (LV-112) in Oyster Bay is one of mixed emotions. Something sad is happening here; like returning to a childhood home only to find it rundown and abandoned.
The Natucket Lightship (LV-112) served in the waters of Nantucket Shoals and was active from 1936 through 1983. She was built in Philadelphia and paid for by the White Star Line as compensation for the collision and sinking of an earlier lightship by the RMS Olympic (a sistership of the Titanic). She was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1989.
The National Lighthouse Museum had hoped to restore the lightship and make her a floating addition to their proposed Staten Island location. But funding has fallen short and politics has reared it's head. The lightship arrived at the Jackobson Pier in Oyster Bay several years ago for a temporary stay. It is still there, and is presently for sale, slowly rusting away.

Boston Globe: Lightship Can Be Had For One Dollar
New York Times: Mutiny In The Harbor
Nantucket Lightship LV-112
USCG Lightship Sailors Association: Remaining Lightships
Tugster: Nantucket Lightship WLV-612
Lighthouse Friends: Nantucket Lightship WLV-613
Lighthouse News: Lightship Deal Falls Through

Watercolor Lights

During many of my coastal explorations, I have stumbled upon an artist quietly at work. The paintings shown here however, were discovered via the internet. I was looking for some information on a particular lighthouse, when I happened to discover Al LaBanca's enjoyable American Lighthouse Art website that showcases his work.
Lighthouses are his passion and he calls them the vanishing castles of America, because so many are abandoned and neglected. Al hopes his artwork will bring attention to theses castles and create an awareness that helps preserve them. Painting with watercolors most of his adult life, he made it his calling to paint lighthouses 15 years ago, upon retirement.
He has painted lighthouses from all over the world, but the lights of the Sound have been more than just an artistic subject for him. As a resident of Darien for over 40 years, Al and his wife Joan have sailed Long Island Sound and relied upon these lights many times (especially during some of his overnight races). They are the classic example of beauty combining with function.

American Lighthouse Art.com

Connecticut: Lighthouses
New York: Lighthouses
Rhode Island: Lighthouses

top painting:Execution Rocks Lighthouse
middle: Black Rock (Fayerweather Light)
bottom: Stratford Shoal Lighthouse (Middle Ground)
paintings are courtesy of American Lighthouse Art
New York Times: Execution Rocks Lighthouse Sold

Orient Point Light

Orient Point Light (aka The Coffee Pot)
First Lit: 1899

From the North Fork: Coffee Pot
East End Lighthouses
Lighthouse Friends (map)
Marie Lorenz (photos from tower)
Long Island Lighthouses
SeaTheLights
TwoFrog

Stepping Stones Lighthouse

Stepping Stones Lighthouse, September 2007
First Lit: 1877

Lighthouse Friends (Map)
Long Island Lighthouses
Birds & Beacons
Lighthouses of Long Island
New York Times: In Search Of A Suitor