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On Saturday, October 14, 2000, the Long
Island Chapter of the US Lighthouse Society held its first public event. Thanks is part to
near-perfect weather, over 80 people enjoyed five hours of lighthouses, calm waters, great
visibility, a lovely sunset, a rising moon, and refreshments aboard the Peconic Star II.
We left the Greenport dock promptly at
5PM. The goal was to see five lighthouses with sunlight, then watch them cast their beams
under a near-full moon on the return trip. The first lighthouse we saw was the Long Beach
Bar lighthouse...
From there, we headed to Plum Gut, to
see the two lighthouses that have historically guarded that waterway. The Orient Point
lighthouse was there, as it has been since 1899...
Then we crossed Plum Gut to see the
endangered Plum Island lighthouse. This lighthouse was an important part of the cruise
because it is the subject of a restoration effort by the Long Island Chapter...
We then headed east along the north
side of Plum Island and watched the sun set...
Next we went past Great Gull Island and
Little Gull Island. The lighthouse on Little Gull Island was barely visible in the
twilight...
We crossed the waters of The Race to
see the Race Rock lighthouse. Captain Brennan got the boat nice and close, but the
lighting was not good enough for me to get a photograph. Many people had their flashes on,
and we should have been close enough for them to get photos.
Shortly after leaving Race Rock, the
moon came up...
As we headed back across The Race, it
was time for dinner. We had turkey sandwiches, two homemade soups (Isabelle Wiggin's
Lighthouse Gumbo and Dr. Carol House's Vegetable Chowder), apples, cookies, coffee and
soft drinks. We paused by Little Gull Island, and got to see the moon and the lighthouse's
flash near each other.
As we began our return trip, we raffled
off several items: An Anchor Bay lightship replica (valued at $170), a Beacons of the
Night T-shirt, a Peconic Star T-shirt, and an autographed copy of Merlon Wiggin's History
of the Orient Point Light.
On the way back to Greenport, we saw
several lighthouses doing what they were meant to do: signaling mariners at night. The
Montauk Point lighthouse flashed clearly in the distance. The Race Rock lighthouse's red
light, thanks to clear conditions, was visible from Orient Point. The flashing white
lights from Little Gull Island and Orient Point were also easy to see. The Long Beach Bar
lighthouse was the last lighthouse we saw flash on our return to Greenport.
Unfortunately, the Plum Island
lighthouse had no light to offer us, but perhaps that will change soon. Most of the
attendees signed petitions to help have the lighthouse restored, and the funds raised by
the cruise will go to help the Chapter work toward that goal.
Many of the founders of the Long Island
Chapter were aboard, including Bob Scroope, Mike Seewald, Mike Dunn, Merlon Wiggin and
myself. The work of these people and others, such as Mrs. Wiggin, Carol House, Captain
Dave Brennan and his crewman Dennis, and my sister Judy, made this cruise a success worth
repeating. And, of course, special thanks goes to the people who came along and made it an
enjoyable evening for all. Perhaps this will become an annual event. You'll be among the
first to learn about more upcoming
events such as this if you join the Long Island
Chapter of the US Lighthouse Society.
Get a Beacons
of the Night T-shirt or sweatshirt, designed exclusively for the Long Island Chapter
by Gifts by Lindon, even if you could not attend the cruise!
Inquire via e-mail if you are interested. Prices,
including postage, are $15 for the T-shirt and $25 for the sweatshirt. Shirt sales help
the Long Island Chapter of the US Lighthouse Society conduct preservation and education
work.
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this site, unless otherwise noted, are Copyright © 1998, 1999, 2000 Robert G. Müller. Please don't copy or print any
text, code or photographs from this site without my written permission. Thanks for
understanding and respecting my work. :-) |
