This is a wrap up post with a collection of leftover photographs that were taken ‘just sailing along’ of lighthouses, interesting homes, morning fog, etc. My hope is that they round out the feeling of sailing on the Mary Day. There are a few photos from the flight from Boston to Rockland on Cape Aire.
The Curtis Island Lighthouse, located at the entrance of Camden’s harbor is still operational. It is now owned by the city of Camden. What I found rather interesting is reading the history of the lighthouses we sailed by. The ones that are still operational have undergone many changes over the decades to modernize them with better lights, automate their operation and take advantage of the latest technology, such as powering them with solar panels. If you are a lighthouse aficionado you could head to the coast of Maine . . . it will take a summer plus of effort to see them all.
Same lighthouse as above and quite a different look in fog!
Indian Head Lighthouse is one of the larger ones we saw. When I returned home and looked up more information about Maine’s lighthouses I found that most all of them had similar trends of sporadic renewal, upkeep and modernization. This one is now privately owned by the Pattison family.
To reach the Rockland Breakwater visitors must walk 7/8 mile on the breakwater itself. It was built in 1902 and was automated in 1965. It is owned by the city of Rockland but operated by the Coast Guard. According to the American Lighthouse Foundation, “The lighthouse shows a flashing white light every 5 seconds from a focal plane of 39 feet above sea level that is visible 17 nautical miles. The light station is equipped with a fog horn that sounds one blast every 15 seconds.”
I hope I have identified this one correctly as Brown’s Head Lighthouse on the island of Vinylhaven. It was automated in August 1987, at that time, Captain J.E. Williams, commander of the Coast Guard group in Southwest Harbor, remarked: “Soon the manned lighthouse, like the dinosaur, will be a thing of the past. With each automation and unmanning, a little bit of our nautical history slips away.”
This is the Burnt Cove Lighthouse at the entrance to Swan’s Island where we stopped and walked around the lobster fishermen’s CO-OP. The lighthouse is still operational but has a unique feature in that the Keeper’s House can be rented by the week!
This is Goose Rocks Lighthouse. This spark plug looking structure marks a killer ledge just below the water’s surface. It was built in 1890 but in now fully automated and solar powered. It is possible to stay there for a night. Check it out on the internet if you are interested.
This is typical of the island scenery we saw.
There ware many beautiful homes along the way. I kept thinking, “Who lives there? How do they get there?
We are going to sail right under that bridge. Right? The Mary Day looked a bit taller than the space . . .
Whew! You caught it at the perfect moment, Gary.
There was some degree of fog early every morning. The cool mist added to the serene, very quiet and peaceful sense of being in the right place.
The fog developing behind us was growing into a fogbow (yes, there is such a thing).
A bit of a different image. This is the P2012 Traveler run by Cape Aire. It seats 10 and was our transportation from Boston to Rockland. From Rockland we took a taxi to Camden, about 10 miles. I have not flown on such a small plane in a long time.
Having wings above the windows allows much better photo-opportunities.
Leaving Boston.
I was fascinated by all the technology.
Soon I would be seeing such a coastline from the sea! I was sooooooo excited.
Flowers at the airport. Good omen.
Thank you for sharing my 10 day journey. A special thanks to Diane for suggesting the trip and then keeping her good sense of humor as she battled a bad case of bronchitis the whole trip. Thank you Gary for your photo contributions. A very special thank you to the crew of Mary Day for making my time aboard so memorable. When I look back over my photographs I can almost feel the gentle motion of the boat, the taste of delicious food, of friendly conversations and the sights and sounds of Maine’s rugged coast.