Monthly Archives: November 2011

Radiotelephone Frustration – McInnes Island c. 1970s – 2000

November 30, 2011Adult Memories, Communication, Equipment, Lighthouses, Old Website, Operators, Radiocommunications, lighthouse, McInnes, operators, radio, radiotepephone, telephoneretlkpr

What a convenience! What an expense! What a frustration!

Anyone who has used a radio-telephone on the BC coast will agree with me. It was great to have semi-private communications rather than using the government-installed ALAN (Automated Lightstation Alarm Network) phone which was not private, and also broke down. It was expensive to have a privately owned radio-telephone but so nice to be in contact with the rest of the world.

But sometimes this convenience just added a few more gray hairs to my head. Here’s one example of a conversation! (there are probably many more if anyone wants to add one)

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[heard over the radio-telephone speaker, a ringing sound of a telephone as I keyed the microphone (pressed the press-to-talk (PTT) button to get contact with an operator)]

Operator: Swindle Island [our normal Telus stand-by channel to receive/place phone calls]

Myself: Hello operator, this is McInnes Island . May I have privacy please.

[“privacy” allowed us to have some modicum of secrecy on the radio-telephone line as it blanked out our side of the conversation to other listeners so they could not hear our registration number or other personal details e.g. bank account numbers, etc.] Continue reading Radiotelephone Frustration – McInnes Island c. 1970s – 2000 →

Do You Have a Photo of Me Mid-1978?

November 29, 2011Adult Memories, Boats, Cruise Ship, Humour, Keepers, Lighthouses, Old Website, On The Job, PhotosAlaska, BC, Canada, cruise ship, lighthouse, lightkeeper, litehouse, photo, Prince | Rupert, Rand | Grant, Tripleretlkpr

– Rand Grant (relief keeper on Triple Island June – July 1978)

Melville-wade_in_the_water-Flickr — Melville Island - looking NW from Triple - photo Rand Grant (Flickr)

The story is in reference to the photo at right, Rand writes:

The large Island is Melville. Prince Rupert lies just beyond this. The tanker is on it’s way into Prince Rupert Port. One of the deepest and busiest on the west coast of British Columbia.

One evening back in ’78 [while stationed on Triple Island], I noticed an Alaskan Cruise ship on it’s way by. I walked up to the roof; it was a beautiful summer evening; I was curious, so started waving my arms over my head, back and forth. I actually witnessed that ship light-up with so many flash-bulbs that it made me laugh. Continue reading Do You Have a Photo of Me Mid-1978? →

Careers In The Federal Public Service – Big Oops!

November 28, 2011Automation, Canada, Communication, Database, Government, Humour, Information, LighthousesCanada, employment, government, job search, jobs, lighthouse, litehouse, Public Serviceretlkpr

If you are looking for a job in the Canadian Government Public Service, the government has a most helpful webpage called Careers in the Federal Public Service (click photo link below for a larger size):

In the middle of the page above you can Search to see if a specific job is open – a job where you might know the name. On the left-hand side is another link called Job Alert. Continue reading Careers In The Federal Public Service – Big Oops! →

Cape Scott Before the Lighthouse 1942 – 1943

November 28, 2011Adult Memories, Construction, Equipment, Government, History, Information, Lighthouses, Military, Old Website, Radio1942, Cape Scott, LAC, lighthouse, litehouse, military, N. 10 Radio Detachment, RADAR, RDFretlkpr

In July 1942, seventeen (17) years before the present lighthouse at Cape Scott was lit, the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) established a radio detection finding (RDF) transmitter and receiver at the point. Work was started in July 1942 and the station was online in December 1942. It continued in operation until September 1945. (please see reference notes below).

Late in 2005 the lighthouse keeper at Cape Scott, Harvey Humchitt, received an inquiry from Ernest J. Ferguson who was reminiscing about his earlier life and wanted to visit Cape Scott, his old haunt from 1942. He was a well-retired RCAF Pilot Officer who started on Cape Scott in July 1942 as a Leading Aircraftman (LAC).

In his email he wished to visit the area once more but Coast Guard would not permit it because of his age (he was 85 years old this year [2006]). Since then he has written Harvey and myself and given us a few black and white photos and stories of his time setting up No. 10 Radio Detachment on Cape Scott. Continue reading Cape Scott Before the Lighthouse 1942 – 1943 →

Porlier Pass Lighthouse 1949 – 1965

November 27, 2011Adult Memories, Automation, Childhood Memories, Children, Coast Guard, Communication, Construction, Equipment, Government, History, Incidents, Keepers, Lighthouses, Medical, Medical Emergency, Old Website, Pensions, Radio, Recreation, School, Stories, Womenlighthouse, litehouse, Porlier Pass, storiesretlkpr

– Denice Goudie (grandaughter of Henry Edward Brown, Senior Keeper on Porlier Pass 1949 – 1965)

Please go to the Porlier Pass lighthouse website, a project of Dennice Goudie, and read the rest of her account and recollections of life at Porlier Pass and a history of her grandfather.

porlier4 — Building on Race Point demolished in 1996 - photo - Chris Mills

Grandfather of this researcher Denice Goudie, Henry Edward Brown (November 29, 1899 – September 27, 1974) served as lighthouse keeper at Porlier Pass between 1949 and 1965 which was established 15 November 1902; automated April 1996.

Every summer and most school holidays of my memory were spent at the north end of Galiano Island. At first in the house which stood further up the hill; lit by coal oil lamps, outhouse, water by bucket from the cistern and after that house burned down a 3 bedroom house that can be viewed from Virago Point Light, looking toward Race Point. Continue reading Porlier Pass Lighthouse 1949 – 1965 →

Low Tides On The BC Coast

November 26, 2011Beachcombing, Children, Information, LighthousesBC, beachcombing, British Columbia, Canada, lighthouse, litehouse, low tideretlkpr

A low tide on the British Columbia coast in Fall will reveal all sorts of treasures and provide many easy, close-to-home escapes. Even on a lighthouse, low tide was a time to explore.

Check your Tide Tables closely for tides near zero or even lower, known as minus tides. (Canadian Tide Tables for all coasts).

Wait for the high tide and then the lowering water will start revealing the riches. Here are some ways to make the most of it. Continue reading Low Tides On The BC Coast →

What Plane Is That?

November 25, 2011Advertisement, Communication, Equipment, Information, Lighthouses, Maps, On The Job, Planesaircraft, airplanes, BC, British Columbia, day, lighthouse, litehouse, night, overhead, trackingretlkpr

Back on November 21st of this year I wrote What Ship Is That? to show people how to find out the location of their favourite ship as seen from a lighthouse, a home overlooking the water, or a sightseer on a hilltop. I would have loved to have had something like that on the lighthouses when I was there.

One other thing that always got our attention, especially at night, was the flickering lights of aircraft passing overhead. Many a time I wondered where the plane was coming from, or where it was going. You see, at the time, we ran an aircraft non-directional radio beacon which the planes used for navigation. It was more a check than actual navigation, but they did use it because they passed right over the top of us on the lighthouse, albeit at 30,000 feet! Continue reading What Plane Is That? →

Lighthouse History – 29 (1907-06-29 – 1907-08-13)

November 24, 2011Construction, History, Information, Keepers, Lighthouses, Newspapers1858, 1926, BC, British Columbia, Canada, history, lighthouse, litehouseretlkpr

The following extracts taken from early Victoria, British Columbia (BC) newspapers are credited to Leona Taylor for her excellent work in indexing the papers. Full information can be found here: ”Index of Historical Victoria Newspapers“, 2007-09.

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Work is to be commenced at once on a central wireless telegraph station for Clover Point, Victoria, and also at Pachena Point on the West Coast. Other stations will afterward be established at Cape Lazo, near Comox, for communication with northbound steamers; at Estevan Point, near Hesquiat where a 1st class lighthouse will be constructed, and at Point Grey near Vancouver…
At each station a residence will be constructed for the chief operator and family, and accommodation for 2 operators. At Pachena and Estevan Pnts the stations will be operated from the lighthouses…
When Pachena Point station is ready for service wireless apparatus will be placed on the Empress steamers which will then be able to communicate with the stations at either side of the Pacific a day or 2 before reaching land. Arrangement has already been made to equip the coasting steamers of the Canadian Pacific Railway… [Colonist, 1907-06-29] Continue reading Lighthouse History – 29 (1907-06-29 – 1907-08-13) →

What Do You Do On a Lighthouse?

November 22, 2011Adult Memories, Beachcombing, Books, Construction, Equipment, Hobbies, Lighthousesboredom, dollhouse, furniture, hobbies, lighthouse, litehouse, miniature, recreation, woodwórkretlkpr

Besides the usual question Don’t You Get Bored?, the next question “What do you do on a lighthouse?” also needs to be answered.

What do you do in your house? TV, video games, go to a show, eat out?

We did not have those luxuries, so we worked with our hands as they did in the early days.

Some people liked knitting, crocheting, or sewing; drawing, painting, or designing; writing; photography; and . . . woodwork! Now there was one I liked. Continue reading What Do You Do On a Lighthouse? →

What Ship Is That?

November 21, 2011Advertisement, Coast Guard, Communication, Database, Equipment, Fishing, Government, Information, Lighthouses, Maps, Ships & Shipping, Worldwidefollowing, lighthouse, litehouse, shipping, ships, tracking, websitesretlkpr

Have you ever sat on a lighthouse, or a wharf, or a high hill and seen a ship in the distance? No radio, too far for binoculars, bad eyesight – “What ship is that?” you wonder.

Wonder no more! The Internet is full of ship tracking programs. Select one to suit your needs. You can find any ship that is required to report, anywhere in the world. I doubt you will find drug smugglers, or such like that. Let me know if you do!

The programs are listed in the order I found them – not in best to worst, etc. You take your pick. Try them all. Let the readers know in the comments section which program you found the best.

For information on how this works and was developed, see this ESRI website.

1. sailwx.info This online program is very interesting. It has information on:

Ship Tracking – All ships, Oceanographic research vessels, Tall ships, Cruising yachts
Marine data – Tides, Wind, Water Temperature, Barometer, Hurricanes

4ec8b3d0_4128_0 — Today - November 20, 2011 - 09:00 CET

Continue reading What Ship Is That? →

Lighthouse Memories

– bringing a little life into your lights