For an update on what a Mise Tale is then please see Mise Tales One.
Lighthouses in a Bottle
I have heard of ships in a bottle but never lighthouses in a bottle until I came across the photo at the left. It has been sitting on my computer for ages and I forgot where it came from.
Doing a Google Image Search I came up with Village Crafstmen and lots more lighthouses in a bottle – some multiple ones as the photo on the right shows.
Their address and contact information is on their website.
What are Canadians going to do with all their discontinued lighthouses? Always uppermost in the mind is making a Bed & Breakfast (B&B) out of one, as this will attract tourists, provide finances for upkeep, and let people see what it was like to live and work in a lighthouse.
Well, Craig Morrison in the United States had the urge and the ideas to do that. His ideas for a self-hosted lighthouse B&B is quite unique. Please read his story below.
So I Wanted to Own a Lighthouse: Diary of a Light Keeper
from the NewsLI.com website January 25, 2013 with permission from the author Craig Morrison
(Long Island, N.Y) Sometime back around 2001, I was watching the NPR show on TV about the lighthouse act written by Gale Norton, Secretary of the Department of the Interior with my girlfriend/attorney, Linell. I asked if we could start a nonprofit and get one. She agreed.
I found a course at St. Augustine Lighthouse, Florida, hosted by the US Coast Guard, the National Park Service, the GSA, among many other lighthouse constituents. Linell and I spent a week in classes about bricks and Fresnel lenses and the Secretary of the Interior’s standards for lighthouse restoration. We bought the book in print, which is now available online. We also met a lot of folks that had ownership interests in lighthouses and that were interested in getting one. Some folks just loved lighthouses. Continue reading Reprint – So I Wanted to Own a Lighthouse: Diary of a Light Keeper
See the amazing towers from Cape Hatteras to Thailand
from Weather.AOL.com by VALERIE CONNERS JAN 15, 2013
It’s hard to resist the allure of lighthouses. They stand sentry on rock-strewn, wave-battered coasts, often for for centuries, guiding mariners toward safer shores. And their very presence is a reminder of the power of nature and the fragility of life. But above all — just look at them. They’re so often breathtaking.
From 2,000-year-old towers to ultra-modern designs, click through to see the world’s most amazing lighthouses. . . . more
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See the amazing towers from Cape Hatteras to Thailand
It’s hard to resist the allure of lighthouses. They stand sentry on rock-strewn, wave-battered coasts, often for for centuries, guiding mariners toward safer shores. And their very presence is a reminder of the power of nature and the fragility of life. But above all — just look at them. They’re so often breathtaking.
From 2,000-year-old towers to ultra-modern designs, click through to see the world’s most amazing lighthouses.
St. Mary’s Lighthouse, Whitley Bay, England
St. Mary’s Lighthouse sits on an island reachable from the mainland only by a concrete causeway between tides. During high tides, the causeway is completely submerged. The 120-foot-high lighthouse lies north of Whitley Bay, and though the lighthouse is no longer active, the site remains a popular tourist attraction. Visitors can climb the 136 lighthouse steps to the lantern room, or visit a small museum, visitor’s center and cafe.
Pigeon Point Lighthouse, California
Fifty miles south of San Francisco, the 115-foot-tall Pigeon Point Lighthouse has been helping to guide sailors off the rocky Central California coast since 1872. Today it doubles as a popular hostel.
The lighthouse itself remains closed to the public after a section of the exterior’s cornice fell off in 2001, but the grounds remain open to visitors and 30-minute guided tours are available Friday through Monday. You might even spy seals or whales.
Bass Harbor Lighthouse, Acadia National Park, Maine
Tucked into the scenic, rocky shores of Maine’s Acadia National Park, Bass Harbor Lighthouse on Mount Desert Island is one of the park’s major attractions, thanks to its postcard-perfect setting. The lighthouse serves as home to the local Coast Guard unit’s commander. Short trails around the tower allow visitors to enjoy spectacular views.
Heceta Head Lighthouse, Florence, Oregon
One of the most visited and photographed lighthouses in the U.S., Haceta Head Lighthouse is perched along Oregon’s jagged coast more than 200 feet above the Pacific. The 56-foot-tall lighthouse was first illuminated in 1894. Its automated beacon is visible for 21 miles and is the brightest light on the Oregon coast.
It’s located in Heceta Head State Park, where trails and viewing areas offer glimpses of puffins, cormorants, gulls and sea lions. Lighthouse lovers can spend a night at Heceta Head: The adjacent keeper’s house doubles as a bed and breakfast.
Enoshima Lighthouse, Japan
One of the world’s most striking lighthouses, Enoshima Lighthouse rises above tiny Yenoshima Island a few hours south of Tokyo. Renovated in 2003, the lighthouse features a massive open-air spiral staircase winding around a central steel structure and ultimately leading to a 196-foot-high observation deck.
From the deck, visitors can take in views of Sagami Bay and Mount Fuji in the distance. Don’t have the stamina to climb the staircase? An elevator also shuttles visitors.
Torre de Hercules, Spain
The Torre de Hercules, or Tower of Hercules, was built by the Romans above La Coruña harbor in northwestern Spain in the 1st century, AD. The lighthouse is believed to be the only Greco-Roman lighthouse to retain its architectural integrity.
Originally called the Farum Brigantium, the tower sits on a 187-foot-high rock and stands an additional 180 feet high. The tower underwent restoration in the 18th century, and today visitors can also tour a sculpture garden, see rock carvings from
the Iron Age and explore a Muslim cemetery.
Marblehead Lighthouse, Ohio
Ohio isn’t the first place one pictures when imagining scenic lighthouse settings, yet the state is bordered by Lake Erie and the shores of the Great Lakes are home to dozens of beacons. Built along the craggy shores of the Marblehead Peninsula, Marblehead Lighthouse has been shining since 1822, making it the oldest continuously operating lighthouse on the U.S. shores of the Great Lakes.
The 50-foot limestone tower was operated by 15 lighthouse keepers, including two
women, until 1946. At that point, the U.S. Coast Guard took over responsibility for the light, which is now automated.
Cape Byron Lighthouse, New South Wales, Australia
Cape Byron marks the easternmost point of mainland Australia, and it’s here you’ll find the Cape Byron Headland Reserve, a state conservation area and home to the Cape Byron lighthouse. Visitors to the scenic reserve can hike the 2.3-mile loop trail and admire the coastal vegetation, sea cliffs and beaches. The lighthouse and its cottages were built in 1901 and stand on the mainland’s most easterly point.
Cap des Rosiers Lighthouse, Quebec
At 112 feet tall, Quebec’s Cap des Rosiers lighthouse is Canada’s tallest beacon. It’s helped guide ships to safe waters since 1858. The tower sits at the mouth of the St. Lawrence River where it enters the Gulf of St. Lawrence, a rocky spot that has seen its share of shipwrecks. Among them was an Irish immigrant ship called the Carrick, which ran aground in 1847 and left 400 people dead.
The tower’s light is set 136 feet above the sea. The tower itself is a massive structure with 7-foot-thick marble walls at its base that taper to 3 feet thick at the top.
Middle Bay Lighthouse, Alabama
Rising from the center of Mobile Bay along Alabama’s Gulf Coast, Middle Bay Lighthouse is a hexagonal-shaped, screw-pile lighthouse built on seven piles screwed into the muddy sea floor. The station came into service in 1885. It gained notoriety in 1916 when the lightkeeper’s wife gave birth and the couple corralled a dairy cow to the lighthouse’s lower deck to provide milk.
The lighthouse was deactivated in 1967, and in 2010, $200,000 worth of repair work began on the structure. Visitors can’t climb the structure, but they can see the lighthouse up close on a boat tour departing from Fairhope, Alabama
Kiz Kulezi (Maiden’s Tower), Turkey
Kiz Kulezi, or the Maiden’s Tower, sits on a small islet at the southern end of the Bosphorus Strait. It owes its name to the legend of a sultan’s daughter who was brought to the island to protect her from her anticipated demise — a snakebite on her 18th birthday — as foreseen by an oracle. The sultan ensured she was far from land and snakes, but on her 18th birthday, he brought her a basket of fruit, which unbeknownst to him, carried a poisonous asp. Needless to say, the fair maiden’s end was nigh.
Today, the tower houses a high-end restaurant serving delicacies such as sea bass with caviar and caper sauce. Want a window view overlooking the strait? It’ll cost you. The restaurant tacks on a surcharge for window seating.
Ocracoke Lighthouse, Ocracoke Island, North Carolina
Built in 1823, Ocracoke Lighthouse is North Carolina’s oldest lighthouse and is still operational today. The 75-foot-tall lighthouse was automated in 1955. During the summer months, a U.S. National Park ranger is on duty and tourists can enter the lighthouse’s base. To reach the island, visitors can take a 40-minute auto and passenger ferry from Cape Hatteras.
Coastwatchers Memorial Lighthouse, Madang, Papua New Guinea
One of the most famous war memorials in Papua New Guinea, Coastwatchers Memorial Lighthouse pays tribute to the soldiers and civilian volunteers who acted as coastwatchers during World War II. Built in 1959, the lighthouse sits at the entrance to Madang Harbor, stands 90 feet high and was designed to be tapered at its top with four fins at the bottom, so that it resembles a bomb. At the top of the lighthouse is a bronze beacon guard shaped like a flame.
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, North Carolina
Just off Cape Hatteras lies one of the Atlantic coast’s most dangerous stretches of sea: the area where the Gulf Stream collides with the Virginia Drift. Hundreds, if not thousands, of ships have met their demise here, earning the region the nickname, “Graveyard of the Atlantic.”
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse has been warning ships in the area since it was first lit in 1803. The tower’s height was increased 1853 and again in 1871. At 210 feet, it’s now the tallest lighthouse in America.
In 2000, increasing beach erosion led to the lighthouse being moved 875 yards inland. The site now features a museum and visitor’s center. Climbing tours of the lighthouse’s 248 iron spiral stairs are held daily in spring, summer and fall.
Knarrarós Lighthouse, Iceland
This lighthouse on Iceland’s south coast isn’t your run-of-the-mill round tower. Designed as a blend of functionalism and art nouveau, Knarrarós is a square, unpainted concrete structure rising 86 feet above the earth, making it southern Iceland’s tallest building. Black panels between windows grant the appearance of stripes running up the sides. Tourists can visit the site but can’t enter the unusual lighthouse.
Hook Head Lighthouse, County Wexford, Ireland
The oldest lighthouse in Ireland and one of the oldest in the world, Hook Head is over 800 years old, though local lightkeepers are said to have been setting up fires to warn ships of danger since the 5th century. The current lighthouse was built during the 12th century by the Normans, with 9- to 13-foot-thick walls and standing 80 feet high. Visitors can take guided tours to the top or visit the gift shop and cafe.
Burnham-on-Sea Low Lighthouse
Called the “lighthouse on legs,” Burnham-on-Sea Low Lighthouse was erected in 1832 after an earlier lighthouse had proved to have too low of a vantage point. The Low Lighthouse is a wooden pile lighthouse that reaches 36 feet high and stands on nine wooden piers. The whitewashed structure, with its trademark red stripe, was inactive from 1969 to 1993, but it’s once again active and warning mariners.
Promthep Cape Lighthouse, Thailand
A veritable youngster among lighthouses, Promthep Cape Lighthouse in Phuket, Thailand, was built in 1996 to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Perched on Laem Promthep, a popular hilltop for watching sunsets, the lighthouse houses a small museum and is free to enter. Visitors can climb the tower for a better view of the stunning shoreline below.
Yokohama Marine Tower, Japan
One of the tallest lighthouses in the world looms 348 feet over Yokohama, Japan, and features a panoramic observation deck. On clear days, visitors can see snow-capped Mount Fuji in the distance. The tower is widely recognized for its lattice structure which, after dark, is lit in colored LED lights. A four-story complex sits at the tower’s base and includes a cafe, bar, restaurant and gift shop.
One of the planet’s most striking lighthouses is Beachy Head Lighthouse, set at the base of the 530-foot-tall white cliffs in East Sussex, England. The 141-foot tower was built with over 4,000 tons of granite and was first lit in 1902. Lighthouse keepers manned the beacon for 80 years until it was automated in 1983.
Today, the light emits two flashes every 20 seconds and can be seen eight nautical miles away. Pop culture fun facts: the Beachy Head cliffs have appeared in The Cure’s videos for “Just Like Heaven” and “Close To Me,” and the area served as the Quidditch World Cup hosting grounds in “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.”
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For an update on what a Mise Tale is then please see Mise Tales One.
Braddock Point [Lighthouse] Bed & Breakfast
The Perfect holiday gift – – – gift certificates are available!
Welcome to the historical Braddock Point Lighthouse, established by the United States Lighthouse Establishment (USLHE) in 1896. This majestic jewel has been restored to its original Victorian grace and splendor and is now open seasonally as a truly unique Bed and Breakfast. Your hosts, Nandy and Donald Town know a few things about what it takes to pamper their guests at the inn. They are the owners/innkeepers of the world renowned Town Manor Bed and Breakfast in Central Florida. more . . .
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Be one of the very few that have the once in a lifetime opportunity to experience what it is like to live in an historical lighthouse perched on the shores of Lake Ontario near Rochester NY. Tour the restored lighthouse tower and take in the breathtaking views from high above. Be inspired by the magnificent workmanship involved in turning this spectacular home back to its original glory and now, finally open to the public. Braddock Point – come and visit us, we’ll leave the light on!
Established: 1896
USLHE
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Braddock Point Lighthouse
(863) 984-4008, (585) 366-4419
email: info@braddockpointlighthouse.com
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Hilton, N.Y. – An historic lighthouse on Lake Ontario will get some national attention next month [January 2013].
The Braddock Point Lighthouse in Hilton will be featured as a vacation getaway prize on the TV game show “The Price is Right.” Continue reading Mise Tales Nineteen
For an update on what a Mise Tale is then please see Mise Tales One.
Build a Redstone Lighthouse in MinecraftThis article may be a bit outside the scope of this website, but then maybe not.
Everybody loves a lighthouse, whether it is on the sea, in your garden or in your computer as is this PC/Mac program called Minecraft. This may not be to everybody’s interest but I am sure there are a few of my readers out there who play the game and might be interested.
I have never explored Minecraft, but a short description will more than help you understand the fascination. I might even give it a try. You all know my fascination with Lego!
Minecraft: What The Hell It Is
The literal description: Minecraft is a first-person, free to play indie PC/Mac game created by one person, with crafting, building and exploration at its center. The graphics are straight out of 1991. There are no characters and there is no story. There are none of the “production values” that define gaming these days, but within those narrow confines lies one of the most innovative and endlessly fascinating game in existence… and it’s still in Alpha.
While there are various versions and builds available out, there are three basic play-modes to Minecraft: Single Player Creative, Multiplayer Creative, and Single Player Survival. All three plop you down into a huge, open world, filled with different natural resources you can exploit and bend to your will.
Single Player Creative mode is like an infinite LEGO set. You can create fantastic structures out of basic building blocks all day if you’d like. You can try it out for free, in-browser, right here. Multiplayer Creative is the same deal, with others. – g4tv.com
So, here is a short video on how to build a Minecraft lighthouse:
Do you want to visit some of British Columbia lighthouses? A lot of them are isolated, but there are a few that tourists can easily see. Some of these are manned; some are automated.
One of the best websites for finding the location of the lighthouses is Ron Ammundsen’s Lighthouses of British Columbia website. On the opening page he has maps of manned/staffed and unmanned lighthouses and their locations. This will show you what is available, and where they are located. To find photos and information on the chosen lighthouses check out Google.
One of the main items you will require is a place to stay. When flying to British Columbia via International Airlines (from another country) your point of entry would be Vancouver International Airport (YVR). From there you have a variety of ways to accommodate yourself – from hotel, motel, bed and breakfast, camp site, hostel, inn, resort, etc. Select from the list on the Hello BC website. Enter your dates, town, and preference, and select a place to stay. Really easy website to find your way around.
The next thing after a room for the night, is a place to eat. Canada is well-known for its diversity in the culinary arts, and British Columbia is no exception. The easiest way is to introduce you to a special webpage called Dining, again from Hello BC. This is an interactive menu connected to a BC map. Pick what type of food you want, where you want to eat, and wait for the results. It is well organized and easy to use.
The choice is amazing! Your selection may be saved as a PDF file for reference. Pick your town, pick your food and grab a cab to good dining. The nice thing is you can look on the map to see if a location is near your place of residence for any place in BC. The map (left) shows the 538 results from just selecting West Coast. Each red flag is a city with multiple locations in each. Each result will give you location, telephone number and website if available. A very comprehensive help page.
Before you come you should decide where you want to go, and what lighthouses you want to see. Most of the available lighthouses will be seen in and around the cities of Vancouver, and Victoria, BC. Others are visible from the ferries, and up and down Vancouver Island. On the Hello BC website on the Things To Do page there are no exact listings for lighthouses but if you type lighthouse in the search box (upper right) you will get a page of lighthouse listings, things lighthouse, resorts near lighthouses, etc. With the map from the website on Lighthouses of British Columbia you can then sort out where you want to go and which lighthouse you may wish to visit..
If you want to get off the beaten track, you can fly into many places or take ferries, hike in, or even rent a local water taxi or fish boat. The opportunities are unlimited depending on your time and finances. On the Hello BC webpage is also a section on Transportation and Maps listing many services available in BC.
Take your time, talk to other tourists, and if you have any questions, maybe I or other readers can help you out. They don’t call it Beautiful BC for nothing. Enjoy!
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To help you enjoy the coast more, it might be helpful to read up on a few of the things you might find at the shoreline. A great website for this is Vic High Marine. Check out the information on all things you might stumble across, or see on your trip.
Any more good advice out there? Please send it on and I will post it.
Finders keepers
Published: 31/07/2012 with permission from the Aberdeen Press and Journal
Earlier this month, we revealed that the Northern Lighthouse Board was selling off three lighthouses near Stonehaven, Lossiemouth and Thurso, with price tags ranging from £75,000 to £270,000 – along with a foghorn at Girdleness, in Aberdeen.
All the buildings, once a beacon for sailors and fishermen, would be ideal for those willing to spend some time and money creating an unusual home.
Rua Reidh Lighthouse, on the other hand, is ready to move in to. The keepers’ accommodation, at the foot of the tower, has been run as a successful home and holiday accommodation for years.
This B-listed home sits in a stunning location, on the cliff edge at Melvaig, around 12 miles from Gairloch on the west coast – officially named as the happiest place in the UK last week – and overlooking the Isle of Skye to the south-west, Harris to the west and Lewis to the north.
It is for sale at offers over £325,000.
Building of the lighthouse was started by David Stevenson, one of the famous family of lighthouse engineers, in 1910. Two years later, it was helping steer boats safely through the seas. Continue reading Reprint – Finders Keepers
January 19, 2013 – As of today’s date the property has not sold!
OK, it’s NOT a lighthouse, but it is a light, and it is on your own private island. Well, it could be yours if you have $75, 000, 000 to spare! We can always dream!
If you wanted you could build your own lighthouse in the middle, but why worry, it comes with a white (W) flashing (Fl) navigational light (see LL #227 above)1 off the NW point of the island. All yours with the purchase of the island.
Take a look at the photo below!
That is James Island off Sidney, British Columbia, Canada, and it is being listed by Sotheby’s International Realty Canada for the above-mentioned price. To quote the website:
Situated only a few miles off of Sidney, James Island is in close proximity to Victoria, British Columbia’s capital city, and is easily accessed by private plane or boat. A retreat like no other, James Island compares to only a handful of international properties. Improved with a magnificent 18-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course, the island has been thoughtfully developed to seamlessly blend in with not only its surrounding environment, but also its history. A wide range of improvements complement the island including a masterpiece
owner’s residence of 5,000 square feet, 6 beautifully appointed guest cottages, private docks and airstrip, pool house, managers residence, a ‘western village’, and much more.
The place used to be a munitions factory for years, up until 1994, when it was sold for $19,000,000. In the end Canadian Industries Limited (CIL) used to make gunpowders and dynamite. I remember as a child seeing the signs on Vancouver Island that trespassing was forbidden.
More photos on Sotheby’s website
More on the story from the Times Colonist newspaper
FOOTNOTES:
1DESCRIPTION OF COLUMNS (in List of Lights Notations)
Column 1 -Indicates light list number of each aid
Column 2 -Name of aid
Column 3 -Location
Column 4 -Characteristic of light
Column 5 -Focal height in metres above water
Column 6 -Nominal range
Column 7 -Description, height in metres
Column 8 -General remarks, fog signals and CHS No. of the largest scale paper chart of the area
April 05, 2014 – As of today this property has not been sold. See the table below of Pricing History from Zillow. It seems it is overpriced, by a lot!
4 Bedroom
4.1 Bath(s)
4 Full Bath(s)
1 Half Bath(s)
$6,450,000
MLS#: 1002327America’s oldest wooden lighthouse! Built in 1831 and set on breathtaking Wickford Harbor,this iconic RI landmark is now one of it’s most admired waterfront estates. Casually elegant 4 bedroom main house,3 bedroom guest house,pool,new dock. Magical. – Residential Properties Ltd. Continue reading Lighthouse For Sale – Rhode Island, USA
The story and photos below are from the blog of a friend of mine in the Philippines, Cebu Experience, by Rusty Ferguson. I met Rusty in Bogo, Philippines on my six week trip there as a tourist in 2010. From the balcony of my room in the Nailon Beach Resort (marked with the red A in the map below) where I was staying I could see the lighthouse in the distance that Rusty mentions in the story below, but unfortunately I never did get to visit it.
There are five lighthouses in the Philippines right now, and they are repairing them to make them attractive for the tourists. Most of them were built in the days of Spanish colonization, so if you ever get over this way, plan a visit. It’s high on my list of things to do here too.
One thing you may notice, besides lighthouses, Rusty likes babes in bikinis!
On the map, if you move to the NE across the ocean, you will come upon the Capitancillo Islet where the lighthouse is located.
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