Category Archives: Information

Mise Tales Thirty-Three

December 11, 2013Art, British Columbia, Canada, Construction, Environment, Equipment, Foreign, History, Information, Light, Lighthouses, Movies, News, Photos, Reprint, United Kingdom, VideosBC, CBC TV, CG HQ, Chris Mills, documentary, film, Fresnel lens, hovercraft, life-cycle, lighthouse, Lighthouses, litehouse, mural, salmon, Salmon Confidential, Sockeye, UK, Vancouver, Victoriaretlkpr

For an update on what a Mise Tale is then please see Mise Tales One.

Tell Tale Productions Inc’s. documentary “Lighthouses” – the film has been completed and has had its world broadcast premiere on CBC Television’s Land and Sea Sunday, November 24, 2013. If you missed it you can see it online on CBC Land and Sea.

Lighthouses Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-eyXSyl0Og&feature=youtu.be

Lighthouses Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/580960155309104/

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Another beautiful video called “Salmon Confidential” showing the life cycle of Sockeye Salmon, and the problems they are encountering now with salmon farms, and other unknown fish diseases. Thirty-six minutes long but well-worth the watch because of the beautiful photography of wildlife on the British Columbia coast, both above and below the water.

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The Canadian Coast Guard HQ at Victoria, British Columbia–what a beautiful building! This view is from the Blackball Ferry deck on approach to the harbor. Those buoys look like Dreidels lined up on the rocks for Hanukkah! – posted on Facebook by author and friend of mine Elinor DeWire

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Peters & May Commercial ships 30M hovercraft from UK to Canada

Canada just acquired a new (used) hovercraft from England. It was shipped to Vancouver, British Columbia by the boat shipping company Peters & May. On their Facebook page they posted some wonderful photos of the loading of the hovercraft on one of their ships. Quite a feat!

[private] [nggallery id=85][/private]

And from the Fisheries & Oceans Canada media website:

Ministers Shea and Wong Announce the Arrival and Name of a New Hovercraft

November 27, 2013

Vancouver, British Columbia – The Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, and the Honourable Alice Wong, Minister of State (Seniors) and Member of Parliament for Richmond, today announced the arrival in Canada of the new hovercraft to be stationed at Sea Island in Richmond, British Columbia – the CCGS Moytel.

[private]“Our Government is committed to investing where it counts in the interest of the Canadian Coast Guard. In fact, our Government has invested more in the Canadian Coast Guard than any government in Canadian history,” said Minister Shea. “We will continue to ensure the men and women of the Canadian Coast Guard have the equipment they need to do the important work we ask of them.”

Upon completion of construction, the new hovercraft was shipped to British Columbia and will soon travel to Sea Island. Following a period of training for Coast Guard staff and inspection to ensure the vessel’s optimal condition following shipping, the vessel will be accepted into the Coast Guard fleet.

“Our investment in the CCGS Moytel, a world-class modern hovercraft, is another example of our Government’s commitment to ensure the safety of fishermen, recreational boaters, and sailors in and around Vancouver Harbour,” said Minister Wong. “The name of the new vessel is in Halq’eméylem, in recognition of our First Nations’ contribution to the province’s history, culture and economy.”

The new hovercraft will be named the CCGS Moytel. Moytel is a Halq’emélem word meaning “to help each other.” Canadian Coast Guard vessels are given names that promote Canadian sovereignty, culture, geography and history. Names of vessels are selected to raise the profile of vessels and the work they do by honouring and celebrating people and places of regional and national significance.

As a replacement for the CCGS Penac, the new Moytel will be a heavy-duty, more versatile amphibious vehicle capable of patrolling inland waters. A larger more powerful vessel than the CCGS Penac, it has a greater range of capabilities and features including a bow ramp that will enable it to transport supplies such as rescue equipment and vehicles.

Since 2009, the Government of Canada has delivered over 100 vessels to the Coast Guard, including: 6 Hero-class Mid-Shore Patrol Vessels (CCGS Private Robertson V.C., CCGS Caporal Kaeble V.C., CCGS Corporal Teather C.V, CCGS Constable Carrière, CCGS G. Peddle S.C and CCGS McLaren); the hovercraft CCGS Mamilossa; 5 Search and Rescue Lifeboats; 2 Specialty Vessels; 3 Near-Shore Fishery Research Vessels; 30 environmental barges; and 60 small craft. [/private]

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And from a former lighthouse keeper and friend of mine, Chris Mills, comes this wonderful view of a Fresnel lens – photos and a video showing the lens in action.

Book – Facing the Sea: Lightkeepers and Their Families

December 7, 2013Books, Books, History, Incidents, Information, Keepers, Newfoundland, On The Job, Photos, Reprint, Storiesbook, Canada, East Coast, lighthouse, litehouse, review, saleretlkpr

Facing the Sea: Lightkeepers and Their Families
By Harold Chubbs and Wade Kearley
Foreword by Lorne Humphries
Genre: History: General
Imprint: Flanker Press
Format: Hardcover, 132 pages, colour photos and illustrations
Pub Date: October 2013
Price: $34.95
ISBN-10: 1-77117-301-7
ISBN-13: 978-1-77117-301-8
Shipping Weight: 0.9 kg

About this Book
In Facing the Sea, authors Harold Chubbs and Wade Kearley have captured an important era in the maritime history of Newfoundland and Labrador. These tales of rescue and tragedy, of love lost and redeemed, describe first-hand what life was like for lightkeepers and their families in twenty-five light stations along the exposed and often inhospitable coast of Newfoundland and Labrador. Most of these stories are told here for the first time in print, and each story is rich with new details and insights from the perspective of these remarkable men and women. Order Now!

Mise Tales Thirty-Two

December 3, 2013Construction, England, Europe, Foreign, History, Information, Light, Lighthouses, News, Portugal, Reprint, Tourism, Travel, United Kingdom, VisitorsBC, Bishop Rock, British Columbia, Cornwall, Georgetown Lighthouse, Guyana, helicopter, infographic, lighthouse, litehouse, Marriott hotel, NGS, Portugal, storm wave, tour, UK, underwater, water levelsretlkpr

For an update on what a Mise Tale is then please see Mise Tales One.

Click the image or use this link to see the National Geographic article If All the Ice Melted.

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Navigational Light to be Fixed Atop Marriott Hotel
May 16, 2013 by KNEWS filed under news

Port Georgetown Lighthouse, Guyana
The Marriott Hotel will have a revolving light atop as a navigational aid for vessels leaving and entering Port Georgetown. In fact, even as the hotel is being constructed the contractor is expected to have the light in place and functional.

A source close to the management of the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD), said that the Marriott Hotel when completed will be taller than the lighthouse. The structure will obstruct light emanating from the 103-foot lighthouse located at Kingston.

But Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Roger Luncheon at his post-Cabinet press briefing last Thursday said, “This revelation has not been brought home to Cabinet about another reason for disparaging this transformative project initiative (Marriott). Now we are interfering with light from the lighthouse.”

Dr. Luncheon jested that a new improved light house would be constructed.
However, according to the source, the lighthouse would not be obsolete since it will still function as a navigational aid for vessels travelling south. Meanwhile, vessels travelling in the northern direction will be guided by light originating from the light affixed to the Marriott Hotel. – . . . more Continue reading Mise Tales Thirty-Two →

Ship Movements – It Keeps Getting Better!

December 1, 2013Advertisement, Communication, Database, Equipment, Information, Light, Lighthouses, Maps, Photos, Search & Rescue, Ships & Shipping, WorldwideAIS, lighthouse, litehouse, ship identification, worldwideretlkpr

On August 08, 2013 I wrote Canadian Firm Tracks Earth’s Ships From Space which also refers to another 2012 article What Ship Is That? Now we have an even better program, free, and online, called Marine Traffic.

The screen shot above of Marine Traffic for 05:30 UTC (Z) for November 30, 2013 shows the freighter Axios (bottom left) off my area, Negros Oriental Island, Philippines, heading for Guam.

With this free program you can locate ships in your area, determine their destination, speed, nationality, etc., and even see a photo of the ship.

The program shows Vessels, Ports, Lights, and Aerial Photos of the ports. The “Lights” portion lists and shows photos of navigation lights and lighthouses in the areas.

If one is interested in the sea, vessel traffic, ships, lights, or just navigation, this program is for you. Please take a look here at MarineTraffic.com.

Pachena Point Lighthouse

November 28, 2013Adult Memories, Anti-Automation, Automation, British Columbia, Canada, Coast Guard, Construction, Equipment, History, Information, Lighthouses, North America, On The Job, Photos, Tourism, Travel, Visitorserror, Fresnel lens, lighthouse, litehouse, Pachena, postage stampretlkpr

The photo at the left shows the lamp, lens, mercury bath bearing, and winding apparatus which was installed on the Pachena Point lighthouse in February 1908. The lens is a 1st order Fresnel lens made by Chance Brothers of Birmingham England – one of the largest sizes possible, and it all sits on a wooden tower!

The glass lens, 3 m tall, 2.5 m wide and weighing 400 kg was brought by boat around Cape Horn. The 1000-watt bulb in use now puts out four million candlepower and is visible from Washington State’s Olympic Peninsula. (reference)

This graphic was sent to me by a friend but I have no idea of the source. I have searched Google and the only mention of the photo that I found was in reference to the Eddystone lighthouse, which this definitely is not. Continue reading Pachena Point Lighthouse →

Reprint – A Sailor’s Journal

November 22, 2013Adult Memories, British Columbia, Canada, Coast Guard, Communication, Construction, Equipment, Fishing, Icebreakers, Information, Lighthouses, North America, On The Job, Reprint, Search & Rescue, Ships & Shipping, StoriesAbe Van Oeveren, CCG, CCGS, CG, lighthouse, litehouse, Sir Wilfrid Laurierretlkpr

The Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) carries lighthouse keepers and their supplies (groceries, mail, household goods, etc) usually by ship or helicopter. This story describes the inner workings of the Canadian Coast Guard light icebreaker Sir Wilfrid Laurier as told by my friend Abe Van Oeveren. I have been on several ships and they are indeed a complicated piece of machinery run by very competent men and women.

Abe’s comments to me about the story when I asked permission to reprint:

The account is based on material gathered on several trips blended together to make a story that flows end to end. To make it readable I avoided talking about too much crappy weather which keeps everybody on board the ship unable to fly up to Van, Naden or Barry, or how the ship’s crew’s collective mood changes as the 28 day typical patrol proceeds. Continue reading Reprint – A Sailor’s Journal →

A Nice Lighthouse Hotel in Subic Bay

November 12, 2013Advertisement, Art, Asia, Information, Light, Lighthouses, Models, Philippines, Photos, Recreation, Restaurant, Tourism, Travellighthouse, Lighthouse Marina resort, litehouse, Philippines, review, Subic Bayretlkpr

The Lighthouse Marina Resort – photo retlkpr

[nggallery id=83]

In early 2010 I made my third trip to the Philippines, alone, and for six (6) weeks. One of my first stops, besides Manila, was Subic Bay. A friend I had never met, Dave Starr picked me up at my hotel in Manila and drove me to my hotel in Subic Bay – not the one mentioned here. Continue reading A Nice Lighthouse Hotel in Subic Bay →

Preparing for an Earthquake and/or a Tsunami

November 8, 2013Earthquake, Environment, Equipment, Government, Information, Lighthousesearthquake, lighthouse, litehouse, preparation, tsunamiretlkpr

Super Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda in the Philippines) made morning landfall November 07, 2013 at Guiuan, a small city in Samar province in the eastern Philippines. The U.S. Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center said maximum sustained winds were 195 mph, with gusts to 235 mph.

As many of you readers now know, I am living in the Philippines where a tsunami is NOT rare, but the biggest worry here are typhoons and earthquakes, the latter being what sparked this article.

On October 15 this year, 2013, we experienced the biggest earthquake¹ I have ever felt in my life. The following data is taken from the Philippine Volcano website:

Date – Time Latitude Longitude Depth Magnitude Location

(Philippine Time) (ºN) (ºE) (km)

15 Oct 2013 – 08:12 AM 09.86 124.07 012 7.2 006 km S 24° W of Sagbayan (Borja) (Bohol)

This was approximately one hundred and twenty (120) kilometers (about 75 miles) northeast (NE) from us and they say we felt it like a magnitude 6.0 earthquake. I would hate to feel anything stronger! The house shook and rattled, and the ground rolled just like in the movies. For hours afterwards our sensory organs for balance were out of kilter – you felt like a drunk might feel heading home from an all night party!

Now this brings me back to the subject – How do you prepare for an earthquake or tsunami? As you never know where you will be at the time of the event, all you can do is prepare for BEFORE and AFTER the event. Continue reading Preparing for an Earthquake and/or a Tsunami →

Bravo! Coastal Rainforest in British Columbia Now Protected!

November 6, 2013Adult Memories, Anti-Automation, Beachcombing, Environment, First Nations, Fishing, Game, Government, History, Information, Lighthouses, News, Oil Spills, Recreation, Ships & Shipping, Shipwrecks, Tourism, TravelGreat Bear Rainforest, lighthouse, litehouse, McInnes, oil, oil tankers, spirit bearretlkpr

This photo above from Pacific Wild shows only a part of what is being protected

The title for this article comes from a news release by the Treehugger website on July 27, 2006.

Their article from 2006 said: “The government of British Columbia has agreed to protect more than 5 million acres of the Great Bear coastal rainforest. It is home to the world’s last white-colored Spirit Bears “

The Natural Resources Defence Council (NRDC) was also quoted in the article.

The thousand-year-old red cedars, Sitka spruce, western hemlock and balsam blanketing this swath of rugged coastline provide vital habitat for wolves, eagles, grizzlies and several hundred Spirit Bears. Found only in the Great Bear Rainforest, the Spirit Bear gets its white color from a recessive gene occurring in roughly one of every ten black bears born in the forest. The Spirit Bear figures prominently in the mythology and culture of several indigenous communities — known as First Nations in Canada — that have inhabited the Great Bear Rainforest for thousands of years.

The new conservation agreement, negotiated directly by the British Columbia government and the region’s First Nations, will protect an unspoiled area twice the size of Yellowstone National Park from logging and ensure the right of the First Nations to manage their traditional territories. In addition, the agreement establishes new, more stringent standards for logging in the rainforest outside of the protected area. “The accord will preserve this irreplaceable rainforest but still allow for controlled logging to sustain local economies,” said NRDC senior attorney Susan Casey-Lefkowitz. “It is a new model that shows we can save our most valuable wildlands and our communities at the same time.”

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CW or CCW?

November 4, 2013Construction, Equipment, History, Information, LighthousesBarbier, BBT, Benard et Turenne, CCW, Chris Mills, clockwise, counterclockwise, CW, lighthouse, litehouse, rotationretlkpr

As many of you will know CW is the acronym for clockwise and CCW for counterclockwise OR anti clockwise.

Which way does a lighthouse lens rotate?

Now please be careful in your thinking and terminology. The light is fixed in place and the lens rotates around the light which gives the light its characteristic flash. In this post we are talking about the lens, not the light. From outside the lighthouse (seaward) the beam of the light moving makes it appear that the light itself is rotating but it is not.

In ninety-nine percent (99%) of the cases the lighthouse lens rotates in the clockwise direction. Mainly I believe because the drive mechanisms are made from clockwork gearing designs and naturally clocks rotate clockwise!

(photo retlkpr – CW clockwork mechanism at Pachena Point lighthouse)

In Mise Tales Twenty-Eight I wrote “Has anyone seen the movie released in 2010 entitled The Lovely Bones“?

In the aforementioned movie there is a lighthouse and one strange thing about this lighthouse caught my eye – the beam of the light revolved counterclockwise! This is most unusual and there are only a few lighthouses in the world that revolve CCW, the majority revolving clockwise (CW). Why did the directors make the lens rotate counterclockwise?

I have no idea, so I consulted with my lighthouse friend and guru Chris Mills via Facebook. He said:

. . . those lens systems were always called “French lights” here in the Maritimes (Canada). I believe the BBT (Barbier, Benard et Turenne – original in French; translated to English here) systems rotated counter-clockwise, as opposed to the Chance lights, which rotated clockwise. Not sure why…perhaps the French (or English) just being contrary!

(above photos from http://skipjacksnauticalliving.blogspot.com )

I followed a couple of links on lighthouses from the site above that had BBT lighting but there is no mention of the direction in which the lens rotated.

I found a couple of lighthouses in Australia with CCW revolving lenses as mentioned on this Australian webpage.

Does anyone know the whys and wherefores of CW vs CCW rotation of the lens?

Does anyone have any knowledge of a lighthouse with a CCW rotating lens?

Please contact me. Thanks for any help.

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April 10, 2014 – I just received the following comment from Ms. L. Newton:

Hi. I live in one of the Lowestoft Lighthouse Cottages, Suffolk (England) . This lighthouse rotates CCW.

Lowestoft is a town in the English county of Suffolk.The town is on the North Sea coast and is the most easterly point of the United Kingdom.

Lowestoft High Lighthouse, located to the north of the town centre, was built in 1874 and stands 16 metres tall, 37 metres above sea level. The light, which has a range of 23 nautical miles (43 km), was automated in 1975.[98]

The first two lighthouses in Lowestoft were built in 1609, on the foreshore and candlelit, to give warning of the dangerous sandbanks around the coast. By lining up the two lights, vessels could navigate the Stamford Channel, which no longer exists. They were rebuilt in 1628 and again in 1676. It was at this time that one light was moved up onto the cliffs above the Denes – the location of the present lighthouse – to assist vessels further out to sea.[98][99]

The remaining ‘Low Light’ was discontinued in 1706 following sea encroachment, but re-established in 1730 in a form that could be easily moved in response to further changes to the Stamford Channel and shoreline. It was finally discontinued in August 1923. The ‘High Light’ tower was rebuilt as the present lighthouse in 1874[99] with the intention of displaying an electric light, but when opened paraffin oil was used instead; it was not until 1936 that it was electrified. The lighthouse, along with two cottages originally used by lighthouse keepers, is a Grade II listed building. – Wikipedia

Lighthouse Memories

– bringing a little life into your lights