Helicopters – Lighthouse Memories

Refuelling a Lighthouse

September 23, 2014diesel, Facebook, helicopter, hovercraft, Ivory Island, lighthouse, litehouse, refuelling, Scarlett Point, shipAdult Memories, Boats, British Columbia, Canada, Coast Guard, Environment, Equipment, Helicopters, Hovercraft, Icebreakers, Keepers, Lighthouses, On The Job, WorkboatsretlkprLeave a Comment

British Columbia (BC) lighthouses mostly have diesel generators unless they are close enough to a large town or city to allow a power cable to run to them. So how does one refuel a lighthouse as most of them are sitting fairly high above the water line and very distant from a local gas station? Well, thanks to […]

A Lighthouse in Iceland

April 15, 2014isolated, lighthouse, litehouseConstruction, Foreign, Helicopters, Lighthouses, VideosretlkprLeave a Comment

The photo above appeared on Facebook recently. It is a photo of the Þrídrangar lighthouse (pronounciation unknown) in Iceland. According to Timothy Harrison, lighthouse historian and Editor in Chief of Lighthouse Digest magazine, the photo was first posted on I heart Reykjavík on Facebook. There they say: How would you like to be a lighthouse guard in […]

Oh No! Not Another Accident!

December 27, 2013CF-DOH, CG-253, helicopter, lighthouse, litehouse, Sikorsky S-61, washing, water landingAdult Memories, Coast Guard, Equipment, Helicopters, Information, Lighthouses, VideosretlkprLeave a Comment

This story could be titled Oh no, not another accident or to be more truthful How to give a helicopter a bath! If you keep up with aviation news you may have heard about a Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) helicopter that crashed in the Arctic.

What a Nice Christmas Present

December 25, 2013Colin | Toner, lighthouse, litehouse, McInnes Island, videoAdult Memories, British Columbia, Coast Guard, Environment, Equipment, Helicopters, Keepers, Light, Lighthouses, On The Job, Storms, Travel, Videos, Videos, WeatherretlkprLeave a Comment

What a nice surprise! Today on Facebook the lighthouse keeper, Colin Toner, who is residing at my old workplace at McInnes Island posted a fantastic video of the lighthouse. Please watch in full screen to get the full effect. Watch as the MBB105 helicopter approaches the island in the rain. You can see the rain […]

Quitting Smoking – Not on a Lighthouse!

July 11, 2012cigarettes, lighthouse, litehouse, McInnes, pulteney, smoking, tobaccoAdult Memories, Boats, British Columbia, Groceries & Mail, Helicopters, Keepers, Lighthouses, On The Job, WeatherretlkprLeave a Comment

I was a smoker when I arrived on my first lighthouse at Pulteney Point in December 1969. I was twenty-two (22) years old, married, with no children when I arrived. My wife, Karen, and I had never had to order supplies for a month. Our first order was loaded with chocolate bars and stuff we […]

A Trip by Helicopter up the West Coast to Carmanah Point 2006

June 8, 2012BC, Bell 212, Carmanah, helicopter, lighthouse, litehouse, MCTS, Mike | Shepherd, Tofino, trip, Vancouver IslandAdult Memories, Anti-Automation, Beachcombing, British Columbia, Coast Guard, Communication, Construction, Equipment, Groceries & Mail, Helicopters, Keepers, Lighthouses, Maps, Old Website, On The Job, Operators, Photos, Radio, Transportation, Travel, Visitorsretlkpr2 Comments

A trip by helicopter up the west coast of Vancouver island to Carmanah Point October 25, 2006 To see what part of the west coast of Vancouver island is like from the air, check out Mike Shepherd’s article Coast Guard Bell 212 Helicopter Trip. There are some really nice shots of the Pacific Ocean and familiar lighthouses. – […]

Moving Day 1970s

May 9, 2012Alexander Mackenzie, CCGS, Green, helicopter, lighthouse, litehouse, moving, Pachena, ship, Sir James | Douglas, travelAdult Memories, Boats, British Columbia, Children, Coast Guard, Equipment, Groceries & Mail, Helicopters, Hobbies, Lighthouses, Old Website, On The Job, Transportation, Travel, Workboatsretlkpr1 Comment

One of the problems with moving to another lighthouse was that everything had to be crated and or well-packed to withstand the dangers of the transportation and handling by ship and/or helicopter. It also had to survive unexpected falls and/or water damage, both fresh and salt. When my wife Karen and I first moved on […]

Illness at Boat Bluff Lighthouse 1970s

May 3, 20121970s, baby, Boat Bluff, emergency, illness, lighthouse, litehouse, travelAdult Memories, Boats, British Columbia, Canada, Children, Coast Guard, Communication, First Nations, Helicopters, Keepers, Lighthouses, Medical, Medical Emergency, Old Website, On The Job, Seaplanes, Storms, Transportation, Travel, WomenretlkprLeave a Comment

The following memory was passed on to me by Margit Losel. It happened during their time at Boat Bluff in the years 1977 – 1980. They were lucky! They were able to get off and on the lighthouse. Some stations were too isolated for this method to work. – retlkpr ************************* We were living on […]

Groceries and Mail on a Lighthouse

February 5, 2012BC, Canada, groceries, helicopters, lighthouse, litehouse, mail, McInnes Island, post, Post office, shipsAdult Memories, Coast Guard, Fishing, Groceries & Mail, Helicopters, Lighthouses, Old Website, On The Job, ShipsretlkprLeave a Comment

Some of you may wonder why the number of stories about re-supplying the lighthouses exceeds the others on this site by a large margin (lots more coming!). Next to the family and job, the arrival of the mail and groceries was the most important event in the life of the lightkeeping family. Imagine no telephone, […]

Day of Departure – Going on Leave c.1970s

January 29, 2012helicopters, holidays, leave, lighthouse, litehouse, shipsAdult Memories, Childhood Memories, Children, Coast Guard, Communication, Helicopters, Lighthouses, Old Website, On The Job, Radio, Ships, Transportation, Travel, WeatherretlkprLeave a Comment

In the days before portable radios and instant communications, we were always apprehensive about the day we headed out for holidays. First there was the weather which as everone knows on the West Coast of Canada is always unpredictable even with modern weather forecasting. We observed the weather but rarely got any weather forecasts. Next […]

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