Tag Archives: lighthouse

Weather Observing – a Large Part of the Job

Adult Memories, Anti-Automation, Automation, Coast Guard, Communication, Equipment, Fisheries and Oceans, Fishing, Fog, Government, History, Information, Lighthouses, Old Website, On The Job, Radio, Search & Rescue, Ships & Shipping, Shipwrecks, Storms, Weather, , , , , , , ,

Note:- How to obtain an up-to-date weather report from a BC lighthouse

McInnes with weather instruments (lower half) – photo John Coldwell

One of the duties on most of the lighthouse stations, and especially on McInnes Island, up to 2003, was the reporting of local weather (weather visible in the immediate area of the station) to Environment Canada (EC) – earlier called the Atmospheric Environment Service (AES) – for re-broadcast to boaters, pilots and climatologists.

This became even more important after the Tropical Storm of October 1984 hit the British Columbia coastline.

Extreme Tendency November 05, 1988 – scan Glenn Borgens

Every three hours during the day, starting at around three o’clock in the morning we would collect the information on sky condition, visibilty, wind speed and direction, rain/snowfall, wet and dry bulb temperatures plus maximum and minimum temperatures, station pressure and tendency (whether pressure was rising or falling and how rapidly), and sea and swell height. This was then recorded on AES forms or in a notebook depending on the station. Not all stations reported or had the instruments for all observations. These records were forwarded to AES every month along with a Climate Summary for the month. Continue reading Weather Observing – a Large Part of the Job →

Music – Lou Christie – Lighthouse (1971)

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This song is from a terrific album: “Paint America Love” (1971). Very hard to find. One of the greatest records ever. A real oldie but goodie as they say. Music and lyrics from Wikifonia . . . 

[media url=”https://ccanadaht3.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Lou-Christie-Lighthouse-.flv” width=”400″ height=”350″]

Mise Tales Six

Art, Humour, Lighthouses, Paintings, , , , , , ,

If you do not know what Mise Tales are then please see Mise Tales One.

Quite a miscellaneous selection this time – mostly humour. The first is a cool Snickers candy bar advertisement, again with a lighthouse theme. Does anybody have any other lighthouse advertising?

Big job to go? Get on with it.

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Foghorns – In the Beginning Was the Diaphone . . .

Adult Memories, Anti-Automation, Audio, Coast Guard, Communication, Construction, Equipment, Foghorns, Lighthouses, Old Website, On The Job, , , , , , , ,

Well, in the beginning was the Lightkeeper’s Voice, Fog Bell, Sirens, Dynamite, Cannons and other assorted methods, and then came the Hand Horn. 

Powers Brothers Hand Horn - photo Chris Mills
Lothrop Hand Horn - photo Chris Mills

First of all was the Powers Brothers Hand Horn used in the days before mechanical equipment. Many were used up until the early 1950s. and were still kept on station in case of emergencies well into the 1990s. The horn was activated when a vessel required it, usually by blowing its own horn any time of day or night, occasionally having to wake the keeper with more than one blast. Another smaller version was this Lothrop Hand Horn (right)

[audio:https://ccanadaht3.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/PowerBrosHandhorn-Mills.mp3|titles=Powers Brothers Hand Horn] Continue reading Foghorns – In the Beginning Was the Diaphone . . . →

Adventure on the Lighthouse

Beachcombing, British Columbia, Canada, Lighthouses, On The Job, Wildlife, , , , ,
Down by the seashore - photo Glenn Borgens

One of the things I miss most about the lighthouse is going down to the shore in early morning light, especially if it was a low tide, and seeing what there was to see and find. I never knew what would wash up, or go floating, flying or swimming by.

Sometimes I saw unusual birds, a whale, an otter, a different coloured starfish, or sometimes I just enjoyed the smell of the sea in the fresh air. As a lighthouse keeper we were not only on watch for problems with boats, but we were also caretakers of the sea around us.

If we happened to spot something unusual such as an oil spill, or unusual flotsam, then we  reported that to the nearest Coast Guard station. We also reported on dead birds, or other deceased wildlife such as whales. Continue reading Adventure on the Lighthouse →

Lighthouse History – 49 (1924-02-28 to 1925-03-10)

Construction, History, Information, Keepers, Lighthouses, Newspapers, , , , , , ,

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.

 

12 – Entire crew of Norwegian freighter Tatjana, a total wreck on Village I, Bamfield lifeboat rescues 7, and 21 make shore on Breeches Buoy…; Feb 28, 11 – phs/Barkley Sound thrives on herring harvest…; Feb 29, 1; 11 – dead reckoning errors fatal, crew to arrive in Victoria on HMCS Armentieres…; Mar 1, 5 – rescued crew reach shore by slender line… Victoria boy, Harry Brown, 19, hero of disaster…; Mar 6, 4 – wreck of Tatjana…; Mar 9, 14; 15 – Capt Chris Cholberg demands additional lighthouse at Barkley Snd… ph/wireless station and light at Pachena Pnt…; Mar 14, 17 – Tatjana in danger of splitting up…; Apr 2, 15 – Pacific Salvage Co will attempt to salvage [Village I]…; Apr 23, 17 – ph/Tees sails for wreck with more tackle…; May 6, 5 – more patches for salvaged Tatjana, reclaimed vessel anchored at Sechart…; Continue reading Lighthouse History – 49 (1924-02-28 to 1925-03-10) →

Illness at Boat Bluff Lighthouse 1970s

Adult 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, Women, , , , , , ,

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

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Boat Bluff c.1970s - photo Ray McKenzie

We were living on Boat Bluff Light and my oldest son Simon was an infant. He developed a very bad case of Croup. One stormy night he all but stopped breathing and we tried frantically to get some help.

We finally managed to get a radio patch through Bull Harbour Coast Guard Radio with a doctor in Bella Bella. The radio reception was so poor that the connection with the doctor broke up all the time, but we did understand that Simon needed medical attention as soon as possible.

I Love Night Shift!

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You hear so many people complaining about having to work nights at a job. Myself, I found night shift to be the best! The rest of the station was asleep. I had the radio all to myself, a good book, cup of coffee and I was set.

Every hour or so, depending on the feel of the weather I would take a trip outside and check the engine room, and admire the sky! I was always amazed by the number of stars you could see from a lighthouse, as long as one stayed out of the loom of the main light.

Once my eyes became adapted to the dark, it was like the whole sky was lit up just for me. I used to pick out the constellations – one of my favourites was Orion, the Hunter which loomed large and clear in the sky from SE to SW depending on what time of night it was.

I used to leave the curtains open in my bedroom at night. If I woke before it was time to get up for shift, I would look outside and if Orion was visible, I could tell what time it was by the position in the sky. Continue reading I Love Night Shift! →

Life on Nootka Lighthouse c. 1950s

British Columbia, Canada, Childhood Memories, Coast Guard, Communication, Foghorns, Groceries & Mail, Incidents, Keepers, Lighthouses, Photos, Radio, School, Storms, Tsunami, Weather, , , , , , ,

Here is another story from Ms. Juanita (Swanson) DuLong. She was a young girl on most of these stations, but living there, and hearing stories from her parents, she has created   lighthouse memories from the 1950s time. Her older stories are found here, here and here. One more to come she says. 

It is said that for every person on earth, there is a place our soul will recognize as home.

Nootka lighthouse

Sometime in 1955, I was lucky enough to find that Nootka was mine. Ever since, no
matter where or how I was living, I went home whenever possible. Today, my husband
and I live on the West coast of Vancouver Island, not far from Nootka Island.

Nootka Lighthouse is picturesque, with 360 degree views of scenery. The area is steeped in history, being the true birthplace of B.C. Brick fragments are still sometimes found from the Spanish fort that so long ago enjoyed those same views.

But , I wasn’t yet ten years old, and history wasn’t uppermost in a little girl’s mind. Continue reading Life on Nootka Lighthouse c. 1950s →

Let’s Finish the Month With . . .

Humour, Lighthouses, , , , , , , , ,

We started this month with an April Fool’s joke – lets finish it with a few more jokes.

Below are a group of jokes, mostly about management, the office, and working hours, etc., all related to lighthouse work in a way. A lot have been adapted from other jokes. Authors are mostly unknown, or they won’t come forward! Enjoy!

Tools of a Lighthouse Keeper

Q. What are a lightkeeper’s two best friends? A. Duct tape and WD-40.

If it moves and shouldn’t, use the duct tape. If it doesn’t move and it should, use the WD-40.

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New Rules for Government Employees

Dress Code

It is advised that you dress according to your salary.

If we see you leaving on holidays wearing fancy shoes and carrying an Eddie Bauer bag, we assume you are doing well financially and therefore do not need a raise. If you dress poorly, you need to learn to manage your money better, so that you may buy nicer clothes, and therefore you do not need a raise. If you dress just right, you are right where you need to be and therefore you do not need a raise.

Sick Days

We will no longer accept a doctor’s statement as proof of sickness. If you are able to go to the doctor, you are able to go to work. Continue reading Let’s Finish the Month With . . . →