Lighthouse News

Unless you live in Malaysia, Vietnam or Taiwan, or some few other countries, most of the lighthouses around the world have been automated, some for many years, and the position of lighthouse keeper no longer exists. Yet just like a home, without a lighthouse keeper to tend to the maintenance, these historical gems are in danger of being demolished or just left to rot. The government is in a frenzy to get rid of these beacons of of our maritime past, and while some have been tranferred to non-profit foundations for a dollar, others go wanting due to their offshore locations. The photo to the left is Charity Island Lighthouse, discontinued in 1939, in the middle of Saginaw Bay in Michigan.

The new owner, who is still on cloud nine after his successful purchase of Lubec Channel Lighthouse in Maine, is Gary Zaremba, 50, of New York. Gary, who has always wanted to own a lighthouse, is the president of Artisan Restoration Group, New York City, NY, which is in the business of preserving and restoring architecturally significant buildings. Lighthouse News was privileged to chat with Gary today, and learned that the Lighthouse Community has an ardent supporter in him. His expertise in building preservation is obvious by looking at the journals and guides he’s written (available at his company’s site). From his website’s Corporate Biographies:

Sankaty Lighthouse moved about 130 feet in the first day of its move, about one third of the way to the fifth hole at the Sankaty Head Golf Club. Bob Felch, president of the Sconset Trust, which owns the historic lighthouse and is spearheading the move, said there were no major glitches on the first day as it slowly inched along rails closer to its eventual home on more stable ground about 400 feet to the northwest of its original location on the Sconset Bluff. The move will get tougher in the days to come, as the movers contend with about a 12 foot drop, Felch said.

According to the Nantucket Independent Online, the only way lighthouse buffs will get close enough to be considered a ring side seat at the movement of Sankaty Lighthouse, will be to volunteer for crowd control. The Sconset Trust is looking for volunteers to help the Nantucket Police Department with keeping the crowds back from the site and helping to move vehicles through the area. Although it’s unknown how many lighthouse enthusiasts will turn up, and for how long, safety while Sankaty is relocated is primary.

The entire move will be visible from behind a chain link fence, so anyone that wants to go will still be able to see the amazing spectacle. Sankaty has been jacked up and placed on rollers and the move was expected to start October 1. The pistons pushing the lighthouse along the special beams set up are capable of pushing it ahead 62 inches per stroke. When the move is complete, the tower will be taller than it is now, because the movers expected the bottom of the tower to break during the lift and built the new foundation to compensate for it. But amazingly, the base stayed intact.

If you would like to watch Sankaty Head Lighthouse inch along steel I-beams toward its new foundation, the Sconset Trust is looking for volunteers to help with crowd control, along with imparting the mechanics of the move and the history of the 157-year-old lighthouse to theonlookers. Call Sconset Trust Executive Director Erika Mooney at 508.228.9917.

Also be sure to check out their website at www.sconsettrust.org for Rob Benchley’s complete photo essay on the move. Benchley, of the Independent, is the official photographer. The navigation for the photos are at the bottom of the box (next screen and previous screen). And check out the link to the story (above), as some unusual photos are there, particularly the ones looking up into the lighthouse from the underside.

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Sometimes we need a little affirmation of our decision to get married. For Melody Kloska and Matt Behrs, that decision came after five years and several failed marriages between them. For a new beginning together, they chose to speak their vows at the beach at Wind Point Lighthouse in Wisconsin, at sunrise on August 18. Instead of throwing the traditional bouquet, they chose to throw a bottle in Lake Michigan, with a message inside. Written on the paper were their names, the date and their wedding vows. After a failed attempt by Behrs (he threw it underhand) which landed back on the beach, the bottle finally ended up in the lake, and was caught by the waves.

According to a story in the Jamestown, RI, Press, town administrator Bruce Keiser has recommended that the town give up its interest in Beavertail Lighthouse, opening the way for either the Department of Environmental Management or the Beavertail Lighthouse Museum Association to become its caretaker when the lighthouse is excessed. “I don’t see a role for the town” Keiser said in the story. The DEM is in control of the grounds the light is on, as part of the parks system, and the Beavertail Museum Association runs the museum in the former assistant keeper’s quarters.

Lubec Channel Lighthouse, Lubec, Maine, has been sold to “Zaboomba” for $46,000. The online auction closed today at 3:00 p.m. EDT with no further bids being entered. For the money, Zaboomba receives 638 square (round?) feet of living space with a 360 degree waterview. A view like that can’t be bought on the Maine coast for under half a million. But then, this is quite a fixer-upper.

According to GSA rules, the identity of the buyer will be revealed after the bidder has been contacted and the money changes hands. It’s believed Zaboomba also was an unsuccessful bidder for Fourteen Foot Bank Lighthouse in Delaware Bay last month.