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American Lighthouse Foundation, Inc.
P.O. Box 565
Rockland,
Maine 04841
Phone: 207-594-4174
Fax: 207-596-1091
info@lighthousefoundation.org
The American Lighthouse Foundation is a
Non-Profit 501(c)(3) Organization dedicated to the
preservation of America's historic
lighthouses & lightships and
their heritage.
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November’s Frigid Winds Usher
In the Close of the Work
Season at Little River Light
By Bob Trapani, Jr.
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Rising before dawn on a frosty morning in November to
take advantage of high tide, American Lighthouse Foundation volunteers
prepared to journey out in Cutler Harbor to Little River Island. Since
late spring, the sound of carpenter saws, hammers, tractors and lawn
equipment filled the air on a daily basis at the Little River
Lighthouse, but on this frigid morning, volunteers would be happy to
simply hear the sound of their 18-foot boat’s motor humming an idle tune
in the
icy air.
Though the sun had yet to appear in the east, lobstermen
were already well into their work for the day, many pulling their
lobster |
Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
The shadow of winter has begun to hang
over Little River Light Station with summer but a
fleeting memory
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traps for the
season and bringing them ashore. For Little River volunteers, there would be
no traps to pull but a light station that needed to be secured and closed up
for the fast-approaching winter months. With temperatures hovering at 25
degrees and a northwest wind blowing around 15-knots, ALF volunteers left
cozy warm cars for their boat and gingerly walked down one of the harbor’s
glistening docks laden with an icy frost coating.
A good amount of water from a heavy rain storm two nights prior had
collected in the volunteer’s boat and caused it to have a port list. In
addition, every surface of the boat was covered by ice and frost, |
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Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
A recent strong storm took down a huge
tree behind the keeper's dwelling, which
fortunately missed falling on top of the house
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making each movement inside the boat a
treacherous affair. To make matters worse, the boat’s engine was not in
a cooperative mood on such a cold morning. Ignoring the wind and chill,
ALF volunteers pulled the cover off the motor and worked to get it
started while another removed the water from the boat with a hand bilge
pump – all a decent amount of |
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work unto itself
given the conditions, and the crew had yet to even leave the dock.
The persistence of volunteer Bill Collette paid off and before long, the
boat’s motor begrudgingly stayed started, alternating in behavior from a
struggling sputter to a smoother idle as the engine warmed up. The
volunteers were now “in business,” and after a brief stop at the nearby boat
ramp to pick up the rest of the crew, the boat scurried along the harbor’s
chilly waters to Little River Island.
Unlike most work excursions to Little River Lighthouse when bigger projects
are tackled for the day, this trip was all about tying up “loose |
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ends” and
closure – for the season that is. Volunteers performed a variety of
tasks that included draining water pipes, moving lawn equipment to the
oil house for winter storage, tidying-up both the interior of the
keeper’s dwelling and the exterior landscape and securing doors and
windows in all of the light station’s buildings.
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Photo by Ann-Marie Trapani
Kathleen Finnegan removes seaweed and
kelp from the island's floating walk ramp
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Aside from the standard work associated with closing up the light station
each year, volunteers also worked to ensure that the island’s floating walk
ramp was given every possible opportunity to survive the harsh winter
elements ahead that will soon bear down with a vengeance on Downeast Maine.
The floating walk ramp was a key addition to the island operation in 2005,
which enabled volunteers and visitors to easily and safely disembark a boat
rather than having to walk up a slippery boat ramp upon arriving at the
site. Though the structure had no problem staying anchored in place
throughout the summer, the looming presence of “Old Man Winter” could prove
troublesome to the buoyant walkway given the fact that the island is subject
to brutal, artic-like weather.
Tim Harrison, president of the American Lighthouse Foundation, explains
saying, “New England winters can be brutal, especially in |
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Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
Bill Collette drains pipes in the
basement of the keeper's house
for the winter
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Downeast,
Maine where it is not uncommon to have wind chills of 40 to 60 degrees
below zero and wind gusts of hurricane strength that not only occur
during winter storms but also during spring and autumn Nor'easters.
While storms occur everywhere, being in 'Downeast' Maine (as it is
called), Little River Light is only one of a handful of lighthouses in
New England that is exposed to this type of wind and rain, which is as
unpredictable as it is brutal and can wreak havoc to the tower and other
structures associated with the light station.”
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Harrison went on to say, “Nearly every spring when we arrive to open the
station, we find siding ripped off the house, rocks tossed about, and places
where the blowing rain and salt air moisture has taken a toll on the
structures. Downed trees are always a problem and our chain saws get heavy
use after nearly every storm. Closing a station up for the winter is also
always a challenge, especially in the cold weather and short days, when just
getting to the island and off it can be a challenge and a fall in the water
could mean certain death.”
In an attempt to secure the floating walk ramp against the force of winter’s
wind, seas and ice floes, volunteers added additional lines and |
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anchors to the
structure in hopes that the extra measures will protect the ramp from
excessive damage. With the floating walk ramp as secure as possible and
the rest of the site’s “hatches battened down,”
ALF volunteers departed Little River Island for the season.
Spear Millwork, which is wrapping up its exterior restoration
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Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
ALF president Tim Harrison helps
clean up the lawn around the light
station for the season
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work on the
keeper’s dwelling, will be the last ones to leave the island for the winter,
but they too are expected to break down scaffolding and bring their
operation ashore in the next week or so. Restoration work will resume at
Little River Light Station in spring 2006.
Just like during
previous years since 2001, American Lighthouse Foundation volunteers endured
a plethora of challenges to their efforts to restore Little River Lighthouse
in 2005. Heat, storms, insects, fog and even icy cold did not deter the
hardy crews and because of their passion and resolve, the historic site is
now about 80% restored. Yet their work is hardly done. Despite closing up
the physical work at Little River Light Station for the season, volunteers
will continue their diligent efforts in the form of fundraising to help
support next season’s restoration work. As was the case in the golden age of
lighthouses, the job of present day keepers is never done – our watch goes on!
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Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
Restoration of Little River
Light Station will continue
in spring 2006
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Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
Little River volunteers worked
to secure the island's floating
walk ramp with line and anchors
in an effort to protect it from
winter's wind and ice floes
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