Schooner Mary Day Donates $2,000 to
Lighthouse Preservation
There is an inseparable connection between our coastwise
sailing traditions and the beckoning lighthouses that mariners
traditionally relied upon when plying the waters of our nation.
Three Maine entities that make it their mission to
preserve and interpret this grand maritime heritage today – and who have
fun all the while doing it, recently got together to raise money for
lighthouse preservation.
On May 31, 2007, the Penobscot Windjammer Company from
Camden, Maine, offered the general public a special lighthouse
fundraising cruise aboard the schooner Mary Day to help raise
funds to celebrate the new collaboration of the American Lighthouse
Foundation (ALF) and the
Photo by Ted Panayotoff
Patrons aboard the schooner Mary Day
approach Curtis Island Light Station at the head of Camden Harbor
Maine Lighthouse
Museum (MLM).
According to the schooner’s website, the cruise was “a time to see
lighthouses and share their stories from the decks of an authentic Maine
schooner just as the lightkeepers would have seen a hundred years ago.”
Patrons aboard the four-day sailing cruise were treated to gorgeous sites,
great food and camaraderie, as well as the much-anticipated sight of many
lighthouses on Penobscot Bay, including a rare treat to disembark the
schooner to tour Fort Point Light Station. Lighthouse historian and author
Ted Panayotoff was aboard the Mary Day for the sail and shared his
knowledge and stories related to the lights.
Once the Mary Day arrived back in port from their cruise, the
schooner’s captains Barry King & Jen Martin stopped by the Maine Lighthouse
Photo by Ted Panayotoff
The schooner Mary Day anchored
in a
cove off Fort Point Light Station
Museum on June 4th, which is also home to the
corporate offices of the American Lighthouse Foundation, to present Bob
Trapani, Jr., who serves as director for both organization, with their
generous $2,000 donation ($1,000 each to ALF & MLM).
When a local news reporter asked captain
Barry King why
these causes were so important to him, he explained, “The answer is simple
in my mind. Lighthouses bring out the best in us.”
King went on to note that just like the days of old when lightkeepers and
their families exemplified selflessness and courage to help their fellow
man, “To hear the stories of folks who are trying to save lighthouses that
are in peril today…once again, courage and selflessness come to mind.”
King concludes, saying, “Lighthouses not only guide mariners along their way
to safety, they also guide our conscious. They help us stay in touch with
our long history of helping others in time of need. There are many
lighthouses still in peril as demands on government funding force small
communities to rally around the task of raising awareness and funds to
answer the SOS calls of their local lights.”
The American Lighthouse Foundation and the Maine Lighthouse Museum wish to
express each organization’s heartfelt gratitude for the kind
donations from
the schooner Mary Day. Thanks to this kind of financial support
ALF can continue to work towards saving our nation’s iconic lighthouses
and MLM can preserve the legacy forged by Ken Black, “Mr. Lighthouse,”
and the amazing collection of lighthouse artifacts he saved for present
and future generations.
To learn more, visit the .
Photo by Ann-Marie Trapani
(L to R) Bob Trapani, Jr., accepts
two checks, each in the amount of $1,000
to ALF & MLM, from Jen Martin and Barry
King, captains of the schooner Mary Day,
