Boat U.S. - September 2008 - (Page 102)

tangledline Dude, Where’s My Lighthouse? The scenic Cape Cod city of Wellfleet, MA, sadly lost its lighthouse more than 80 years ago and no one around today quite remembers what became of it. That is, until this year when it was discovered intact and standing proud at Point Montara on the Northern California coast, 3,000 miles away. While the U.S. Coast Guard continues to operate it as a navaid, it’s now also a youth hostel for overnight guests. The 30-foot-tall, cast iron lighthouse guarded Mayo Beach on the Cape for decades and was believed to have been torn down around 1922 and discarded. The keeper’s house still stands in its original spot and is a favorite subject of artists. No one knows why the tower, which could have been taken apart, shipped and bolted back together, was transported so far. According to Lighthouse Digest, lighthouse researchers “uncovered” Wellfleet’s beacon while archiving historic photos of lighthouses. Comparing old photos to recent photographs taken by Bob and Sandra Shanklin, Point Montara appeared remarkably similar to Wellfleet’s lost structure. The Shanklins have photographed every lighthouse in the U.S. Their daughter, Colleen MacNeney, did more checking for a book on lighthouses and, at the National Archives in Washington, DC, she found a 1928 photo of a Yerba Buena, CA, lighthouse with the notation: “This tower formerly used at Mayo Beach, 2d District.” BoatU.S. Magazine September 2008 It was moved down the coast to Point Montara shortly thereafter. Historians in Cape Cod were delighted with the find. The Wellfleet Lighthouse was the last one built in the harbor and had another distinction: it was the first to have a female lighthouse keeper. Sarah Atwood kept the light on from 1876 to 1891, when she succeeded her late husband, William. To see the lighthouse now, go to www.norcalhostels.org/montara. Centenarian Speedster To celebrate his 100th birthday, Gordie Miller put the hammer down, twice. The Port Richmond, CA, boater hit 105 mph (on a legal track, we hope) in his son’s Lexus on the way to the Discovery Bay Yacht Club, a BoatU.S. Cooperating Group. Then, according to InsideBayArea.com, he took the helm of a 36-foot Skater catamaran with twin 1,000-hp engines and wound that up to 130 mph. Now that’s a scalded cat and one active senior! http://www.norcalhostels.org/montara http://insidebayarea.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Boat U.S. - September 2008

Boat U.S. - September 2008 Contents Behind The Buoy BoatU.S. Reports Member Forum List Locker Aluminum Can Do Cruising in Crossovers Second Guessing Seasonal Forecasts A Cradle for Your Baby Badlands Boating The Inns and Outs of Penobscot Bay All in the Family: The Butler Did It Stealing Back Peace of Mind DIY Boat Owner Files Good Foundations Boat Smart 2nd Time Around Hot Tips Tangled Line Seaworthy Ask Chuck At Your Service BoatU.S. Exchange Behind the Boat Where Our Flags Fly

Boat U.S. - September 2008

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