LIGHTHOUSES

I revere lighthouses. They are silent sentinels gracing some of the most scenic coastlines on our planet. Strategically placed to warn mariners of jutting headlands or to mark the entrance to ports of call, they command great respect. If some of the grand old lighthouses of the world were people they would be people like Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi, Thomas Jefferson or Nelson Mandela. There are famous photographs of massive waves breaking against majestic lighthouses, salt water spray reaching skyward as tons of water is unleashed at their base. They don’t utter a sound but you can almost hear them saying “Pound on me all you want, I am not going anywhere and I will continue to beam my light to mariners at sea”.

There are two ways to look at lighthouses. One is from the land. They can be found on rocky outcroppings, high on a bluff or cliff, on reefs and sandbars and on breakwaters or jetties at the entrance to harbors. They can have lights that flash at regular intervals or a rotating, sweeping arc of light. Some are smallish metal structures while the grand daddies are circular structures several stories high painted white with red stripes like a barber pole. Standing next to them you look seaward and your imagination can run wild.

At sea looking toward shore is the other way to view them. At night the lighthouse serves as a warning of a place to be avoided. It also is a point of reference as sailors, fishermen and ship captains take their bearings to verify their location. If you are in pea soup fog you are praying that you see the light before you are on the rocks. When you do see the light, if it is a harbor entrance, you will know you are minutes from the safety of the harbor. If it is a rocky point or reef you know you must beat a hasty retreat.

On a stormy night the blinking light from a distant lighthouse can be a great source of comfort. The light from those placed high on a bluff can often be seen 25-30 miles at sea. It is as if there is a connection with the safety of the land and those at home. If you are traveling along the coast at night you watch as one light fades away behind you and eagerly await the next up ahead.