Pole Passage, Orcas Island, Washington

These photos taken in June 2010 show a current aid to navigation that is located on the tip of Orcas Island at Pole Pass. Pole Pass separates the San Juan Channel from Wasp Passage. It is purported that the first ever light in the San Juan Islands (a pole with a lamp) was established at the spot of the current aid to navigation.

East Point Light, Saturna Island, B.C.

The East Point Light is located on the far Eastern tip of Saturna Island, one of British Columbia's beautiful Gulf Islands. It sits across Boundary Passage from the Patos Island Light in Washington's San Juan Islands. The station was established on the site in 1888. The original lighthouse was replaced by a steel tower in 1948 and the station was destaffed in 1966. Photos taken in June 2010.

Patos Island Lighthouse, Patos Island, Washington

The Patos Island Lighthouse on Patos Island in the Washington State San Juan Islands is the only wood construction lighthouse in Washington. The station was originally established in 1893 and the lighthouse constructed in 1908. The light was automated in 1974. The tower has two red panels which warn sailors of dangerous shoals in the area. The island is now Patos Island State Park. The Lighthouse was recently refurbished and is maintained by the Keepers of the Patos Light. The photos were taken in June 2010.

Turn Point Light, Stuart Island, Washington

Located on the Northwest corner of Stuart Island in the San Juan Islands, the Turn Point Lighth sits across the Haro Strait from B.C.'s Pender Island. This station was established in 1893 and was originally a lamp on a post and a fog signal. the Current light tower was constructed in 1936. There is a beautiful keeper's house on the site. Photographs taken in June 2010.

Lighthouses and Orcas

On Sunday June 20, 2010 I was treated to a Lighthouse and Whale Watching tour of the San Juan Islands in honor of Father's Day and my Birthday. My wife and son arranged for a cruise with Orcas Island Eclipse Charters aboard the 56' M.V. Orcas Express. Captain Dan and his staff took us on a wonderful 64 nautical mile cruise of the San Juan Islands, passing 5 lighthouses (Cattle Point, Lime Kiln, Turn Point and Patos Island in Washington's San Juan's, and East Point Light on Saturna Island in the adjacent British Columbia Gulf Islands). We also passed through Pole Passage which is purported to be the location of the first light (a lamp on a pole) in the San Juan Islands. As a bonus, we had the good fortune to see numerous Orcas (Killer Whales) at several points along the route, the staff identifying members of all three resident pods (J, K and L pods). The trip was a great experience and I would highly recommend Eclipse Charters, especially their Lighthouse Tours for fellow lighthouse lovers. Information on the trips can be found at San Juan Islands Lighthouse Tours or at the Orcas Island Eclipse Charters website. I have included a collage of some of the lighthouse photos I took during the cruise as well as a shot of some of the "locals". More detail on the new lighthouses I photographed on this trip will be provided in separate posts.

Not a Lighthouse, but...

Ok, so this is not a real lighthouse. But it is a pub that looks like a lighthouse and that can't be all bad can it? It is the Village Taphouse in the Park Royal Village in West Vancouver, B.C. The faux lighthouse at the building is typical of the salt box Canadian style lighthouses found in Eastern Canada. Plus it is a great place to have a beer and a bite to eat.

Suomenlinna (Sveaborg) Light, Finland

When I took this photo in June 2009 I did not realize that there was a light in the tower of this beautiful church. This light, also known as the Harmaja Range Rear light is in the tower of the Church of Suomenlinna on the Island of Suomenlinna which is located Southeast of Helsinki, Finland. The church is a Luthern church. The light was established in 1929.

Duncansby Head Lighthouse, Scotland

This lighthouse is located at the far Northern tip of the East coast of Scotland at the Southeast entrance to Pentland Firth. Pentland Firth separates the mainland from the Orkney Islands. The light was established in 1924 and sits atop a high cliff overlooking the firth. This distant view was taken in May 2009.

Pentland Skerries Lights, Scotland

Established in 1794 these lights are on the Pentland Skerries, small rocky islands at the East entrance to Pentland Firth, North of Duncansby Head, Scotland. The two lights were rebuilt between 1821 and 1830. The taller one is Pentland Skerries High and the shorter is Pentland Skerries Low. In 1941 during WWII these lights were machine gunned by the enemy. This distant view was taken in May 2009.

Hoad Monument, Ulverston, England

Hoad Monument (also known as Hoad Tower and Sir John Barrow Monument) sits atop Hoad Hill in Ulverston, England. It was built in 1850 as a monument to Sir John Barrow (1764 - 1848). The monument is a replica of the 3rd Eddystone Lighthouse. Sir John Barrow was Second Secretary of the Admiralty and also one of the founders of the Royal Geographic Society. Photo taken in May 2009.

Romer Shoal Lighthouse, New Jersey

This light is located 4 km N of Sandy Hook, New Jersey. It is on the approach to New York Harbour. The current light was built in 1898 and was automated in 1966. Currently the Coast Guard are making efforts to scrap the light. This fairly distant view was taken in April 2010.

Gibb's Hill Lighthouse, Southhampton Parish, Bermuda

The Gibb's Hill Lighthouse is situated in Southhampton Parish on the South West part of the island of Bermuda. It sits on one of the highest points of land on the island and climbing the 354' tower affords wonderful views (top left photo). The light was constructed in 1846 and is the second oldest cast iron lighthouse in the Americas. On the grounds can be seen the weathervane that was originally atop the light but was removed in 1988 and replaced by a radar scanner (top right photo). The lighthouse is one of the island's most popular tourist attractions and houses a restaurant/tea room and gift shop. There is a nominal fee to climb the tower, but it is well worth it. Photos taken in April 2010.

St. David's Lighthouse, St. David's, Bermuda

The St. David's Lighthouse sit atop a hill in the St. David's area near the North East tip of the Island of Bermuda. It was Established in 1879. It is open daily and the tower affords great views of the island (as can be seen in the middle photograph). Photos taken in April 2010.

Robbin's Reef Lighthouse, Bayonne, New Jersey

The Robbin's Reef Lighthouse is located in New York Harbour near the Liberty Port cruise ship terminal in Bayonne, New Jersey. It sits South West of the Statue of Liberty and can be viewed from the Staten Island Ferry. The light was built in 1883 and was designated surplus in 2009 by the Coast Guard. It is also known as Kate's Light in honour of Kate Walker who was the lightkeeper there from 1894 to 1919. Photos were taken in April 2010.

Titanic Memorial Light, New York City, New York

This light was orignially mounted atop the Seaman's Church Institute on South Street in New York in 1913. It was built as a memorial to the lives of those lost in the Titanic disaster. In 1976 it was removed from the building and brought to its current location at the South Street Seaport complex on Fulton Street. When photographed in April 2010 it appeared to be undergoing renovations and the area around the base was fenced off.

Lightship Ambrose, New York City, New York

The Lightship Ambrose (LV87 - WAL 312) is currently moored at the South Street Seaport which is located on the East River just South of the Brooklyn Bridge in Manhattan. It was built in 1907 and originally stationed at Ambrose Channel, New York. It also was stationed in New Jersey and Mass. Photos taken in April 2010.

Jeffrey's Hook Lighthouse, New York City, New York

This light, known as the Little Red Lighthouse, sits nestled under the George Washington Bridge in Henry Hudson Park in the Washington Heights area of New York City. It was built in 1921 and decomissioned in 1932. It is the last surviving lighthouse on Manhattan Island. The light was immortalized in the children's book 'The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Grey Bridge' written by Hildegarde H. Swift and published in 1942. The light is easily accessable by a short walk from the 181st St. subway station. Photos taken April 2010.

Atlantic Canada House

OK, so it is not a lighthouse, but had to take a photo of the Atlantic Canada House sign at the 2010 Olympics... Go Canada Go!

St. Martin Harbour Light, St. Martin, New Brunswick

The lighthouse in St. Martin, New Brunswick is a faux lighthouse that serves as a visitor information centre in St. Martin.  It was built in 1983 and houses the lantern room from the original Quaco Head Lighthouse that burned in 1883. It is situated between two covered bridges in the harbour area at St. Martin. The top two photographs were taken in 2004 while the bottom two were taken in 2014.

Mizen Head, County Cork, Ireland

Established in 1909 the Mizen Head Fog Signal Station is not a lighthouse in the true sense of the word, but it is well worth a visit as it sits in a spectacular location and the visitors center is very well done. It is located in County Cork on Coghnane Island, joined to the mainland by a suspension footbridge. It is the most Southwesterly point in Ireland. The photos were taken when I visited in 2001. Thanks to Peter from Pete's Irish Lighthouses for jogging my memory about this one.