having departed Camden under sunny skies and light winds yesterday
morning. The wind was light easterly all day so we rode the tide up
Penobscot Bay. With lobsters on deck in the day tank we had a great
day for lobster picnic. The wind shifted in to the west late in the
afternoon behind a cold front that had passed offshore earlier in the
day. The wind and tide carried us up to Fort Point. The sand spit
at the point gave us good shelter from the wind and Ranger Cole
opened the light tower to us once again. And we feasted on lobster!
As many of you know the last cruise was a fundraiser for the Maine
Lighthouse Museum and the American Lighthouse Foundation (ALF). We
visited the museum, which is the home of the ALF, to present Bob
Trapani, the executive director, with a check for each organization
totaling $2,000 in memory of CWO Ken Black, the original Mr.
Lighthouse. The local news reporter asked why this was so important
to us. The answer is simple in my mind.
We need more lighthouses. Lighthouses bring out the best in us.
While built to protect commerce the people who have worked at
lighthouses, then and know, have given selflessly to help others in
time need. To launch a small boat in a gale of wind to save some poor
soul whose ship is breaking up underneath them… well, that is courage
and compassion that money just can't buy. To hear the stories of
folks who are trying to save lighthouses that is in peril today…once
again, courageous and selfless. So 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. With the support of the Maine Lighthouse Museum and the
American Lighthouse Foundation groups find vital support for their work.
Have a great day. Be well. Go Good.
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