Lighthouse Newsletter

ARTIFICIAL REEF PROPOSED FOR DANA POINT

The California Ships to Reefs (CS2R), a 501(c) (3) non-profit public benefit corporation wishes to bring an artificial reef to Dana Point. The location would be within three miles of our coastline and between our North and South city borderlines.

They propose the creation of reefs along the California Coast by sinking ships and other environmentally cleaned objects, which might include military tanks, railroad cars, and perhaps even old school buses and obsolete lightships.

Congress passed legislation that directed the US Navy to get rid of some 300 “moth-balled” ships currently in storage. Funding was also designated to clean up these ships and to remove any hazardous materials.

Mayor Joel Bishop is a diver and an avid supporter of the artificial reefs. Other supporters and organizations – know as “Sink Groups” – are comprised of divers, business people, professionals, scientists, and a multitude of other professions, with the primary purpose of carrying out the CS2R vision.

The California Ships to Reefs vision is:

• To establish a statewide system of environmentally cleaned and strategically reefed ships along the California coast accomplished via a statewide group of Sink Groups
• To establish California as an international dive destination
• To enhance the tourism industry centered on fishing and diving
• To enhance California fish populations through habitat enhancement

 “Reefing Madness” is not an appropriate term for these Sink Groups, but “Reefing Gladness” seems to fit quite nicely.

JOEL GELDIN, Project Representative of California Ships to Reefs (CS2R) will give his presentation at our May 8th Dana Point Lighthouse Society Meeting @ 6:00 pm at the DP Community House, 24642 San Juan Ave (near PCH & Golden Lantern).

We hope you will be able to attend the DPLS Meeting to hear Mr. Geldin describe how reefing is a “Win-Win-Win” program for ourselves, our economic interests, and the ocean environment. The DPLS Meeting is open to the public.

AROUND THE WORLD FROM DANA POINT - A Photo Slide Presentation by Guest Speaker, Jim Leishman, at our February 28th DPLS Quarterly Meeting of a historic voyage around the world in a 40-foot Nordhavn motor yacht.

In November of 2001 in Dana Point, Pacific Asian Enterprises staffed a 40-foot private motor yacht, Nordhavn 40, in a trip around the world.

Pacific Asian Enterprises of Dana Point, CA designs and markets Nordhavn luxury trawler yachts. The current line of Nordhavn models range from 40 to 120 feet, and includes a new Motorsailer and an Expedition Yacht Fisher.

The crew of Nordhavn battled a typhoon in Micronesia and storms in the Mediterranean. They crossed the pirate-plagued waters on the South China Sea and the uncertain waters of the Middle East. They transited two canals, three oceans and seven seas.

Upon returning to California on June 30, 2002, Nordhavn completed the record-setting voyage around the world without a significant failure. After eight months and 24,000 nautical miles at sea, the Nordhavn 40 became the smallest production powerboat to circumnavigate the globe.

Captain Jim Leishman will give a first-hand account of this historic voyage with an exciting photo slide presentation at the meeting of the Dana Point Lighthouse Society on Thursday, February 28th at 6:00 pm at the Community House, 24642 San Juan Avenue in Dana Point. The public is invited.
Refreshments will be available.

Please note that this meeting was rescheduled from Valentine’s Day to Feb 28th to maximize attendance at this special presentation by Pacific Asian Enterprises.

For further information call (949) 488-0217 or e-mail danaptguys@cox.net

THE LIGHTHOUSE - AN AMERICAN LEGACY
By Tony J. Constantino

The United States of America came of age in an era of sailing ships venturing into mostly un-chartered waters. From the earliest days of exploration in the 15th century, sailors feared treacherous shoals and rugged coasts. They longed for guidance into natural harbors and away from the dangers hidden beneath even calm waves.

The first lighthouse in North America was constructed in 1716 on Little Brewster Island at the entrance to Boston Harbor. Built of local rubble stone and financed by a tax of 1 cent per ton of cargo passing the light, it served faithfully each night until 1776 when the retreating British blew up the lighthouse with a timed charge.

Lighthouses were constructed in Nantucket Massachusetts in 1746, at Beavertail Rhode Island in 1749, at Tybee Island Georgia in 1755 and at New London, Connecticut in 1760. Other lighthouses predating the Revolutionary War include Sandy Hook, New Jersey (1764), Cape Henlopen, Delaware (1767), Charleston, South Carolina (1767), Plymouth, Massachusetts (1768), and Portsmouth, New Hampshire (1771).

On August 7, 1789, the ninth act of the new United States Congress was to place lighthouses under the control of the U.S. Lighthouse Establishment, an agency of the federal government, taking over responsibility from states and cities. From 1789 to 1842, the supply and inspection of lighthouses, as well as new construction, was done by contract.

With American Independence from England came a growth in shipping to and from the American harbors. More lighthouses were built to guide ships to the shores of the New World and to help mariners avoid dangers and find their way to harbors.

Off the shores of the Outer Banks of the Carolinas, many sailing ships succumbed to the cross currents and storms, and the area off Cape Hatteras became known as the “Graveyard of the Atlantic.” In 1796, a lighthouse at Bald Head, started by the state of Carolina, was completed by the federal government.

Along the shores of the Atlantic, expansion continued to Florida and around the coast of the Gulf of Mexico.

As America expanded west at the beginning of the 1800s, the waters of the Great Lakes provided the earliest routes for explorers and traders. Soon cities on the Great Lakes needed the guidance and protection afforded to sailors on these fresh water seas. The first lighthouse on the Great Lakes was established near Buffalo, New York.

“Gold!” was the cry that came up from California in the late 1840s, and the demand for new lighthouses along the Pacific Coast grew with the growth of the population. However, it was not until 1854 that the first Pacific Coast lighthouse on Alcatraz Island was lit.

During the War Between the States, the strategic importance of lighthouses was made clear when the Confederate States disabled or destroyed 164 lights, buoys and lightships.

Lighthouses and their keepers served faithfully and sometimes heroically, guiding and protecting mariners through night and storm from the early 1700s through the mid 1990s.

The U.S. Lighthouse Board was established in 1852 to take over operations of the U.S. Lighthouse Establishment. This administration continued until 1910 when it was replaced by the Bureau of Lighthouses.

On July 1, 1939, the Bureau of Lighthouses was transferred to and consolidated with the Coast Guard by the President’s Reorganization Plan.

Although the need for a “light in the storm” has diminished thanks to the global positioning system, the remaining lighthouses have become local points of pride for communities and preservationists. Many Lights today still shine and guide, others serve as museums and interpretive centers showing what life was like for the Lighthouse Keepers and their families in an age long past. Others are in danger of being lost forever to neglect and vandalism. Harbour Lights believe that lighthouses are an important part of our American Legacy, deserving our protection and restoration to serve as reminders of our past and as beacons for our future.

Tony J. Constantino is the Sales & Marketing Director for Harbour Lights – the world’s leader creator of authentic lighthouse replicas. Mr. Constantino and Harbour Lights have been strong supporters of the Dana Point Lighthouse Society for several years.

Call them for catalogs at (800) 365-1219 or visit them at www.HarbourLights.com

BEACON BITS
By Ed Guy

ATTENTION LIGHTHOUSE COLLECTORS

Harbour Lights have just announced the production of several new "Limited Edition" Lighthouse replicas:

Cedar Point Amusement Park in Sandusky, OH rescued the destroyed lighthouse in 1990 and converted it to the centerpiece of a nautical village called Lighthouse Point, complete with a roller coaster. Another new release in Harbour Lights series of "Great Lighthouses of the World" is Biloxi, MS.

For purchase of these or any other lighthouse items, call Lighthouse Depot, 1-800-758-1444 or visit them at www.lighthousedepot.com. 

LIGHTHOUSE RECIPES

Anyone interested in submitting recipes for “nautical grub” (or just plain good food and deserts) can submit them to DPLS at PO Box 827, Dana Point, CA 92629 and we will include them in a Keeper’s Recipe Corner.

AMERICAN LIGHTHOUSE FOUNDATION (ALF)

If you will be traveling to New England this year, consider participating in one of the many Spring & Summer Historic Lighthouse Cruises in Maine and some of the various activities in Portsmouth, NJ. Call ALF at (207) 594-4174, or visit their website: www.LighthouseFoundation.org.

IT LEANS NO MORE

TIMOTHY HARRISON, Editor of “Lighthouse Digest”, reports that an inactive lighthouse on the island of Saaremaa, which is the largest island belonging to Estonia in the Baltic Sea, has miraculously straightened itself out. Over the years, erosion caused the structure to tilt. A type of reverse erosion moved the tower, which was tilting about nine degrees to a straight position again.

SAN LUIS LIGHTHOUSE

If you are up to Pismo Beach or San Luis Obispo, you will be happy to know that you can soon visit the San Luis Lighthouse. The local Harbor District has allowed the Lighthouse Keepers to transport visitors by bus/or van through the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant for a fee. Restoration of this lighthouse is continuing.

NOTABLE NEW BOOK

“Lighthouses For Kids: History, Science and Lore” by KATHERINE L. HOUSE is a perfect gift for your children or grandchildren. It explains the history & science of lighthouses while celebrating the whimsical wonder of the essential role of lighthouses and their keepers. It also has 21 activities for ages 9-12 & kids of all ages. Order #99878 for $14.95 + $6.99 shipping from LIGHTHOUSE DEPOT, P O Box 427, Wells, ME 04090 Tel: 1-800-758-1444 or www.LighthouseDepot.com.

ACTIVITIES AT DANA POINT LIBRARY

During the last few months of 2007, with the gracious assistance of Carolyn Hopkins, Children’s Librarian of the Dana Point Library, we were able to promote the history of lighthouses.

The first event was an exhibit of California Lighthouses that was displayed in November and December. Then Carolyn and Ed Guy presented an educational class to the “After School Club” presenting a video description of many of the California Lighthouse. All the children were involved afterwards in a craft exercise of building a lighthouse of colored paper and bathroom tissue rolls. They turned out great and the kids (and their parents) had a lot of fun.

The final activity was a coloring contest where a lighthouse design was colored or painted by the children as a continuing exercise after the class was held. Prizes of Harbour Lights lighthouse replicas were presented to the winning entries.

CONGRATULATIONS

Best wishes to JACK RANDALL & the whole family at JACK RANDALL PHOTOGRAPHY (Becky, Jonathan, Erin, Alana, Austin & James) for a successful relocation to their new address at 34092 Violet Lantern in Dana Point. In one step, Jack & his wife Linda became owners of an exquisite commercial building and landlords.

The Chamber of Commerce and the Dana Point City Council & Staff will be participating in their Ribbon Cutting scheduled for June 11th which should be quite an event.

Kudos to ALAN WICKSTROM, Life Member of DPLS, & Board President of SOCSA Foundation Board:

The CUSD school board voted unanimously to accept $7.5 million in state grants to build new performing arts centers at Dana Hills High School and Capistrano Valley High School, and to renovate San Clemente High School’s Triton Center into a performing arts center. The grants will pay only part of each project’s overall cost, leaving the district to secure $22.5 million in additional funding. The exact sources of funding for the remaining $22.5 million have yet to be determined, although the district is looking at state loans, Mello-Roos funds from Talega (for SCHS) and Ladera Ranch (for CVHS), redevelopment funds and fund-raising to make up the difference. Dana Hills High School—home to the South Orange County Schools of the Arts—has the toughest battle ahead, needing $10 million in funding outside of the state grant and no Mello-Roos funds to draw from. Capistrano Valley High School and San Clemente High Schools have enough Mello-Roos and redevelopment funds to pay for the projects if Trustees opt to do so. (Source: Dana Point Times)

ALAN WICKSTROM may be contacted at: (949) 842-0594 if you are able to assist SOCSA. We salute GENE and HELGA RALPH who have been active members of DPLS for several years. They were recognized by the Ocean Institute at its annual Volunteer Recognition Dinner on April 11 for their vital role in the day-to-day operations of the Institute. DAN STETSON, CEO of the Ocean Institute, also presented an award to LEAH CARLISLE as the 2008 Volunteer of the Year

DPLS MERCHANDISE AVAILABLE

The following Dana Point Lighthouse merchandise is available for members and lighthouse lovers:

 *Display New DPLS Logo

To order, call (949) 488-0217 or E-mail: danaptguys@cox.net