‘Let’s buy a house in Maine’ season

The lighthouse on White Island in the Isles of Shoals. The author would like to know why the light is not functional. Photo by Jack Farrell

Fall 2024

By Jack Farrell

It’s mid-September on a perfect morning’s trip to Star Island amid a string of beautiful days. The clean air, blue sky, sparkling water and brisk breeze from the north make this yet another “let’s buy a house in Maine day,” as Catboat Bob would say. I’m on the lookout for the school of small tuna that has been feeding out by the sea buoy for the past few mornings, and steering wide of the assembling fleet of sailboats gearing up for a day of racing.

The wide swing to the west avoids the anxious maneuvers of the sailboat racers (I can say that because I’ve been there), the mackerel fishermen around Kitts Rocks and most of the tangle of pot buoys near Whaleback Light. But it probably adds a half mile or more to the trip. Most people, and especially the other charter boats, take this route all the time. But in spite of the buoys, shallow water and the random fishermen I cut the red buoys and take the straightest route possible, close by the lighthouse. I’m working on yet another 250-trip season and every half mile counts. I know, because I did the math. Even if I only save a quarter of a mile per leg by taking the straight-line route, it adds up to a lot: a half mile saved on 270 round trips (last year’s total) equates to 135 total miles, the distance of almost seven two-way trips to the Isles, and enough to cruise from Kittery to Monhegan Island and back. At about 11 gallons per hour, fuel savings by the direct route adds up to well over 100 gallons per year.

We do run an occasional night trip, and on those trips, I take the long way around like everyone else, mostly to avoid the pot buoys. The buoys have been really thick this year and they often run under when the tide is strong. I’ve had divers on the wheel four times so far to remove tangled line and buoys. I’m still working on a few things on this now 27-month-old boat and the arrangement for night runs is one of them. We installed a stern light with the required three-mile range at the edge of the cabin roof, but it was so bright that it lit up the platform aft and reflected light back onto the windshield. It has since been set up a little higher and back from the edge and seems to be better there. The dashboard is bright white, and that also reflects light back against the windshield. I’m thinking about a darker color for that this winter.

Running at night requires a certain leap of faith, anyway. Even in the best conditions it is nearly impossible to make out objects at water level (think logs, submerged boats, or the ruffles and other surface disturbances that indicate ledges or shallow water). I’ve never had great luck with spotlights, the glare from which can do as much to ruin your night vision as the lights might reveal. In open water pot buoys usually pick up the reflection of the running lights, and once in the river, the lights from the shore do a good job to illuminate the water. But you still won’t see everything, and more than the usual amount of luck is required.

LED lights are a great improvement for running lights and deck lights, but many people seem to have taken the possibilities too far. We have a commercial fishing fleet in our area that runs a big bank of LED spotlights day and night. Some ferries and large pleasure boats are so lit up that it is often difficult to discern the running lights from the party lights. And don’t get me started on multi-colored underwater lights. Why would anyone want to make a boat look like a Las Vegas hot tub?

In our cove many nights in the summer squid fishermen will take over the commercial float and drop DC-powered LED’s into the water in search of free calamari. One approaches the float by touch and memory when this happens, as the glare is blinding. The fishermen deserve access to the water, but they don’t understand the impact their lights might have on safe navigation. I did mention the problem to our harbormaster, and the last time I headed in after sunset, the lights went off as I approached the float. Thank you.

The navigation rules prescribe in great detail the lights that must be displayed by vessels to describe their nature and condition. Extraneous lighting that compromises this should be eliminated in the name of safety and good seamanship.

And finally, while we’re on the topic of lights, I wish someone could explain to me why the lighthouse at White Island at the Isles of Shoals has been dark for months. I understand the decreasing importance of lighted aids to navigation in the GPS age, but if a light is shown on the chart, it should be operational. It was particularly disconcerting to learn that the commander of the local Coast Guard station was not even aware of the problem months into the outage.

Meanwhile, out at Star Island, the unofficial capital of the Isles of Shoals, the last regular season guests have departed (finally!). The end of the season, before things get cold and stormy, is the best. On the last open day, guests were treated to a 10-foot mako shark in the buoyed off swimming area next to the pier. Early word was that it was a great white, but review of the video proved otherwise. In either case, swimming was banned for the duration of the season.

The grey seals have dwindled in number from hundreds in August down to just a few, but the gannets are back again and there are many small groups of loons along the route out. Next week the big bird migration will begin, and the island will be weekend host to groups of avid bird watchers seeking to expand their personal sighting lists. These are the easiest of guests, as they care little about what they eat or where they sleep as long as they see some birds.

The Cape Verdean family breakwater crew is on their last few feet of repair on the small breakwater between Malaga and Smuttynose Islands after two seasons of work and residence on Star Island. They still have lots of clean up and demobilization before they depart for good. I will miss the project and the crew, in spite of the fact that they never seem to be on time for the boat ride home. Usually it is just an inconvenience, but last Friday I was scheduled to join my family at the hospital to meet grandchildren number four and number five, our newborn twins. But it’s tough to get mad with such a nice bunch of guys who work so hard, so I used the opportunity to run the engine at 70% for a half hour or so (an occasional practice recommended by the experts as beneficial to long-term engine health – or is it that they just like to hear the diesels roar once in a while?). Either way, we barreled back in at 16 knots and made up enough time to greet the new baby girls right on time.

Jack was the manager at Star Island for many years. He currently manages major construction and utility projects there and provides all-season boat service to the island (average 250 trips per year) for luggage, food, employees, supplies and guests. He also runs Seacoast Maritime Charters, LLC providing year-round private charter boat service and marine logistics to the general public, now in the Shining Star. He still enjoys cruising in his classic Ted Hood sloop, Aloft, and teaching skiing at Sugarloaf Mountain in Maine.