Maine has over sixty lighthouses parked along the rock bound rugged coastline, dotting islands off harbor towns.
Providing round the clock navigational aids. Creating intense revolving and blinking lights, clanking bells, deep, low throaty fog horns. Designed to be manned to avoid marine peril during darkness, undesirable weather conditions. To help freight and passengers alike. To avoid ending up on the ocean bottom. Going into the drink, experiencing death, ruin and destruction.
This past weekend one of the Maine lighthouses to seek out, bag and tag for the full collection quest clipboard check off routine was The Cuckolds.
Located about a mile southeast of the tip of Southport Island Maine. The Cuckolds Lighthouse was established in 1892, the current structure built around 1907. Automated in 1974, this barnyard flavored looking hen house like Maine lighthouse is located at the entrance to Boothbay Harbor in Lineken Bay. It’s tower is 48 feet high.
The Cuckold’s Lighthouse emits two white light flashes every six seconds. One fog horn signal blast at the end of a fifteen seconds time out interval. On a calm sea day, paddling a sea kayak out to this unique Maine lighthouse affords some pretty neat photo angle perspectives.
Sea kayaks equipped with a keel, rudder can steer with your feet which frees up the interruption of paddle strokes to navigate.
Necky makes a neat sea kayak with a rudder. The two person Necky sea kayak can set you back $1500. And adding the rudder kit for another $250 completes the package to explore the Maine sea coast, islands. To get up close and personal with the just out of easy reach Maine lighthouses.
Some of the Maine lighthouses are simpler, less production low hanging fruit to capture, photograph. Each is unique, colorful and completely different to shoot as the seasons change too. And the experience, the take away varies too. Visit and re-acquaint with Maine lighthouses on your vacations, down time in Vacationland any of the four seasons.
The Cuckolds Maine lighthouse that reminds me of a barn, chicken coop combination is one of the last built on the coast.
The name Cuckolds, given to a pair of treacherous ledges at the Boothbay Harbor entrance, is apparently after a point of land on the Thames River in England. This location was granted to a London man as a peace offering, to smooth ruffled ego feathers after King John had an affair with his wife. Maybe The Cuckolds in Maine got their name from a transplanted Londoner is the common assumption batted around in local folklore, Maine island history.
I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker
207.532.6573
info@mooersrealty.com