Hi All,
I've been getting some emails, and seeing some postings here about LI travel plans; so let's start a sign in, even though it's 3 months 'til May 14th.
It will also let me keep you informed about any extra opportunities that may arise.
Right now there is the possibility of an East End Cruise - Saturday night. There's also a Dave & Busters near the Marriot Hotel for a possible informal WACKO gathering at night.

Bob

I REEEEALLLY want to go, but my dad has a BMWCCA (BMW Car Club of America) event that weekend, and it seems to be SO important for him to be there. I'll keep trying.

Question to all administration of lighthouse groups. Do you CONSPIRE with the BMWCCA to schedule events on the SAME weekends? It almost seems like it.

I'll be there....working.

Greg, I was so hoping to meet you at this one. I will be attending with my friend Derith (Nana) I have never been to that area on the East Coast before and I am looking forward to it. Also, looking forward to seeing many of my lighthouse friends that I haven't seen for quite awhile.

I'm seriously thinking about it Bob!

I'd love to attend. But with Door County, Apostle Island and the 2005 Reunion this year, my funds prohibit me from experiencing this event.

bobo

I have a place near the hotel? Where are my royalty checks???????

My son graduates from the University of Wisconsin - Madison that weekend. I have to be there.

I had fun last time I was in Long Island for the HL Regional.

Robert and I will be there. We have not been to that area and are really looking forward to seeing Long Island's lights. We will be at the Marriott, of course, and hope to see the Wacko's at Dave and Buster's.

Dave, what's your royalty percentage?????

Joyce

Joyce -- I would imagine as much as he could get. Just kidding.

bobo

No, Bob, your "gut feeling" is correct - as much as I can get out of them!

Just having his name mentioned in the "Name" is all he gets. Dave may have bid on naming rights. Glad you picked up on the coincidence,right away Dave! D&B is just a great place to set a date and time to meet with no major committments by anyone. Just show up. Bar, Restaurant, snack area.

Sis and I will be there along w/her cousin Ann and hubby Nigel from Teaneck NJ.
We got them to go on the NJ Challenge and may have won 2 more converts.
Haven't decided on where to stay yet. My feeling is that the Mariott will result in a lot of "backtracking"! Can any one more knowledgable of the area tell us differently?
Thanks,
Rick

Hotels on LI can be veryyyyyyyyyyyyy expensive. The deal at the Marriott is $79 a night. For those flying in they have a shuttle to MacArthur Airport. The hotel is reasonably centrally located to do either the north side or the south side. Yes, you will do some backtracking. If they do a cruise Saturday and you go on it, there will be about an hour drive back to the hotel. Added advantage - this is where the majority of the Wacko family is staying.

I am planning on attending.

FYI--The $79 rate is sold out already for the weekend. I just called Marriott this afternoon.

Another problem with LI Hotels- especially on the East End is they like to require two nights or more on Weekends.

This might not be true this early in the season but I know I ran into it every time I tried to get a room for the Beacons Of The Night Cruise.

Dave is also right about the cost of hotels on LI- they are not cheap. The $79 rate a the Marriott is a steal- apparently it's no longer available.

The jury is still out as to my plans- Esther has gotten a promotion and it is seriously affecting our travel plans- can't ge ta straight answer from her new boss as to when she can get off.

Dennis

We are planning on being there and already have our reservations at the Marriott.

Patty & Mike

May 14 LI Challenge Lighthouse Cruise Info

Hello everyone,

A few little tidbits...

First of all, let me see what I can do about more $79 rooms at the Marriott. I should have an answer within a week.

The cruise is set: Cedar Island, Long Beach Bar, Orient Point, Plum Island, supper, me for a host (I didn't say it was all good news), and perhaps some special guests. With the boat leaving from the East End Seaport Museum, you'll be able to get credit for four stops on the boat, plus not have to worry about finding supper. $60 (group rates are available). Ticket sales are being handled by Nancy Bahnsen at LighthouseTShirts.com (she and I are organizing the the cruise).

It looks like Wayne Wheeler's presence for the weekend is set. We'll have some former lighthouse keepers hanging around for the weekend, too.

We're keeping our fingers crossed for the Nantucket Lightship to still be in Oyster Bay. So far, it looks good.

We're trying to get the Coast Guard to allow access to the inside of the Eaton's Neck tower, but don't hold your breath.

I have added driving directions, and some other little things, to the web site. Feel free to print them out. I really do recommend the Hagstrom's Suffolk County map that I mention on the site. It will make your weekend much simpler - do you really want to trust my directions?

I hope to see a bunch of you in May!

I finally got a straight answer from Esther's new Boss and it's not good news for the LI Lighthouse Challenge.

He approved her request for May 6 to May 9 off so we'll be going to the NELL Meeting on Nantucket that weekend and won't be traveling to LI the next weekend. I couldn't talk Esther into doing both and we've never been to Nantucket so it won out.

I have a reservation at the Marriott for Fri/Sat & Sun night if someone needs it. I'm not sure how it would be handled. I won't cancel it for a bit and I can contact them and change the name I'm sure- might even be able to change it to 2 nights if needed. It can't hurt to try.

Dennis

Here's the deal with the Marriott. I sent an e-mail to Chatt Chapman (Events Dirctor for the LI Chapter, USLHS) as he is handling this. Here's the response I received Friday:

"Just got off the phone with Silvia Campa ,(Marriot bookings person), and they still are offering $79 rooms to our "challenge" people. This rate WILL HOLD as long as reservation is made by April 13th."

So if you call and are told those rooms are not available, ask to speak to Sylvia Campa (and get the name of the person who tells you the rooms are sold out).

E-mail me if there are any problems.

Called hotel directly this morning and was able to make reservation. Last weekend I called Marriott 800 reservation number. I guess that made all of the differnce.

I discussed things a bit more with Esther and got her to go along with a modified LI Lighthouse challenge.

We've got tickets for a concert on 5-13 so we're going to leave Sat morning and drive out to Greenport stopping at the Marriott to check in and also stopping at any Lighthouses we have time for and then take the cruise and then drive back to the hotel and get up Sunday and get to some more Lighthouses and go on home.

I know we won''t make them all but we'll get to the ones we haven't been to- especially Cedar Point. I hope to get out to huntington Harbor for the tour also. If we only get the Cruise in and those two Lighthouses I'll consider it a success.

We'll be at the Marriott Saturday night only. hopefully I can modify my reservation.

I'll have to do something special as 5-14 is actually Esther's birthday.

See you in May.

Dennis

Dennis,

I was very happy to see your ticket purchase go through earlier I'm glad you figured out a way to join us. Cedar Island is included in the cruise and you'll actually get closer to it by boat unless you take a 45 min walk out on to the jetti it sits on. A wonderful walk if you have time, but those not taking the cruise will most likely view it from a bluff near the parking lot.

Check out www.LongIslandLighthouses.com for lots of directions between locations. Bob has painstakingly put it all together so everyone can plan their routes in advance.

As for Esther's birthday....we'll be on a great cruise that evening! We'll make sure she has a wonderful birthday!

I look forward to meeting you!

My husband gave the OK. Just booked the Marriott and got a room. Ask for code LGHA. I also booked the boat. I hope to meet some of you there. They still have some left call fast.
Fran

Dennis, we're glad you and Esther will make some of the challenge. Look forward to seeing both of you again.

Joyce

Planning meeting for LI Challenge was in Oyster Bay yesterday so here's a preview stop!

Nantucket

aka LS112

Great pictures of the "Nantucket" Bob! Looks a lot like one that I have in a glass case on my shelf.

Bert

Greetings all,

Nancy tells me that we have 49 spots (out of 100) filled for the cruise. Frankly, I'm a bit surprised at how fast the tickets are going. We posted it less than five days abgo and its half full already.

When we get close to capacity, we'll look at options for accommodating more people. One might be to run a Sunday cruise, too, but I'd expect most people will be tired out by Sunday evening.

We're always open to suggestions.

Just an update for those that are still thinking about the cruise. We now have 60 confirmed spots filled & several pending. We are very pleased to say the least since this is without any real local advertising so far. As Bob stated earlier, we are open to ideas on some how expanding on this. While we look into options, if this one fills, we will start a waiting list.

I'm sure a majority of the tickets sold in this first week are due to this board. PA is in the lead, but Maryland is starting to catch up We have people coming from as far as IN, AZ & FL.

I'd like to thank all those who have already made their reservations. I've enjoyed talking with several of you & your support is greatly appreciated. I'm really kind of sitting here in awe of the immediate & overwhelming response. Besides getting our first lighthouse challenge off to a great start, you are also helping to add to the funds that support our restoration & maintainence efforts here on LI & well...it just makes me

I'm very much looking forward to May so I get to see all of you! You don't encounter such dedication in this sized group very often & it's refreshing.

The Long Island Lighthouse Challenge website has been updated 3/15/2005 by Bob Muller to include a downloadable "2005 Brochure".
LI Challenge Brochure

Reminder

"Just got off the phone with Silvia Campa ,(Marriot bookings person), and they still are offering $79 rooms to our "challenge" people. This rate WILL HOLD as long as reservation is made by April 13th."

Nice story in the Long Island Press about the Long Island Lighthouse Challenge.

Hello everyone,

Yesterday was the final meeting of the lighthouse groups before the Challenge. We distributed the coins (which arrived Friday), sign-in books, banners, passport stamps, and all that happy stuff. I think we're about as ready as we can be for our first Challenge. A few notes...

Challenge merchandise is available at LighthouseTShirts.com, but there probably is not enough time to order and have it shipped. You could order ahead and pick it up during the Challenge, or you can purchase stuff during the event. Nancy will have her trailer, with full production capabilities, at Cedar Point County Park both days, from 8am to about 2pm, then she will be on the cruises both evenings. There are embroidered hats, a variety of T-shirt options, mugs, trivets, and a cool tin to keep your coins in. Call Nancy at 631-277-4611 with questions about merchandise.

There is still room on the Sunday evening cruise (Long Beach Bar, Cedar Island, Orient Point, Plum Island). Nancy is also handling reservations for that.

It appears that most folks will be starting at Fire Island or Huntington Harbor, so you might save time by starting elsewhere. All of the sites should open at 8am and stay open until 6pm.

In order to get your final coin, you will need to show the eleven coins you have collected, so please be sure to keep them handy.

There has been more interest than expected from the press. I've done two TV interviews, have a radio interview Wednesday, and there have been several newspaper articles. Today's NY Times should have a big article in it about the Challenge, but I don't know if it will be online.

I will be at Orient Point County Park both days from 8am to about 3pm, then I will be on the cruises. Be sure to say hello.

All we need now is good weather. :-)

Can't wait to see my wonderful friends this weekend Rain or shine we will have a great time!

Friday - 60 - Sunny
Saturday - 62 - Partly Cloudy scattered showers
Sunday - 67 - Partly Cloudy late day thunder showers

I like your attitude Ruthie! But I am still hoping for NO RAIN!!

I'll be at Cedar Island on Saturday and Orient Point on Sunday (plus the dinner tomorrow night and both cruises-whew!)--make sure you stop by and say "hi."

Please, please, please, you guys who are going to Long Island Challenge this weekend, please email me some photos on MONDAY. The May issue of the Email Harbour Lights newsletter will be going out next week and I want to include some photos of collectors and of Bill at the events.

email photos to webmaster@harbourlights.com 72 dpi about 500 pixels longest dimension. You'll get a photo credit.


We welcome a brief write-up on your experiences. Please try to identify collectors who appear in the photos.

Thanks in advance.

John, I'll try to help you out from my limited locations (although, I will be hanging out with Bob Scroope and Bill on Saturday!).

No guarantees on getting photos early on Monday, though---I plan on sleeping in!

I wish I could attend. The Long Island lights are beautiful and I'm missing all my friends. Maybe next year.

Diane, you should be able to sleep in and still get photos to John on Monday with the time difference.

I'll be Bill's shadow all weekend, so we'll have plenty of shots at the dinner, Cedar Island, etc, as you (HL) usually do for the Legacy. Diane, Dave, Derith, the Kaiser's, Ruthie, JJ will all be armed with cameras. Just make sure you save us a lot of space. lol
Bob

I would have loved to make this event, but it wasn't in the cards. We haven't even got the boat ready to launch yet. Our main focus was renovations to our home until my son was hit by a drunk driver.

The kitchen project is going well, favorite young son is doing well, and just maybe the boat may be in by Memorial Day.

If you got your health, you have everything!

Bob

I hate the BMW Car Club of America. I hate it. I hate it. Every time we have a really cool lighthouse event I want to go to, my dad has to go and instruct car racing.

I think it's a conspiracy. A CONSPIRACY! I think that every year, the BMWCCA and all the lighthouse clubs in the country get together with their calendars. They then figure out every date where they can both hold events.

And you know that if they changed the date for the challenge next year (as they did for the '02 NJ Challenge...moved it one weekend later), then the BMW thing will change too.



Two more years, and I can go lighthousing all...by...myself! There won't be no stoppin' me!

Busy Busy Busy!
Sunny day on Friday! Went to a couple of extra lighthouses and a lightship that was not officially on the LI Lighthouse Challenge with Dave, Patty, Mike, Derith,Ruthie and Bill.
Got to go out early to Huntington Harbor with Bob Muller, Wayne Wheeler and his wife Sally. Our hosts from Huntington Harbour LH swung by Eaton's Neck on the way back so we could catch some pics from the water.
The Friday night dinner was a grand success with a Bill Younger friday night special talk. Wayne Wheeler presented Bob Muller with athe USLHS President's Award, and The Long Island Chapter with a check for $5000 for towards the restoration of Cedar Island Lghthouse. We had a great turnout with Challengers from Md, Pa, NJ,NE, Ariz, Ca, Fla and more.
Saturday started off partly cloudy but turned into a beautiful sunny day. I was stationed at Cedar Island with Bill, and we saw more than 600 people visit us the first day. Dave and the crew flew by about 12:30pm after Climbing FI amd Montauk. There were heading to the North Fork to see Orient Pt, Plum Island, Long Beach Bar, Horton Pt, and the East End Museun before the 4:30 pm cruise.
Sunday again is predicted for scatttered showerrs but I'm looking at sunny skies rising at the moment. Another day for me with Bill at Cedar Island where the sales of Harbour Light Cedar Island replicas and Restore Cedar Island pins were overwhelming.
Wish you were here!

Bob

Sounds like a resouding success for the first ever Long Island Lighthouse Challenge!

Congratulations to you and all those who put so much time and effort into getting this off the ground!

Sure wish I could have made it.

Esther and I just got home from LI and I'll add my heartfelt thanks to all those involved in teh first LI Lighthouse Challenge.

They did a great job an got a good response from the public- I heard almost no complaining- except from me.

We also added the Lighthsip Nantucket to our trip on the way home.

The Kickoof dinner was a smash, the volunteers at all the sites were great, the directions to each Lighthouse were great.

I think it's safe to say that a great time was had by all- at least those I spoke with along the way. We got to spend some quality time with other HLCF Wackos and some tohers that were just plain Lighthouse Wackos.

I even got to talk to Mikw Seewald today at Eaton's Neck. I haven't seen him for quite some time. This meant I got to see and talk to all 3 of the Long Island Stooges on the same trip for the first time in over 2 years.

Bob muller and his crew of dedicated volunteers did themselves proud- hopefull they will get some deserved rest tomorrow.

Dennis

Can I pass out now?

Thanks for all the positive comments about the Challenge. I had a BLAST meeting folks from all over the country and, of course, hanging out with the Wackos!

The rain held off until we got to the LAST lighthouse (Plum Island) on our cruise last night. After all the dire weather predictions, we were very fortunate for the break in the weather.

I got to meet a lot of Challenge veterans (NJ/MD), and they gave us lots of positive feedback. Of course, there are things we will need to look at to help improve the Challenge. The groups are meeting next weekend to celebrate the end of the Challenge and discuss any issues that came up over the course of the weekend.

I just want to thank Bill, Harbour Lights, and the Wackos for their support this weekend. I meet so many HL collectors, and they were all friendly and a joy to be around.

After two 17+ hours days, plus the kickoff dinner and everything else, I'm exhausted, so I'm heading back to bed.

If you attended the Challenge and have any concerns or suggestions, feel free to let me, Bob Muller, or Bob Scroope know and we'll pass them along.

Thanks again.

Oh, and a couple of notes--

Fran - HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Hope you enjoyed the cruise.

Dennis - I hope Esther had a great birthday and enjoyed the cake.

And, we know of one person who completed the Challenge in ONE DAY. I told him that I wasn't sure if he was insane or just very, very determined.

Thanks for coming and enjoying our event! It was a fun time even for those of us who worked the whole weekend. Luckily I got to do a few things with Bill on Friday. The response Bill gets from Collectors was just phenomenal. Many people traveleled to the Challenge with their first priority of seeing Bill, and have Bill sign their Cedar Island at the Lighthouse. Thanks to all that purchased our Harbour Lights Cedar Island LH. We will put it to good use in saving the lighthouse. I was amazed at all the people who walked out to Cedar Island lighthouse and some of the walk times they recorded. The weather was perfect both days for the walk and Sunday the beach was hard and even for an easy walk. We had a telescope on the veiwing area for those who choose or were not able to make the walk. Everyone was impressed with our beautiful light.
The most memorable challengers I met were two ladies in wheelchairs who were being driven around the the challenge by their/daughter/grandaughter. They were from Glen Burnie, Md. and one of the ladies was using oxygen. They were having the time of their lives, and their were no barriers that were holding them back!They were looking foward to NJ and Md Challenges too!
Special thanks to Rachel who set up Bill and all the goodies from Harbour Lights for this event!
Thanks to Kim for allowing us to sell the Harbour Lights Cedar Islands with all the profit going toward the Restoration. Thanks to Bill for sharing 3 days with us on LI, and helping make the First Long Island Challenge a huge success!

Bob

Diane,

Esther had a great birthday- even if I had to almost threaten her to get her to go inside the cabin to get some cake.

We both had a great weekend- thanks in great part to the efforts of all the people involved in making the Challenge possibel and such a great success.

I would like to especially thank the following people- Bob Muller, Diane Mancini, Bob Scroppe, Nancy Bahnsen (especially for the cake), Chat Chapman, Nancy House and the other myriad of volunteers that I don't know the names of.

I'd like to thank Bill younger for making something so great just a little bit better by his involvement and assistance.

Finally I think it's just great- and a just reward for all of his efforts- that bob Muller was awarded the US Lighthouse Society's Presedential Award. It couldn't have gone to a more deserving person.

Everybody here (well, maybe not Diane) will just love his answer as to what he's going to do with the $500 he won- he's going to buy some Harbour Lights.

Thanks again to all and congratulations on doing such a great job- you even got the weather to cooperate for the weekend.

It looks like I didn't curse this Long Island trip.

Dennis

Sounds like everyone had a great time. How about some pics for us "non-attendees"?

Bob

A brief summary of my day yesterday ...

I had a plan to see four lighthouses today. Old Field Point and Fire Island becasue I wanted to see what I remembered from past trips ... Huntington Harbor and Eaton's Neck becasue I never have been.


I didn't realize until I got close and read the directions a 27th time that on-site parking wasn't to be this day. I found the gathering spot and boarded the bus. Itwas a five minute ride to the light.

It is so very hard to get a good frontal picture of Old Field Point. The front of the lighthouse is very close to a fence that protects you from a lot of muck as well as the steep decline down to Long Island Sound. Here is a picture of the lantern.



Same deal at Eaton's Neck. Since it was on Coast Guard property, we were again herded, again shuttled ... the difficulty here was that the light was perched on a small hill, forcing one to look up to shoot. A white towereagainst a gray sky didn't help, either. This is the Shirin "from the cheeks of my butt" shot, just to get a little "stuff" in the frame.



The bad news about visiting Huntington Harbor Light was also, I guess, the good news for the organizers. There was a ninety minute wait to get boat-shuttled out to the lighthouse. Being the furthest west, many saved this light as the last before heading home. I very much wanted to see the architecture of this one. The preservation society involved is twenty years into a renovation plan. Naturally, in an exposed boat ... and on an exposed outcropping in the middle of the harbor ... this was the only steady rain encountered all day. Here is one frontal shot.



Now a change of plans ... Overhearing others ... and becasue of the unexpected duration of the Huntington Harbor foray, I decided to skip Fire Island and try to find the Lightship Nantucket, (not a part of the challenge)supposedly moored a couple towns over.

I found the lighthship ... here's two shots ...





The Long Island Expressway is noted for, at times, being the world's largest parking lot. So it was on the way home. A two hour trip took three-and-a-half. It was worth it. The event was organized and coordinated.

It is definitely a two-day event ... so plan well for next year. But definitely plan to go.

It sounds like it turned out to be a fantastic weekend. Congrats to Bob Scroope, Bob Muller, Diane Mancini, and the many unnamed volunteers. All your hard work paid off!

I forgot to mention how wonderful Bill Younger is with the Kids. He had a minature(spyglass) for each child as well as a lively conversation which each one. Whether they were shy or rambuncious, he could always get a response. One ten year old told us that that Cedar Island was his 503rd lighthouse which his parents confirmed. Bill gave him a Portland Breakwater (the Greecian column)which he quickly identified although he had never been there. (with looking at the label) I guess I just take this for granted, having been around Bill so many times. Duh! You guys know this! But with all the challengers, it was really fun! You know what I mean. He can make those long days really fly by.

Bob

Here's some photos from the LI Lighthouse challenge.

Part 1

We started at Fire Island. We got there about 7:45 on Saturday morning.




We left there and trucked on out to the end of the south fork of Long Island and went to Montauk next.



We opted to not climb either of these as we had done that the last time we were there and we wanted to make sure we go to Horton Point before going to Greenport for the cruise as that would save us about 3 hours on Sunday.

We skipped Cedar Point from the park as we would see it closer on the Cruise and again to conserve time. We had a chance to talk with Bill Younger and Bob Scroope on Friday night at the dinner.

We drove to Horton Point via the Shelter Island ferry and got there with plenty of time to spare.

We got to climb this one this time. the last time we were there it wasn't open so all we could do was roanm the grounds.



Here's the current "lens in Horton Point.



We left Horton Point and had so much time we drove out to Orient Point and got lunch at the restaurant at the Marina and stopped to see bob Muller at the checkin point for Orient Point / Plum Island. He was busy signing his book for a young lighthouse fan.



We spent some time here talking to Bob and the others and then walked out to Orient Point- you can get a distant view of Plum Island from there.

I'll post some photos of these two a bit later from the cruise- they are closer shots.

We left there and drove over to the East End Museum where we ran into Patty & Mike Kaiz, Dave Hannum, Jim johnson, Brian Acree Ruthie cooper and the Lighthouse Pixie Derith.

We spent some time talking and then went into the Museum while waiting for the ship for the cruise to be ready.

Here's a Second Order Lens that was at Little Gull Island.



They also have a Fourth Order Lens from Plum Island there.



We loaded up on the Peconic Star II for the cruise out to Long Beach Bar, Cedar Island, Orient Point and Plum Island.

Here's a shot of a metal artwork of a bird on a dock in Greenport seen from the boat on the way out.



We were able to get very close to all of the Lighthouses on the cruise thanks to the skill of Captain Dave of the Peconic Star II.

Very nice pictures, Dennis! Looking forwrd to seeing Part 2.

Bert

Part 2 Photos from the LI Challenge.

We got very close to the Lighthouses on the cruise. Here's Long Beach Bar.



We left there after doing about a 360 for everybody to get their shots. the boat was bursting at the seems with Lighthouse Nuts and Wackos.

We got to Cedar Island next. here's a couple of shots from there.

This one shows the Lighthouse, the Oil house and the present Light.



This one focuses on the Oil house which has been totally restored due to the efforts of the LI Lighthouse Chapter of the USLHS.



We left there and continued on to Orient Point. We got very close to this one as well. The sun was a bit of a problem for the photos though.



We then moved over a bit and got some good looks at Plum Island.



We continued out a bit farther and got a look at the ruins of the Fort on Gardiner's Island that was built on the spot that a Lighthouse stood- before it fell into the ocean.

Unfortunately my batteries had died at Plum Island and I was finished with photos for the day.

We turned around and made our way back to Greenport passing the Lighthouses as the sun went down and we could see the lights from many of the lighthouses.

We got Birthday Cake during this time. I had contacted Nancy Bahnsen about getting a cake to surprise Esther with (Saturday 5-14 is her birthday). Nancy was nice enough to not only get a cake for Esther she got one for Fran (also a Wacko) as it was her birthday also.

We got back to the dock and got our coins and stamps for our passports and went our seperate ways- many of us going to the same hotel, the Islandia Marriott.

More photos from Sunday in Part 3.

Dennis

Great pictures Dennis!

And thanks for including the pic of Plum Island. You can see the reventment that was just finished there. The LI Chapter procured the rocks from the Army Corps of Engineers (when they dismantled the Sag Harbor breakwater), and we have been working with the folks at Plum Island (Dept of Homeland Security) to get the rocks placed to stabilize the bluff. It was just recently finished -- in fact, this was my first opportunity to see them in person.

And Capt Dave Brennan of the Peconic Star is known for getting the boat as close as safely as possible to each lighthouse. A gentleman on one of the cruises brought along a huge lens in anticipation of using it. We told him to put it away because Capt Dave would make sure he wouldn't need it.

On to Part 3 .

Here's day 2 of the Challenge sunday 5-15-05.

We had planned to get up early and get to Huntington Harbor when it first opened as I was a bit concerned about it getting backed up there since there was only one boat that could handle about 20-25 people at a time.

We had breakfast at the hotel and that was my downfall. We walked in and the crew was there already- Dave Hannum, Jim Johnson, Ruthie Cooper, Derith, Brian Acree, Ken Reese and Mike & Patty Kaiz. Dave invited us to join him and that killed getting an early start.

An hour later at about 8:15 we got under way and I decided to change things and go to Old Field first so as to not backtrack. should have gone to Huntingto first as I planned.

We got to Old Field Farm where the bus stop was with no problems. The directions to all of the Lighthouses were right on target. Whoever did the test drive and wrote thme did a great job.

Here's a shot from Old Field.



We left there and continued on to Eaton's Neck. We got to the parking lot just before the bus got there but there were already enough people to fill it up before us so we had to wait for the next one.

This was no problem for two reasons- just because and also because Mike Seewald got off the bus so I had a chance to have a good long talk with him. I haven't seen him for quite some time and he doesn't frequent the forums anymore it seems.

Here's a shot of Eaton's Neck.



Here's a shot of Esther and I at Eaton's Neck taken by Chat Chapman of the LI chapter.



We left there and continued on to our last official stop which was Huntington Harbor. It's a great one to save for last but it seemed that many others did the same.

We got there just as a boat was pulling up to the dock but we had to wait for the next one as it was already filled for it's trip out.

Huntington Harbor is especially nice becuase they are in the process of restoring it and it's one of the Lighthouses you can actually climb.

Here's a photo of the light as we approached it.



Here's a shot of the ruins of Lloyd Harbor Lighthouse that preceded Huntington Harbor Lighthouse.



We left there and stopped for lunch at a restaurant reccomended by Pam one of the volunteers at Huntington (who described herself at one point as the "Lighthouse Bitch" due to her sterness of protecting the lighthouse from trespassers).

The Canterbury Ales restaurant in Huntington was just great. If you go to the area stop in and eat there.

We left there and made our last "unofficial" stop for the challenge at the Nantucket Lighthship. It's berthed in Oyster Bay (home of Billy Joel as a young man).

It stopped there quite some time ago on it's way to the National Lighthouse Museum on Staten Island.



The Lightship was originaly going to be part of the Challenge but unsurmountable problems got in the way. That's life- many went anyway.

To finish- the LI Lighthouse challenge was just great. The Chapter had it's act together and had some great volunteers doing a tremendous job to make it a rip roaring success.

We had good weather for about 95% of our trip. We got a bit of rain at Huntington Harbor and at the Nantucket Lighthship but the rest of the time it was just perfect- not too warm, not too cool. They survived me coming to the event- my Long Island Curse didn't show itself this time. (It's a good thing it wasn't one week earlier though).

If you went you know what I mean and if you didn't make sure you go next year.

Dennis

Just for perspective,

Earlier today I dug this out for someone else ... It was taken in the fall of 1980 ...

Dennis, thanks for all the great photos and narrative. I had no idea Long Island had that many lighthouses! My aunt just moved to NJ - perhaps next year I'll be able to make it. Sure sounds like you guys had a LOT of fun!

Well Dennis it was worth the wait. I enjoyed parts 2 & 3 just as much as I did part 1. Thanks for bringing us along on the trip. THe skipper of the boat was sure helpful in getting you guys up close. That always makes a cruise much more enjoyable.

Bert

Jen,

Glad you enjoyed it. LI has some nice Lighthouses- but I hate the traffic, especially on the West end of the island.

You'll have to come visit your Aunt in NJ and go visit some of the NJ Lighthouses also- the 6th Annual NJ Lighthouse challenge is 10-15 & 10-16 this year.

It's always the 3rd wekend in October- of course you may still be a bit busy.

There's always next year.

Dennis

Bert,

Glad you enjoyed it also- not quite as much of an adventure as your trip to Nantucket, but a good time was had by all.

I've never been disapointed by the Captains of the ships I've been on for Lighthouse Cruises.

I don't know if it's that the water is deeper near the Gold Coast Tour Lighthouses but even with a ship 3 times the size of the boat this weekend we got very close to almost all of the Lighthouses when we took that cruise 2 years ago.

Dennis

Thank you so much for sharing the pics! They are wonderful! Time is flying for me right now or I would have loved to be there.

I just called the boat movers in an attempt to have "It's Only Money", and my son's boat launched before Memorial Day. I haven't even painted the bottom yet. I've been too busy working on my remodeling project on the house. There just isn't enough hours in the day.

Perhaps Lorna & I might be able to make the next L.I. Lighthouse Challenge. We did something similar a couple of years ago on Columbus Day Weekend and had a great time with our friends who use to live on L.I.

Congrats to all who organized the challenge and all the participants who contributed to its success.

Bob

Dennis,
Thanks for sharing the photos. Looks like a great time was had by all.
Judy

Here are a few photos from this weekend in Wells ME, Eastham MA and on Long Island:

Harbour Lights Scrapbook

If you have other photos of collectors at events this year, please email a 72 dpi image to webmaster@harbourlights.com. Be sure to identify the people and location.