We have just returned from a splendid week spent on Nantucket Island and I'd like to provide a short brief on what can be seen there which is of interest to forum members.

Without going over old ground, Brant Point Light (represented by a Harbour Lights piece) is diminutive but scenic. Located next to the inner harbor (harbour?), it is easily accessed.

We spent two hours on a friend's sailboat, moored in the anchorage, during a level 4 thunderstorm. I frequently peered out a port to see Brant Point Light's red occulting beacon dimly visible through the downpour. It was comforting to see it there and to hear the foghorn during the boat's best efforts to divest itself of its anchor and rode. I can see the timeless appeal of lighthouses.

In walking to Brant Point light I passed the Coast Guard station and was surprised to see what clearly was another lighthouse. A conical brick tower, minus its lantern room, attached to the station house itself made for another scenic photo. There are two range lights adjacent to the light, a brass bell on a stand, and I felt this would make a very nice HL piece with all the detail extant. I learned this is Old Brant Point Light.

We next drove over to the east side of the island to the village of Siaconset ('Sconset if you're local) to see Sankaty Head Light. Very photogenic in it's red and white stripes, but due to cliff erosion much of the hill is fenced off and you are not able to photograph the light with the ocean or coast in the same view. Pity.

Great Point Light is on the northeastern corner of the island and requires a very long walk or a four wheel drive vehicle to access. You check in with the Park Service, deflate your tires to 1/2 their original pressure to provide enough floatation over the sand, then drive north over the sand track on the beach to the light.

The seascape, sand dunes, sparkling sunlight on the water, and remoteness of this light all conspire to make your photographs breathtaking. Worth the effort. And yes, the Park Service provides an air pump to reinflate your tires when you leave.

In Nantucket town there is a HL dealer, Coffin Gift Store, which provided me with the opportunity to acquire Port Sanilac and Cockspur Island. They also had Amelia Island and Biloxi (both retired) if you're interested. A trip to Nantucket is a wonderful experience but be aware that it's expensive.


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Bob Steinbrunn
Nautical Research Guild


[This message has been edited by Bob Steinbrunn (edited 08-14-99).]

(To add paragraph spacing...)

[This message has been edited by JChidester (edited 08-14-99).]

(Thanks, John, for being such a fine editor: I know better but thought e-mail format appled here! :-) --Bob

[This message has been edited by Bob Steinbrunn (edited 08-15-99).]

Sounds like you had an eventful visit Bob!

Thanks for taking the time to share it with us. I really enjoyed reading about visit to Nantucket.

-Todd

Hi Bob, ... I did the same journey in the last week of June. We spent a week at Nantucket and visited all four lights. We dock at the White Elephant Hotel which afforded us a great view of the harbor. We visited some of our favorite restaurants and just had a great time. Nantucket is beautiful but expensive. We try to spend a week there every other year.

Thanks you for your narrative about your trip to Nantucket. It brings back fond memories!

Bob

Bob, thanks for sharing your trip, I look foward to some photos.
Bob M., how about sharing some of those restaurants with us?

- Bob3

Bob, Thanks for the trip down memory lane. We were there 2 years ago in the middle of Hurricane Daniel. But it was worth it, as this was our first trip to Nantucket. Expensive but I felt worth every penny for this southern boy.

Eating out is one of my favorite pastimes next to collecting Harbour Lights. If you're on Nantucket and want a great breakfast, stop by Blackeye Susan's (a couple of blocks to the right of the bank at the top of the hill) or the old Downy Flake by Children's Beach near the Ferry Docks. I think they changed the name of the Downy Flake to something like Mel's Place now.

Stop by the Jared Coffin House and eat in a pub style atmosphere in the Tap Room downstairs or you can also eat in their main dinning room upstairs. The food is exceptionally good in both places.

One of my favorite restaurants is a little ways out of town up near the High School. It's the Sea Grille and the food is great!

If you like Beef Wellington try the Wood Box Inn which is about a block off the main street to the left of the bank at the top of the hill. They serve the most delicious "pop-overs" with their dinners.

Another great pub atmosphere place is the Brotherhood of Thieves which is right near the Jared Coffin House. Unfortunately, they had a fire there this spring and they hadn't opened up for the season yet while we were there.

If you like lobster and you want it delivered to your boat or room, call Souza's Seafood. They are a small family-run seafood store near the center of the island. They will cook, crack, split, and deliver any size lobster. Believe it or not, the big lobsters were cheaper than the smaller ones (per pound). We had the five-pounders and they were excellent. No veggies needed with those....make sure you have plenty of butter! Have I made you all hungry yet? ...lol !

Bob

Five pound lobsters! Now that brings back some *very* fond memories of the Northeast. The five pounders never seem to survive the trip this far inland. They get eaten by primates along the way.