Time is running out before the rough seas of fall and winter will make it difficult and dangerous to access Whaleback Lighthouse, located on a rocky ledge off Kittery, Maine, at the mouth of the Piscataqua River. Today, six of us visited the lighthouse -- Deane Rykerson, architect; Sara Wermiel, historic preservation consultant; John Wathne, president of Structures North Consulting Engineers, Inc.; Ivan Myjer, masonry consultant; William Marshall, board of directors member of Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse; and me, in my role as operations manager of Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse. We were taken out to the ledge by Neil Odams of Captain & Patty's Cruises of Kittery Point, and we transfered to a rubber inflatable boat to land at the ledge.
Above, paddling to the lighthouse. Photo by William Marshall.
Deane Rykerson is principal of Rykerson Architecture of Kittery Point, Maine. He has been involved in building, environment, and design for more than 30 years. With the help of the other consultants, he is heading up the Historic Structure Report of Whaleback Lighthouse that will serve as a blueprint for the restoration of the 1872 lighthouse, which is now owned by the American Lighthouse Foundation and its local chapter, Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse. With the guidance of the report, we will be prioritizing and pricing out the various aspects of restoration in the coming years.
Landing at the ledge:
A compilation of quick video clips from today's visit:
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L to R: Deane Rykerson, John Wathne, Sara Wermiel, Ivan Myjer.