The Approaching Tempest
We just returned from a week on the mid-Maine coast and what a week it was. We had sun, clouds, fog, rain, and a brief brush with tropical storm Phillipe.
This image is of the "Old Cuckold Light Station" off the southeastern end of Maine's Southport Island. When I made the journey out to this point I expected some clouds and a bit of atmosphere. I did not expect the waves and wind, which in hindsight was quite foolish of me. I was attempting to photograph the lighthouse from the Newegan public dock, using my 600mm lens. I have been to this location in previous years and photographed wonderful sunsets while standing almost in this very spot. Until this day, I had never thought about the strength of this structure. The wind and the waves that made it over the rocky outcroppings were shaking the entire dock, making me feel quite insecure.
I was amazed to see not only the waves crashing on the shoals around the lighthouse, but also against Damariscove Island almost three miles out to sea. Mounds of waves rose above the horizon line as these forces of nature made their way to the mainland.
The Cuckolds is a pair of islets off the southeastern tip of Southport Island on the Maine midcoast. The Cuckold Light Station that warns mariners of these treacherous waters was commissioned in late August 1890. The original construction was of a "daymark," a distinctly painted navigational aid for sailors and pilots entering the harbor. In 1893 a bell was installed and the light with its Fourth-order Fresnel Lens was added in 1907.
The lighthouse was deactivated in 1974 and listed as US Coast Guard surplus property. In 2006 the non-profit "Cuckolds Island Fog Signal and Light Station Council" requested and accepted the deed to the property. The council renovated the property into a bed and breakfast inn. Following the resignation of the innkeepers, the council closed the B&B at the end of July 2019.
This image was built from three full-sensor images stitched together in PhotoShop CC. In its native size it measures 40” x 17.5” at 300ppi. It is available as a paper print, canvas wrap, acrylic or as a print on infused aluminum, also known as a metal print. Use the email button above for inquiries.
Limited Series of 25