Venture out on Sunday, March 12 for a rare close-up look at eight historic beacons in western Long Island Sound as The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk begins its 2017 season of lighthouse cruises.
Greens Ledge Lighthouse off Norwalk is one of eight beacons to be visited during The Maritime Aquarium’s “Western Long Island Sound Lighthouse Cruise” on Saturday, March 12. (Photo by Radu Gheorghe)
The seven-hour “Western Long Island Sound Lighthouse Cruise” departs at 9 a.m. Participants aboard the Aquarium’s R/V Spirit of the Sound will make close passes by lighthouses off Norwalk, Stamford, Greenwich, New Rochelle and Long Island.
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— an announcement from the Maritime Aquarium
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New this year is The Maritime Aquarium’s participation in the U.S. Lighthouse Society’s “Lighthouse Passport” program, a fun way to log your lighthouse pursuits. Aquarium staff now can stamp the books of “Lighthouse Passport” holders for every lighthouse seen during the cruise. (Bring your “passport” or buy one onboard.)
Plus, members of the U.S. Lighthouse Society receive 10 percent ticket discounts for Aquarium lighthouse cruises.
“There’s a great passion and respect for the role that lighthouses have played in our maritime history, and interest in the different ways that they were designed and built,” said Tom Naiman, the Aquarium’s director of education. “These cruises are a great chance to see these unique structures up close and from the water.”
The March 12 cruise will pass by:
• Greens Ledge Lighthouse, a cast-iron “sparkplug” lighthouse southwest of the Norwalk harbor (and south of the Five Mile River). It was built in 1902 and automated in 1972.
• Sheffield Island Lighthouse, one of Norwalk’s iconic structures. Built in 1868, the granite-block lighthouse with a white lantern tower was deactivated in 1902 upon the debut of Greens Ledge Lighthouse. The Norwalk Seaport Association bought the lighthouse in 1986 and re-lit it in 2011, though not for navigational purposes.
• Harbor Ledge Lighthouse, also a cast-iron “sparkplug” lighthouse, stands on Chatham Rock near the entrance to Stamford harbor. Built in 1882, the light was deactivated in 1953 but remains active with an automated light.
• Great Captain Island Lighthouse, a light off Greenwich with a two-story granite keeper’s home and white lantern tower (similar to Sheffield Island). This light was built in 1868, replacing a stone version erected in 1829. It was deactivated in 1970, but has flashed with a non-navigational light since 2012.
• Execution Rocks Lighthouse, which stands on a rocky island of legend between Sands Point on Long Island and New Rochelle. Made of granite and painted white, the light was completed in 1849, first lit in 1850, had a keeper’s house added in 1868 and got its central brown band in 1895. The light was automated in 1979.
• Stepping Stones Lighthouse, built in 1876 off North Hempstead in the Victorian Second Empire style. The square red-brick keeper’s dwelling is topped by a mansard roof and attached to a square tower. Lit for the first time in 1877; automated in the mid-1960s. It’s the westernmost lighthouse on Long Island’s north shore.
• Sands Point Lighthouse, an octagonal tower made of coursed brownstone on a peninsula in North Hempstead. Built in 1809 with an adjoining keeper’s house, it was deactivated in 1922 and its beacon was moved to an automated steel skeleton tower nearby. Large mansions on the lighthouse property were owned by – among others – William Randolph Hearst.
• Eatons Neck Lighthouse, an octagonal sandstone tower that is one of only two 18th-century lighthouses still standing in New York. The light was built in 1798, renovated in 1868, electrified in 1921 and automated in 1961. It stands on the grounds of an active U.S. Coast Guard station.
All but the Sands Point Lighthouse are on the National Register of Historic Places.
Binoculars will be provided. Naiman said the Maritime Aquarium Lighthouse Cruises are a special photo opportunity for both lighthouse buffs and bird-watchers, so bring your camera.
Tickets are $75 (or $65 for Aquarium members). Participants can bring food and non-alcohohic beverages in a small bag or soft-sided cooler.
More “Western Long Island Sound Lighthouse Cruises” are planned for April 1 and May 6. A “Central Long Island Sound Lighthouse Cruise,” which will visit five beacons, is scheduled for April 15.
Maritime Aquarium Research Vessel Spirit of the Sound
The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk’s R/V Spirit of the Sound
A 64-foot catamaran, The Maritime Aquarium’s R/V Spirit of the Sound is the only research vessel in the country with hybrid-electric propulsion. She has a climate-controlled cabin but guests should dress for the weather because the best lighthouse viewing is outside on deck.
Advance reservations are required for all Aquarium lighthouse cruises. Reserve tickets online at the aquarium website or call (203) 852-0700, ext. 2206.