Here's a photo I took of Long Point Light on the way to Port Dover. The tip of Long Point Peninsula sticks about 25 miles out into Lake Erie. Over the years, so many ships and lives were being lost in those waters that a light was finally constructed to alert mariners of the treacherous shoals and sandbars surrounding the area. The present light was built in 1916 and has stood as a silent sentinel on that lonely peninsula for over 90 years. It is the third light at the site, replacing structures built in 1833 and 1843 respectively. It stands one hundred and two feet tall and its light is visible across the lake to Erie.
On the passage across the lake to Dover, Long Point is an important waypoint. Once you pass the light, you alter course to port and you're on your way to Dover! You have to give it a wide berth since there's a hidden sandbar that extends eastward several hundred yards. If you're not careful, you can easily run aground. I stay a mile or so off the point where I have plenty of depth under my keel.
How do you get to the lighthouse via land? Is there a road on the peninsula?
ReplyDeleteHI Brian,
ReplyDeleteInterestingly, there is no road that goes all the way out to the lighthouse. On the western part of Longpoint, there's a Provincial Park similar to Presque Isle with all the amenities - beaches, facilities, etc. But the eastern half of the peninsula is privately owned by an exclusive hunting club that goes back to some of the industrial moguls of the late 19th century. They have private hunting lodges there and a private road will get you there, but you have to be a member. Very exclusive. The lighthouse itself can only be accessed by boat if you are part of the great unwashed.