lighthouses.........................from P

I had no idea there were that many. You cannot swing a muddy anchor without hitting a lighthouse in the Chesapeake Bay. The fascinating thing is that all of them were built between the late 1800s and the 1950s. 150 years of serious lighthouse construction. When you sail around the bay you can appreciate why they had to be built. The average depth of the bay is just 21 feet (really!) with the deepest parts in the Tangier Sound (90 to 100 ft) and one area east of Annapolis which hits 100 feet. When you cross ship channels in the middle of the bay you see readings of 50 or 60 feet. Everywhere else, your main concern is running out of water and sticking the keel in the mud. We have to keep a sharp eye on the charts when rounding a point or entering any inlet. Most times we are happy skipping along in 12 to 20 feet of water. So no wonder lighthouses sprouted like seaweed tandemly with the blooming of the shipping industry. Every significant point and inlet needed one - and most times you can see old shipwrecks on the chart near an old lighthouse. Always makes me wonder, which came first?

I have a child-like fascination with these lighthouses. Each time I spot one I ask K to veer over toward it so I can get a closer look. About half the time I can find the camera and snap a picture. I have posted these pics below. The most northerly one is first, and they go in order to the most southerly last. This is only about half of the ones we have seen in the bay alone, not including the many around home in the Hampton Roads Harbor:

Turkey Point Cliffs Light

at the entrance of the

Elk River a few miles south
of the C&D canal entrance

North Point Light

north of the Patapsco River

There's mud back there

Baltimore Light

at Bodkin Point

southern entrance to

the Patapsco River

Bennett Point

entrance to the Wye River

just north of St. Michaels

This looks like private property

with a gorgeous home to the right

Bloody Point Light

at the entrance of Eastern Bay

in the NE Chesapeake

Sandy Point Light

just NW of the Bay Bridge

above Annapolis

Thomas Point Shoal Light

my favorite

the prettiest lighthouse on the bay

SE of Annapolis

There's big rocks there!

The Cross

at the entrance to Horseshoe Cove

in St. Mary's River

what a beautiful promontory

"Marley Beach Light"

on a great little beach in the

Yeocomico River. OK, maybe some

kids built this over the summer.

Cannot find "Marley Beach" on

the chart either.

New Point Comfort Light

Southeastern tip of the

entrance to Mobjack Bay

Tue Marsh Light

Southern entrance to

the York River

OK this one is more modern

but not as romantic

Cape Charles Light

at the southern end of

Virginia's Eastern Shore

Osprey standing guard on

a lighted channel marker

OK its not a lighthouse

but what a great shot!