STATEN ISLAND

In the course of research, I compiled a list of local lights. With beautiful weather and not due at work until 3PM, it was the perfect day to accomplish this shoot. These were lights around Staten Island, NY, both on land and in lower NY Harbor. I had seen two before. This was the plan of attack.

• Great Beds
• Prince's Bay
• Old Orchard Shoal
• Romer Shoal (Possible)
• Staten Island Rear Range
• New Dorp (Boyle Street)
• Fort Wadsworth

It was a warm day. Two lights I hadn't seen in fifteen years. When still living in Bergen County (NJ) I wrote the Staten Island Boro President regarding lighthouses on the island. Writing back, he mentioned two. Kochel mentioned four on land plus a couple just off shore.

However, the trip would begin with a stop in New Jersey...

Very few miles from where I work is the town of Perth Amboy (NJ). Great Beds Light, sitting in the Raritan River, can be seen from here. Last Spring I took several shots from Cliffwood Beach (NJ) but Kochel said I could get closer. Directions took me through downtown and signs were everywhere announcing the renaissance of Perth Amboy. Taking Smith Street to the end, I turned right at the "Ferry to Tottenville" NY) sign. A drive along the water brought GREAT BEDS LIGHT into view.

Two wharves extended into the river. The municipal pier, fronting a restaurant, still left me a distance away. Another pier was behind a fence for the Raritan Bay Yacht Club telling all that "Tresspassers will be Prosecuted." Soooo...I put my head down and walked out as far as I could. I took my pictures of the white tower in the middle of the river. I headed back. I was now saying hello to everyone I passed. It didn't appear that the Commodore was in.

The light was just beyond the harbor; small, white and conical. The view was closer than from the other side but still not a full framer. There was little I could do but point and shoot. Distance diminshes creativity. I did try framing some of the yachts with the light. The toughest attempts were those from the end of the pier. It was bouncing with the movement of the water.

Retreating to the car I may have intruded on two who wished their privacy. The municipal lot was large. Parked at one end was a couple a little past middle age. Woo was being pitched...rather ardently. It was nothing I wanted to catch. I hurried past them.

PRINCE'S BAY

The Outerbridge Crossing connects Perth Amboy with Staten Island (NY). All lights mentioned on the island use Hylan Boulevard as a reference. That has to make life easier.

I tried PRINCE'S BAY once before, and I wasn't sure I was successful. Located on the private property of Mount Loretto, it is off limits to light seekers. Kochel described a viewing spot across the bay. Turning right off Hylan, you drive the road to where it turns into a gravel path. You park and walk the short way to the beach. Reaching the sand I looked back across the bay. I still couldn't discern a lighthouse, just like last time. I aimed at the structure most resembled a tower. I didn't shoot a lot of film but today was more clear than on my previous attempt. If there was a light to be seen, I got it.

OLD ORCHARD SHOAL

An off shore caisson light, OLD ORCHARD SHOAL, in lower New York Bay, could be seen from the Gateway National Recreation Area, the same park system as Sandy Hook. It was visible, yet too far off shore to see details. I took a couple of shots and also noticed a speck of a light to the north. I'm guessing this was the light at ROMER SHOAL, but is was way...way off in the distance.

I first visited here over fifteen years ago. Uniqueness made it an immediate favorite. The STATEN ISLAND REAR RANGE LIGHT is a classic light in an unclassic setting. Constructed of ivory colored bricks, it is located off Lighthouse Road on Lighthouse Hill surrounded by beautiful expensive homes. I missed the road on the first pass, just like at New London. Years ago there were few homes obstructing a view. This time, many, many luxury homes surrounded the area. I skulked around a lot of private property as well as the gravel path that encircles the light. Thank the Lord for wide angle lens.

Now a private residence, NEW DORP was the other light mentioned by the Boro President so many years ago. On Boyle Street, it was in plain sight then. Now it is totally hidden by trees. Not wanting to intrude I walked the driveway a little way up, only to where I could tell the shape of the structure thru the trees. I took a couple of shots. Nothing classical here, it was a house with a square light room built on one corner. What I would find out after was that there is a resemblance between this and Chapel Hill(NJ) Light and that will help when I finally locate that one. I wasn't here long at all.

Last on my list, directions to FORT WADSWORTH said to proceed thru the gate at the fort. The sentry had other ideas. He was nice about it. I asked if he had any suggestions. He pointed to an adjoining park and said if I walked the path to the end, about a quarter mile, I would get an unobstructed view. What he didn't say was how magnificent the view would be. The light WASN'T spectacular, a lantern room on top of the water-facing armament wall. The setting WAS spectacular, in the shadow of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. I took a couple of beautiful shots with ships passing behind the light, under the span, and as a bonus, looking left, was a postcard view of the NYC skyline. It was a great way to end the trip.

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Email: spotncrokr@aol.com