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South Fox Island Lighthouse

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Pictures and news summer 2007

A board meeting was held in Northport on July 10. The introduction of an auditable accounting system was approved. Stephanie Staley of the Grand Traverse Lighthouse Museum presented the current state of the Web cam project. Insurance issues, the problem of fuel cost, various PR and technical projects were discussed.

In the course of July, several outings to the South Fox light station were made on board Andy Thomas' Showboat. FILA members and Volunteer Lightkeepers of the Grand Traverse Lighthouse Museum worked on the preservation of several buildings. Access to the cast iron skeletal light tower, erected in 1934, was gained, and extensive photographic documentation of the fog signal building was begun.
 

Crew on the west beach
FILA board members and GTLHM Volunteer Lightkeepers on the way from the western beach to the light station. Please note Phil's wheel-less wheelbarrow.
 

Inside the fog signal house
Inside the fog signal building. Most of the original equipment (steam boilers, coal conveyors etc.) are now scattered along the beach to the boat house.
 

Foundation of the skeleton tower
Detail of the foundation of the 1934 skeleton tower after clearing the jungle.
 

Heavily damaged shed on the back side of the lighthouse
The annex to the back side of the historic lighthouse is about to collapse. Unfortunately, FILA is not allowed to do any structural changes, so this part of the building may soon be history.
 

FILA board members attended a meeting of the five lighthouses of the area, Grand Traverse Lighthouse Museum in Northport, Point Betsie in Frankfort, Mission Point on Old Mission, South Manitou Island and South Fox Island, for which kind of a coalition for closer cooperation is being planned.
 

FILA at the 5-lighthouse meeting
Phil von Voigtlander (left), Sandy Bradshaw
and H. Joerg Rothenberger at the meeting
of the five lighthouses in Traverse City.

On July 30, the Lightkeeper, FILA's own boat, had her maiden voyage  -  well, not really, but it was her first voyage under the new name and ownership anyway. She took eight people to South Fox and seven of them back to Northport the same day. Only minor problems were reported and immediately tackled.
 

The Lightkeeper in Northport Marina
The Lightkeeper in Northport Marina, July 25, 2007.
 

Lightkeeper ready for maiden voyage II
The Lightkeeper on July 30, ready for her second maiden voyage. 

Maiden voyage II: approaching the light
Approaching South Fox Island Lighthouse  -  FILA Captain Ron Fitzsimmons (right) at the helm, watched by FILA Captain George "Carp" Carpenter.

At anchor east of S. Fox Light Station
Lying at anchor off the beach east of the light station.
 

Hans Joerg Rothenberger
August 3, 2007
 

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