Thacher Island - Flowers

 I remember the first time I came on the island, I had decided that I had found a magical island. Everywhere you turn is a perfect photo moment. This post is going to highlight the natural photos found on the island.

Loosestrife

Great Willowherb

Thistle

Turnipweed

Yarrow

Goldenrod

Morning Glory

Rugosa Rose

Daylilies

Loosestrife

Thacher Island - Landing a Boat

 Part of our duties well-being on Thacher Island is to land the visitor/work crew boats and to launch them. Visitors come out on Wednesdays and Saturdays, typically 4 boatloads. The visitors will have 2 hours to stay on the island. On Wednesdays, there are usually 2 extra boats (sometimes 3) bringing out docents and work crew. The following photos will show the steps to land a boat. The captain is Seth, crew mates are Meredith and Rich.

Thacher Island II approaches the island and ties off on a mooring buoy.

Meredith throws out the front harness.

Scotty attaches the winch line to the front harness.

When the dock person has their arm up in the air rotating, it means pull the line up. The dock person gets their cues from the boat captain.

The dock person crosses their arms in the air which means stop.

Scotty is looking under the boat to see if the back wheels are on the ramp.

Scotty puts the cleat on the ramp. Rowan will do the same on his side. Meredith wraps the line around a hitch on the boat.

Now that the boat is secure with the 2 cleats, Scotty gives the signal to let out the line. (Downward rotating motion).

Scotty brings the winch line up a but on the ramp. We want it loose. If it were tight, somebody could trip and get hurt.

Scotty gets the front  harness line thrown at the very beginning to give back to Meredith.

Our visitors have arrived!

This is me operating the winch. I stand behind the metal cage in case the line comes flying back. 

Thacher Island - Lighthouses

There are 2 lighthouses on the island. And with that, I’ll share the chatter we heard on the maritime radio today, “They’re a bit greedy there, aren’t they - having two lighthouses?” (And read that in a British accent.)

Originally built in 1771, the current towers were constructed in 1861 and stand 124 feet tall with 156 steps to the top. The lighthouses were initially built to mark a dangerous navigational hazard, the "Londoner" reef, and were the last lighthouses built under British rule.

Twin Lighthouses or ‘Cape Anne’s eyes”

Pole indicating the Londoner Reef

South Tower at Dusk

North Tower with Loosestrife Flowers

View of the North Tower from the South Tower

Looking South from the South Tower

Window in the South Tower

There are 156 steps to the top and my goal is to climb the South Tower each day.

Thacher Island - Gulls

 One of the first things that overwhelms you when arriving on Thacher Island is the sheer number of gulls—and the constant squawking that comes with them. They start around 4 a.m. and don’t let up until about 10 at night.

There are two main types of gulls on the island: the herring gull and the great black-backed gull.

Herring Gull

Black-Back Gull

As noisy and aggressive as they can be, it’s important to remember—we’re the visitors here. This is their natural habitat.

Over time, you begin to recognize their behavior and patterns. When we arrive for the season, most of the chicks have already hatched, though occasionally we’ll see a mother still sitting on an egg.

 If a mama us sitting on an egg, she will vigorously protect the egg and squawk at you to stay away or swoop down at you if you’re close to her baby.

Just as there is new life on the island, there’s also death. It’s not unusual to come across a dead gull along a trail. 

By the next day, all that’s left is a pile of feathers—evidence of how quickly scavengers, often other gulls, take over. 

Watching them fight and steal from each other, you start to realize that gulls aren’t just loud—they can be downright mean.

Working - Thacher Island

 There are no launch boats or visitors that come out on Sundays, which in island terms means one thing: workday for the keepers. What’s unusual this year is that there are ten of us here - a crew that is ready to work. Since the island was left in great shape (thank you, previous keepers!). We decided to concentrate our efforts on the boathouse area. Rather than writing about our work, I’ll include photos (of course).

Arrival - Thacher Island

 This is our sixth year on the island, and in all that time, I’ve never kept a daily blog — mostly because we’re always so busy, and by the end of each day, I’m too tired to write. But this year, I’m going to try. My goal is to focus on one aspect of island life each day, and today, it’s all about the arrival.

We pulled into Granite Pier in Rockport around 7:20 AM. The wharf was already coming to life — boat captains and their crews.There’s nothing quite like the welcome we receive. Hugs all around, familiar faces, and that comforting sense of being truly welcomed back — not just as visitors, but as returning members of the island community.

We carried our supplies down the long ramp, where they were loaded onto the boat. Dave was our captain today, with Rich and Sebastian as his crew. This is the third year in a row we’ve made the trip out with the Kitchen family — Lowell and his two boys, Rowan and Henry. Also aboard were Diane and Paula, two of the island’s docents.

Even after six years, I still get a little tingle when I catch my first glimpse of the twin lighthouses. They’re more than just landmarks now — to me, they’ve come to symbolize two weeks of beauty, purpose, and community.