Beacon back shining brightly on ‘Bug’ Lighthouse
Thanks to a neighbor who noticed that the beacon atop the Long Beach Bar “Bug” Lighthouse had gone out, East End Seaport Museum and Marine Foundation members and Coast Guard officials responded quickly Monday and the light is again shining brightly and blinking every four seconds, as it is designed to do.
“A lot of people depend on that light,” said Ted Webb, president of East End Seaport. With the rainy and foggy weather over the last few weeks, it was critical to get the light functioning quickly, he said.
Joseph Corrarino of Greenport can view Bug Light from his bayfront home, but on Friday night he was out fishing with friends when he noticed the light was off.
“We were returning from the Race to Greenport at approximately 11 p.m. that evening [and] as we paralleled Long Beach, we anticipated seeing Bug’s beacon as we followed our charted course,” he said.
He and his friend thought it was odd not to see the flickering beacon as rounded a the Long Beach shoreline.
“Ultimately we saw Bug’s silhouette absent her beacon,” he said.
On both Saturday and Sunday nights, looking out at the light from his home, Mr. Corrarino was able to confirm that the light was off.
“I didn’t want to just assume that those in charge knew the light was off,” he said.
Having taken a lighthouse cruise several years earlier, he was familiar with the foundation’s stewardship and on Monday, he called to report the problem.
Mr. Webb said he’s grateful to Mr. Corrarino for making the effort that resulted in getting the beacon restored.
“Bug is one of the most beautiful lighthouses,” Mr. Corrarino told Mr. Webb.
Mr. Webb quickly got the word out to others on the foundation board that the beacon was repaired.
“Our favorite lighthouse is ‘blinking’ again and performing its job: warning sailors away from a dangerous reef and serving as a ‘welcome home’ to those returning to our shores,” he wrote in an email to his colleagues.
