Lighthouse Cruises
General Information:
We are now accepting reservations for guided cruises to the lighthouses of Eastern Long Island that are best viewed from the water. Your guide will be Carol House, a Director and founding member of the U.S. Lighthouse Society, Long Island Chapter. You and your party (up to a total of 6 people) plan your itinerary, your time and your photo opportunities for the ultimate custom cruise. Captain Jim House has over 24 years of experience on the local waters. The Coyote (click here) is a 31’ JC vessel with a spacious cabin, a large cockpit and full safety and navigation equipment to assure your safety and comfort. We sail from Orient Point, NY, from May to early December. Catered hot meals are available from the renowned Orient By The Sea Restaurant (www.orientbythesea.com): Phone: 631-323-2424).
Approximate Location of Lighthouses:
The Chart below shows the approximate location of lighthouses on the various cruises. Cruises leave from the Orient by the Sea Marina and Restaurant.:
Cruises:
Eastward bound Cruise: 3 hours; $350. See Orient Point (“Coffee Pot”), Plum Island, Little Gull and Race Rock lighthouses.
Extended Eastward Bound Cruise: 4 Hours $450. See Orient Point (“Coffee Pot”), Plum Island, Little Gull, Race Rock, Latimer Reef and North Dumpling lighthouses.
Deluxe Lighthouse Cruise: 5 hours, $550. See Cedar Point, Long Beach Bar (“Bug Light”), Orient Point (“Coffee Pot”), Plum Island, Little Gull, Race Rock, Latimer Reef and North Dumpling lighthouses.
How to Make a Reservation:
Please call Captain Jim House or Carol House at 631-734-6288, or E-Mail us, to arrange a charter. You may print out a charter contract (click here) and fill it in after a date and time is agreed upon. Then mail the contract, with the deposit, to the address on the contract.
Photos of lighthouses on various cruises:
Orient Point: Built in 1899, this sturdy “sparkplug” style cast iron lighthouse has a unique lantern room, with the astrals charmingly set on the diagonal to form diamonds.
Plum Island: Erosion continues to threaten the handsome 1869 granite structure, which won NYS recommendation to the National Register of Historic Places last year.
Cedar Island: Tiny Cedar Island became a peninsula off the north shore of the South Fork during the hurricane of September 1938. This lighthouse is now under the stewardship of U.S. Lighthouse Society, Long Island Chapter.
Little Gull: The huge 2nd order Fresnel lens remained in the tower from 1867 to 1995, when it was removed and put on display at the East End Seaport Maritime Museum in Greenport.
Race Rock: The foundation was made by Francis Hopkington Smith, who also made the base for the Statue of Liberty; the foundation and lighthouse cost $278,718 in 1878.
North Dumpling: The private owner of North Dumpling Lighthouse calls himself “Lord Dumpling” and has his own currency, his own navy and honors a nonaggression pact with Connecticut.
Photos to come for:
Long Beach Bar “Bug Light”: The original Long Beach Bar Lighthouse rested on a metal frame, called a screw pile foundation, that gave it a bug like silhouette until the base was enclosed to install central heat in 1924.
Latimer Reef: Latimer Reef is the oldest operating cast iron lighthouse on Long Island, having been built in 1884.