gros cap crib lightstation, ontario
The Gros Cap Reef Lighthouse (officially, the Canadian Coast Guard Gros Cap Crib Lightstation) at the Whitefish Bay entrance to the St. Marys River is 20 kilometers / 12 miles west of Sault Ste Marie. The Lightstation lies 3 kilometers / 2 miles offshore from the hamlet of Gros Cap, Ontario and lies 4 kilometers / 2.5 miles offshore from Michigan’s Point Iroquois lighthouse.
Built by the Canadian Government in 1953, it replaced a lightship anchored offshore. The three-storey tiered red and white square concrete structure (height above the water, 18 meters / 59 feet) rests upon a concrete crib / pier which in turn rests upon the shallow Gros Cap reef (reef water depth depth, 5-7 meters / 17-24 feet; the nearby shipping channel depth, 10 meters / 30 feet; water depth 1 kilometer / 1/2 mile northwest, 30 meters / 100 feet). To lessen the destructive impact of moving ice floes and/or storms, from Lake Superior, the lighthouse has a unique plow shape or “ice nose” at its front. Originally, the lighthouse required a staff of three keepers at any one time; in the 1980’s, the keepers were replaced when the lighthouse was automated and converted to a unmanned lightstation. A helipad was also added at this time. A tower mounted non directional approach beacon, connected to the Sault Ste. Marie Airport, has also been removed from the lightstation. Currently, the lightstation has a radio beacon, fog signal, and light; the light flashes every five seconds and is visible for 20 kilometers / 12 miles.
The coldest / harshest winter in 37 years has led to +90% ice coverage of the Great Lakes. Weather conditions at the time: temperature -11°C, wind 26 km/h, windchill -20°C; 12°F, 16mph, -4°F. Looking east towards the St. Marys River and the distant Ontario shoreline, as the sun sets in the west; four second exposure as night falls.
gros cap crib lightstation, ontario
The Gros Cap Reef Lighthouse (officially, the Canadian Coast Guard Gros Cap Crib Lightstation) at the Whitefish Bay entrance to the St. Marys River is 20 kilometers / 12 miles west of Sault Ste Marie. The Lightstation lies 3 kilometers / 2 miles offshore from the hamlet of Gros Cap, Ontario and lies 4 kilometers / 2.5 miles offshore from Michigan’s Point Iroquois lighthouse.
Built by the Canadian Government in 1953, it replaced a lightship anchored offshore. The three-storey tiered red and white square concrete structure (height above the water, 18 meters / 59 feet) rests upon a concrete crib / pier which in turn rests upon the shallow Gros Cap reef (reef water depth depth, 5-7 meters / 17-24 feet; the nearby shipping channel depth, 10 meters / 30 feet; water depth 1 kilometer / 1/2 mile northwest, 30 meters / 100 feet). To lessen the destructive impact of moving ice floes and/or storms, from Lake Superior, the lighthouse has a unique plow shape or “ice nose” at its front. Originally, the lighthouse required a staff of three keepers at any one time; in the 1980’s, the keepers were replaced when the lighthouse was automated and converted to a unmanned lightstation. A helipad was also added at this time. A tower mounted non directional approach beacon, connected to the Sault Ste. Marie Airport, has also been removed from the lightstation. Currently, the lightstation has a radio beacon, fog signal, and light; the light flashes every five seconds and is visible for 20 kilometers / 12 miles.
The coldest / harshest winter in 37 years has led to +90% ice coverage of the Great Lakes. Weather conditions at the time: temperature -11°C, wind 26 km/h, windchill -20°C; 12°F, 16mph, -4°F. Looking east towards the St. Marys River and the distant Ontario shoreline, as the sun sets in the west; four second exposure as night falls.