Keeping the light
Puffin Island has one of only five manned remote lighthouses left in N.L.
A helicopter, its blades turning at about 400 revolutions per minute, hovers above the northern shores of Bonavista Bay on an early October morning.
Its destination: Puffin Island, which has one of only five remaining manned remote lighthouses in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Its cargo: supplies and a turnaround crew for the lighthouse, located just south of Greenspond.
As the small, desolate island comes into view, the pilot begins his descent. Less than a kilometre in circumference, its only occupants are the lightkeepers, who have been stationed on the island for 145 years, since the island’s first lighthouse went into operation in 1873.
Finishing a 28-day shift, principal lightkeeper Craig Burry meets the replacements. He exchanges a few pleasantries and sets to work unloading the supplies, namely drinking water. Apart from rain collection, the island is too small to maintain a fresh water supply.
Once the task is completed, he sets about showing off the lighthouse’s amenities. Leading the charge is Molly, a three-year-old black Labrador retriever Burry calls his “lighthouse dog.”
“They used to keep dogs on the island years ago,” he said as he walked, but Molly always makes the trip back home to Wesleyville. “They’re great companionship.”
As he reaches the power station and pulls the door open, his companion barrels off to the side, frolicking through the grass. The inner workings of a lighthouse are a low priority for Molly, but inside is the heart of the entire operation.
When Burry started in 1993, the facility was diesel dependent. While the generator is still in place, green energy — five wind turbines and solar panels feeding a large battery bank — supplies the bulk of the lighthouse’s power needs.
“We probably only need the generator for about an hour a day now,” he says.
With everything looking shipshape, Burry heads across the path to the lighthouse. Molly is nearby greeting the new crew.
Daily routine
Burry climbs the metal stairs, as so many times before throughout his 25-year career, and gives the automated lamp a quick inspection.
While the keepers don’t dabble with the electronic component of the lamp, they are responsible for minor repairs, such as changing bulbs.
But it’s just one small aspect of the daily routine. On top of keeping vigil and relaying information to fishermen, the lightkeepers are responsible for maintaining the power supply so the light never fades. This involves constantly inspecting windmills, solar panels, batteries, and engine oil and fuel levels, which are documented in daily logs.
Furthermore, the lightkeepers are responsible for the upkeep of the lighthouse facilities, painting and cutting grass, and are trained for emergency response should the worst happen.
However, his job was nearly eliminated in 2009, after the Canadian Coast Guard looked at removing staffed positions from lighthouses throughout the country.
Crucial
Ultimately, a Senate review and an intense public backlash staved off the terminations. Release of the Senate report in 2010 indicated the many functions of lighthouse keepers are crucial in maintaining marine safety and sovereignty.
According to CTV News, the late Bill Rompkey, who chaired the Senate committee, told reporters at the time, “We’re suggesting that those that are there now stay — keep the keepers.”
Burry maintains it was the right decision.
“Safety is our number one priority,” he said, adding that having personnel on hand allows for a speedier response.
“How can you put a price on life?” he said.
Continuing the tour, Burry makes his way toward the boathouse, where an emergency vessel is ready and waiting.
Keeping busy
Along the path, he notes fencing that has long dried out and faded, remnants of the time he tried to establish a root vegetable garden during his spare time.
“Field mice kept destroying it, so I had no other choice but to give up on it,” he said.
But keeping busy during idle time is the key to it all, he said.
While Puffin Island maintains two lightkeepers to a shift, and he has Molly at his side, life as a lightkeeper is lonely work, especially when there’s a wife and two children back home.
“It’s hard,” he says about being away. “Don’t get me wrong, I love my job, but it always seems like you’re missing something important, family events and get-togethers.
“But it goes with the job and you learn to live with it.”
While technological advancements have threatened his job, Burry sees some merit in modernization, as it has allowed him to keep in constant contact with his family – with internet and cellphone service to bridge the gap. There’s even satellite television to keep abreast of the latest happenings and world events. It is a big step up from his early years, when there was only a two-in-one fax machine/ telephone.
But ultimately his saving grace, during down time, has been his hobbies. To keep his hands from becoming idle, he builds Coast Guard ship replicas, model lighthouses and, his latest creation, a dartboard case.
“There’s not too much I haven’t tried, to tell you the truth,” he said.
With everything on an even keel and the new crew settled in, Burry says his goodbyes and heads for the chopper to spend four weeks with his family.
Nearing the helipad, he gives the call and Molly comes tumbling through the grass — one last inspection of the island before their turnaround starts — climbs the steps and jumps aboard.
Pulling away from Puffin Island, the two look out the window to the lighthouse below. There are no words coming through Burry’s intercom, but the look says it all: see you again in 28 days.