Along Cape Cod and other parts of the East Coast, there are old houses that used to serve as Life Saving Stations. The Life-Saving Service was the predecessor to the U.S. Coast Guard (the Life-Saving Service merged with Revenue Cutter Service in 1915 to create the U.S. Coast Guard) and was formed to rescue sailors and passengers from nearby shipwrecks. Stations were classified as life-saving, lifeboats, or houses of refuge. Each manned station was run by a Keeper (manager) that ran a tight ship (no pun intended). On the East Cod, the stations were generally manned from November to April, when shipwrecks were most likely to occur. Below is a short description from the US Life-Saving Service Heritage Association:
"The Keeper and surfmen had a daily rigid schedule that was standard throughout the service. The primary responsibility was to be on constant watch for ships in distress and to keep a record of passing vessels. On clear days, from sunrise to sunset, a surfman on day watch always manned the lookout tower. At night and on foggy days, the men walked beach patrol. They would light coston signal flares to warn off ships straying too close to the shore. While men with small-boat-handling experience were wanted in the service, it took extensive training and continual practice to be able to successfully launch a lifeboat or surfboat in heavy seas and shoot the Lyle Gun to a ship offshore to set up the breeches buoy. Just about every day required some sort of practice to be performed. Along with these practices were cooking, cleaning and maintenance and keeping things in good order. The men took turns serving as the cook."
This Life-Saving Station at Raceway Point was one of the initial nine station in the Cape Cod area. It was built in 1872 but was to Raceway Point in the late 1970's to accommodate more staff. The original building (shown) serves as an education center, but there is a working station less than 1/2 mile from this location.
A boat used to rescue sailors and passengers... It's named Nauset, which is the marsh I kayaked in the same weekend
The Lyle Gun was shot out to the ship like a cannon ball. The metal "bullet" was meant to serve as an anchor to assist in bringing men ashore.
The "Breeches Buoy" was passed back and forth between the boat and land using a rope and pulley system. The man being rescued put his legs through holes in the lining (you can't see these) and wore the life-preserver like a pair of pants.
The entrance to the beach
You have to be careful where you walk. There are lots of protected nesting areas for the piping plover, an endangered series of birds found both in the Great Lakes and along the Atlantic Coast. Their eggs are camouflaged so well you wouldn't know you saw one until you stepped on it. Click here to see piping plover pictures (say that five times fast!).
It was a little breezy and cool... perfect weather for enjoying a quiet day at the beach
Definitely not your typical "beach scene".... there are lots of marsh grasses and reeds
We only saw a handful of people on this part of the beach (most of them were walking with their dog- Izzie would have a blast here). Along with not being the warmest weather, we were at the very last beach at the tip of Cape Cod.
Just in case you're suspicious.... Yes, I was actually here and took these pictures
The water was much colder than what it looks like here
Last but not least, my new favorite picture (and currently my computer background)
It's taken me almost a year to get comfortable with Rhode Island and New England (but mainly RI), but now that I'm ready for some real exploring, it's time for me to pack up and leave (only 7 weeks left of my residency!). My adventurous solo trips have been part of what has made this year so special, and Cape Cod was no exception.
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