June 2010 MAINE COASTAL NEWS Page 19. LIGHTHOUSE NEWS Continued from Page 19.
from an FY09 $380,000 federal appropriation secured by Senator Collins for the preservation of federally-owned lights under the care of ALF.
The United States Coast Guard, which maintains ownership of Owls Head Lighthouse and licenses the tower to the American Lighthouse Foundation for preservation and educational purposes, is funding a separate project to restore the lantern of the lighthouse.
The $168,000 Coast Guard project, which has been contracted to KGCI, Inc. of Saugus, Massachusetts, will allow for the historic restoration of the lantern’s exterior and interior ironwork, as well as the lantern’s windowpanes, parapet masonry floor, exterior iron railing system and the granite gallery that supports the lantern.
Both the ALF and USCG projects are expected to be completed by July 2010 and have been approved by the Maine Historic Preservation Commission, who ensures historic restoration projects such as Owls Head Lighthouse, meet the U.S. Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Preservation. During the restoration project that is presently underway, the staircase leading up to the lighthouse will be closed to the public.
“This is an exciting and historic time in the history of Owls Head Light,” said Bob Trapani, Jr., American Lighthouse Foundation executive director. “The work that ALF and the Coast Guard are teaming up to undertake will ensure that this lighthouse remains preserved for the public’s enjoyment well into the future.” Trapani went on to note, “Though the days of the traditional lightkeepers have passed, there remains solidly in place the
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I enjoyed sailing multihulls. I hadn’t sailed them much before this and we really had to go all out and learn how to sail these kind of boats. So that was very satisfying. There was a lot of learning involved and I always enjoy that. The hardest part was the uncertainty and having to constantly make changes and adjustments because of the court issues. But we had to do it, we did it well as a team, and ultimately we were successful. What was it about the 1983 America’s Cup that inspired you to want to compete in this race?
I can remember watching it on TV as a kid. All the other kids were out doing fun stuff outside and I remember being the only one staying in to watch it on TV. It was a really big moment, not just in sailing, and not even just in sport. I went beyond that. I can still remem- ber thinking as I was watching that one day I want to do that.
So much occurred in the first few minutes of race one at the America’s Cup. What was the adrenaline like on board?
I think as a team we were mentally pre- pared to start and excited to get racing after all the build-up and hype. It was an exciting start. We made a few mistakes, but every- thing was relatively calm on board. Everyone was pretty focused on their job. We just really
didn’t have any idea whether we would be faster or they would be. You can only do so much in your testing and until you line up, you don’t know. But a minute or two after we got going it was clear we were higher and faster in certain conditions.
Have you ever sailed in any of US SAILING’s National Championships? If so, which ones and when?
I haven’t done anything recently, but in 1981 I won US SAILING’s U.S. Junior Cham- pionships (now referred to as US SAILING’s Chubb U.S. Junior Championships) for the Richmond Yacht Club. And in 1982 I won US SAILING’s Championship of Champions. That was the year I won the Sunfish worlds and the Championship of Champions hap- pened to be in the Sunfish so I was quite fortunate.
How does your tactical knowledge for inshore racing translate to offshore, and vice versa?
In most cases, the two don’t really trans- fer too much. The VOR (Volvo Ocean Race) of course is really long distance racing and inshore racing like the America’s Cup is very different. But in terms of developing a boat, there are a lot of similarities. This last time, in developing the trimaran for BMW ORACLE Racing was a similar process in many ways with what you do with a Volvo boat. There’s a lot of testing and a lot of trial and error. And
presence of ‘keepers of the lights.’ The Owls Head project personifies this notion to the fullest as the Coast Guard and the American Lighthouse Foundation, who each possess an important role in the modern day history at this site, work side by side for the good of the lighthouse.”
“The simultaneous facilitation of this complex restoration work by the two entities is also noteworthy, for such projects don’t just happen without a great deal of teamwork. There has been a lot of communication, planning and coordination between the USCG and ALF to allow for this opportunity at hand.”
To learn more about the current Owls Head Lighthouse restoration project, the American Lighthouse Foundation’s mission or when you can visit ALF’s Interpretive Center and Gift Store at 464 Main Street in Rockland, call (207) 594-4174 or visit online at:
www.LighthouseFoundation.org
the things you test for offshore usually make big differences and that was the same with the trimaran.
Where do you get this passion for the sport that you share with our members? I started sailing at age three in San Fran- cisco with my parents then joined a junior program in the Bay area sailing on my own in a little Pram and basically graduated through bigger dinghies. And at the same time I would sail with my father on small keelboats. So from a young age, I really enjoyed it and was keen to go sailing every day I could.
In terms of racing, I certainly didn’t start by winning, but I was always competitive and enjoyed it and liked the learning process.
Local residents interested in volunteering at Owls Head Lighthouse in 2010 and beyond are encouraged to contact the Friends of Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse (FRBL).
FRBL, a chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation, has been designated by ALF with the local care of Owls Head Light, including its on-site educational programs.
FRBL volunteers have worked the past two years to open Owls Head Lighthouse periodically to the general public for educational tours, and will continue with this effort in 2010 following the completion of the current restoration projects at the site. To learn more about the Friends of Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse or how you can volunteer at Owls Head Lighthouse in 2010, call (207) 542-7574 or visit online at:
www.rocklandlighthouse.com
US SAILING’s Interview with Tactician John Kostecki
Now, I still love sailing in good, exciting venues with fair sailing and good competi- tion.
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