Here are a few photos of Sunset out at Graves Light, Friday evening, October 26th. Recall Graves light is the abandoned lighthouse on Graves Ledge, the outermost outcrop of rock in the outer Boston Harbor:
The Sun sets directly behind the light house in this picture, note the sillouette of the city skyline in the background:
Approaching the lighthouse and ledge:
Looking Southwest towards the city:
The city skyline behind the Northeast ledge of Graves:
This was one of the better sunsets I have seen out at Graves Light, since it was such a clear night and there were no clouds over land West of the city (which is uncommon).
Below is the approximate location by GPS where these photos were taken. Boaters who approach Graves Light should be very cautious given the underwater obstructions near by, particularly the Graves ledge which extends several hundred yards Northeast of the visible rocks near the lighthouse. This is somewhat visible in the char below, and is well marked at the end with a green can. The roaring bulls are another major boating danger in the area. Here is a link with a more detailed description.
Heading back home in a Southern direction:
Heading back home in Hingham Harbor as the sun goes down:
Very nice site indeed. There has been controversy over the name of Graves Ledge for eons, but I would take exception to the more-popular theory that it is named for the ‘graves’ of all the ships that were wrecked here over the last 400 years — including a rowboat in the 1980s when a grappling hook was lost and, despite major efforts to find it, was never recovered. Far more likely, the name is derived from Rear-Adm Thomas Graves [1605-1653], who made his first transatlantic crossing as early as 1628. He was mate of the Talbot, then the Arbella, John Winthrop’s flagship, and rising to skipper made innumerable crossings which brought the 10,000 Puritans to New England. He was master of the first American-built ship, the Tryall, on her 2nd voyage in June of 1643, and master of the James in 1635. Graves shoals They were ‘his’ because he was the first to avoid them, as would be pointed out to immigrants as they neared Boston. Commissioned in the Royal Navy by Oliver Cromwell, Graves was captain of the battleship White in the North Sea fighting the Dutch in 1653 when his ship caught fire, and he burnt to death on its deck; 630 men were lost. His family had settled in that part of Charlestown known today as Billerica — and many of his descendants are alive in New England today. Every year, some descendants light a fire to commemorate his death. His wife was from Harwich (Har-rich, thus our town of Harwich (Hah-wich). In any event, the ledge and light are far more likely to commemorate the Admiral than any ships that didn’t sink here because they were marked in Graves’ Ledge (possessive) from the very founding of Massachusetts (at Charlestown) in 1629, due largely to his oceanic efforts. Everyone wishes the new owners good luck … digging that tunnel to the mainland. (Might I recommend instead a boatswain’s tram with a man-sized wicker basket and a bottle of Madeira …?)