Thacher Island Art & Photo Days - Sunrise!

If you are interested in attending this meetup, you must RSVP ASAP. Spaces go very quickly!! Detailed Information for the 2010 Art & Photo Days on Thacher Island has just been released! This year we're doing something very different... we'll shoot the sunrise on Thacher Island! A unique experience, not one that many photographers get an opportunity to experience. There are limited spaces available. I can't guarantee your spot on the boat as this event is open to the public, so please RSVP quickly. If you're interested in taking one of the regular launches, 8am-9am-10am, please contact the Thacher Island Association directly. Where to meet: T-Wharf by the Sandy Bay Yacht Club, Rockport Event location: Thacher Island, Rockport When: Saturday, August 7, 2010 (August Rain Date) Launch Departure from T-Wharf: 4a.m. Be sure to arrive 15 minutes before departure, the boat will not wait for you! Launch Return to T-Wharf: Between 7:30-9:45a.m. (I'll firm up the time as we get closer) Cost: $25 donation to the Thacher Island Association (+$1 to cover the Paypal Fee). beverages will be supplied. (must be paid before I can reserve your spot!) Sorry, NO REFUNDS. The fee is a donation to the Association, it is not refundable if you can't attend. Each CAPE Group member who plans to participate in this event needs to RSVP as soon as possible. A $25 donation payable to the Thacher Island Association is required, and must be paid in advance. Reservations on the launch can't be held without the donation! Please understand that the launch holds a maximum of 15 passengers so we need to reserve very quickly! Reservation and Donation Information Because we plan to attend as a group I will collect member names and the donations. However, the Association will not reserve space on the launch without payment. Without your payment I can't secure you a space on the launch! Space is first come, first served. Donations can be sent to me via Paypal. **Please note**: Donations to the Thacher Island Association are NOT refundable. Also, the Association was unable to find a venue for the Art & Photo show this year so it will not take place. However, those who go to the island this year will be given priority for next year's show. Suggested Items to Bring: Photography Equipment Water/Snacks Jacket Comfortable shoes for long walk About Thacher Island Standing one hundred and sixty feet above the sea, the twin lighthouses of Thacher Island have stood guard over the coasts of Cape Ann ,Massachusetts , since 1771. Anchored firmly on granite ledge, they overlook a fifty acre island, set three quarters of a mile off-shore from the Town of Rockport and its picturesque harbor. Providing support to these sentinels of the sea are a complex of keeper�s quarters, trails, oil houses, granite storage buildings and slate roofed oil house and barn. A landing ramp and boathouse provide access to the island, and a network of railroad tracks and trestles, complete with a turntable was used to haul coal and oil to the old whistle house, where steam was used to generate the powerful fog signal. Scenic trails take the visitor past rugged granite ledge, old graveyard, and high gravel bluffs overlooking cobble beaches. In the spring, the island is home to nesting colony of Herring Gull and Great-black-backed Gulls, and nests filled with eggs and chicks abound. The North Tower , which has been restored and relighted by the Thacher Island Association, with the help of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, is accessible and open to the visitor. From the catwalk or lamp room, scenic vistas unfold, from the Boston skyline thirty-five miles to the southwest, to the shores of New Hampshire , and the peak of Mount Agamenticus on the coast of Maine to the north-west. The South Tower is still operated as an official aid to navigation by the U.S.Coast Guard and its blinking red light may be seen for miles. The North Tower is operated by the Association as a solar powered amber light and maintained as a courtesy and memorial to mariners past and present. These towers are America's last and only operating twin lighthouses and mark a very significant time in our country�s maritime history. The Cape Ann Light Station at Thacher Island has been designated a National Historic Landmark by the U.S.Interior Department�s National Park Service. It is one of fewer than 2400 such sites in the nation joining the ranks of others including the USS Constitution, Fanuiel Hall, and the United State Capital. We are proud of our island and hope you can visit soon.