Rockport harbormasters facilitate replacement of beacon

After Rockport Harbor lost its beacon in a January Nor’easter, the Coast Guard replaced the structure with a much smaller buoy.

The town’s two harbormasters were concerned that the buoy was insufficient to guide boats into port, however, and persuaded the Coast Guard to establish a temporary beacon in its place.

The beacon that was destroyed had stood at the end of the harbor’s Bearskin Neck for almost 50 years and was visible to vessels several miles to the east, according to Co-Harbormaster Rosemary Lesch.

The temporary beacon is somewhat smaller but still sufficient to guide vessels to the harbor, Lesch said.

Lesch added that with only the buoy in place, she was especially concerned that recreational boaters who were not familiar with the area could find themselves in trouble.

“The storm had done so much damage that you really do have to stay in the middle of the channel [when entering the harbor] because we don’t know how far the rocks rolled down,” Lesch said. “So it’s even more important to have it properly marked.”

The new beacon will be in service for a limited period. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to begin building a new breakwater in October. Once that project is completed, a taller beacon similar to the one that was destroyed will be erected, according to Lesch.

Chris Sparkman, a Coast Guard official in Boston who knew Lesch and her co-harbormaster, Scott Story, when he was stationed in Gloucester, helped facilitate the decision to provide the temporary replacement for the beacon that had been destroyed.

“From the minute we witnessed the storm wash over the beacon, we had our iPad out and I took pictures and instantly sent them to Chris,” Lesch said.