Bug Light

We caught a boat ride that took us close enough for a few shots of Duxbury Pier Light, aka Bug Light. Bug Light sounds like one of those zapper things that you hang in the yard to kill moths, but in actuality it is a 47 foot high lighthouse in Plymouth Bay, built to warn sailors about the treacherous shoals around Saquish Neck.

She first went up in 1871, and was automated in 1964.  She has 100 tons of rock around her. She was the first Sparkplug light in the US of A.  She survived vicious hurricane and nor'easter surf, but automation nearly did in the sparkplug style, as the Man wanted to replace her with a more generic type. Locals ganged up, formed Project Bug Light, collected money and restored the lighthouse. She now has solar power and a new foghorn. She was added to the National Register Of Historic Places in 2014.

She is tough to get to, but every harbor cruise out of Plymouth goes by it. It is a must-have for any South Shore lighthouse tripper, especially where she is near the also-hard-to-get-to Gurnet Light. Her wooden interior, including the former keeper's quarters are gone, but the locals love her.

Edwin Heap echoed the sentiments of the doctors who once saved me when he said, "It's an ugly old thing, but we're glad that we saved it."

Photos by Teresa Neves and Stephen Bowden

Minke Whale In Plymouth Bay

We went on an ice cream cruise on Plymouth Bay, but it turned into a whale watch as a pair of Minke Whales made a rare, close-to-shore appearance.

Minke Whales get their name from a Norwegian whaler named Meincke. It rhymes with "stinky," not "mink." They go 25 feet or so in length, with really big ones getting up to 35 feet.  Average weight is 5 tons, but they can hit 10 tons if they eat well. They can hit 25 mph swimming, and typically dive for 1-20 minutes. They feed on krill, but will also eat cod if one swims by. 

They are fairly common, and are often targeted by New England whale watches. The 20 minute dive times earn them the wrath of whale watch captains, who call them the "Stinky Minke." They often end up in harbors when evading predators (typically orcas), although ours was more business casual. My people tell me that he has been chillin' off Duxbury Beach.

You can see him pop out of the water for a sec in the video below.

Photos and video by Teresa Neves and Stephen Bowden.