Grays
Reef Light Located twenty-three miles southwest of the Straits of Mackinaw. The light marks a reef that is a serious navigational hazard. The light was built in 1936 to replace the last in a series of lightships that had been anchored in the area for 45 years. Those were Lightships No. 57, No. 56 and No. 99. The massive, two-story concrete base includes a steel door near the water line that can be opened from the deck of a ship for loading and unloading. A ladder is built into the concrete base and there is a hoist on the platform. The white square two-story dwelling is encased in steel. The steel 65-foot tower rises from the center of the building and has a black parapet and lantern. The lantern has diagonal-barred windows and houses a modern 190mm plastic lens that replaced the original Third and Half Order lens. A radio tower has been added to the top of the lantern. The light was automated in 1976, and is an active aid to navigation. The station is manned once each summer when the Coast Guard uses it to monitor the sailboats participating in the Chicago to Mackinaw race. Pictures may only be taken from passing freighters or private boat. |
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