Yacht EAGLE

Yacht EAGLE

Yacht Eagle In Gilkey Harbor, Islesboro Note: Grindle Point Lighthouse can be seen between the hull and the fore sail. The EAGLE was lost in 1899 according to the Journal article below: The Republican Journal Oct. 26, 1899 LOSS OF YACHT EAGLE: E. F. Hanson of this city recently chartered the sloop yacht Eagle of Chas. R. Coombs, the owner, and with others went down the bay fishing. Monday night the party returned home and reported the loss of the yacht. Tuesday afternoon the editor of the Journal received the following note from F. W. Collins of Rockland, under date of Monday, Oct 23d: My steamer, Grace Morgan, John H. Simpson captain, returned from the Seal Islands Sunday night, Oct.22nd, and reported that on Friday night, Oct. 20th, the yacht Eagle of Belfast was totally wrecked at Seal Island. All the company on the Eagle were safely landed. On hearing the report Capt. Simpson sent word on shore by one of the inhabitants, that he would give the party of the Eagle passage to Rockland. They sent word to the Captain that they did not need assistance as they had made arrangements to leave for the main land that night in their small boat. The weather is very moderate today, and I feel that they will have no difficulty in making a safe landing on the main, sometime today. I write you this, thinking that possibly some flying report might reach Belfast of the accident without the full particulars accompanying it, and cause unnecessary worry of friends of the party who went on the Eagle. We have since learned that the mast, sails and contents of the cabin were saved. GRINDLE POINT LIGHTHOUSE: On March 3, 1849, $3,500 was appropriated by an act of Congress to build Grindle Point Lighthouse to serve seafarers entering Gilkey Harbor on Islesboro's west coast. The harbor, considered one of the best in Maine with easy access and deep water, was named for John Gilkey, a settler who arrived in 1772. For many years, his home doubled a landmark for ship captains. Grindle Point Light Station was built on land purchased for $105 from Francis Grindle (often spelled Grindel, as was the name of the lighthouse in Lighthouse Service records), who, for a number of years, lived in the home built by John Gilkey. The one-and-a-half-story brick lighthouse with a lantern centered on its pitched roof cost $3100.16 to erect.