Richard (Mr Smith , Sir )
Proof of my senility is shown here by the fact that I sat and watched it long enough to see it .
Your Logo , the Lighthouse . I have only just realised that the lights in the building complex are not random , but rather have a little story to them . It seems that the lighthouse keeper comes on shift , switching on successive lights in the property until he hits the Light Proper switch .
What is troubling my mind now is the Light’s identity . A coastal nav map should establish it , it is 5 flashes in 30 seconds with a 30 sec break , then repeat ad nauseum . So , Richard–or indeed any coastwise Navigators—
where is it ? I seem to remember from my nav days the terminology "Grp Fl 5 in 30 secs , non occulting "
This site sure is entertaining to those of us who sit slowly losing their minds .
Mike
Mike,
"Grp Fl 5 in 30 secs , non occulting "
Don’t feel lost in your senility, you jogged a couple of old brain cells by your observation.
Wow.
I hadn’t noticed the lights at all.
michael… you gots waaaayyy too much free time on your hands… you need to spend more time building… rather than watching the patterns in flasing lights…
I usta be rather amused at the reaction folks had to “flashing lights”… but. that was a long, long time ago… in a far and distant land… 
Not sure if this is what you mean … but from my “Power Squadron” course for obtaining a boat license…
There are a number of aids to navigation (buoys and the like) equipped with steady or flashing lights … and flashing everything from continuous to “MO A” meaning Morse Code letter “A” … o — (short /long / break) usually with the “off” interval defined in seconds on the chart or Mike’s groups of five … and can be white, blue, blue then green (as is often seen with aircraft) and so on.
Lighthouses, on the other hand, often had a rotating beacon with a powerful lamp refracted through a lens that rotated around it, with a focussed mirror behind. My wife’s class one year did a study of the different kind of lenses involved, as this state makes its trademarks with some of its more famous lighthouses… only in recent history with the departure of the “lighthouse keeper” in favor of an automated light have the coded beacons (often mounted on the roof vice inside the cabin at the top) appeared on the traditional lighthouse as well as the remote buoy or daymark tower.
So, it’s possible that while unique to a particular area (which makes finding where you are on a chart easy… you find the lighthouse that flashes five times, and take a chart bearing) it’s probably not entirely unique to have a lighthouse with that specific pattern … so there may be more than one correct answer to where Richard’s light actually “IS.”
I have an HO scale 1:87 model of the light that was the trademark of where I grew up, the Saybrook Point lighthouse (USCG Lynde Point) found about 1/2 mile from Katherine Hepburn’s house … built by local artist Steve Cryan, it was to have been a wedding present for my wife, in a glass globe with a working light… sadly in the move from Connecticut to North Carolina, it was left on the roof of the truck, with predictable results … at some point I’ll figure out how to reassemble most of it, and put it back in the miraculously undamaged globe.
Matthew (OV)
Having navigated around the world a bit , I was aware of similar light sequences --to get individual patterns for every light in the world would result in unnecessary complications , bear in mind that the sequence must be simple --it is mechanically generated by a rotating lens around the light -because of where they are sited , usually miles from support facilities . Yes , some are now electronic , but electronics wasn’t around when our Scottish friend built the first one on Bishop’s Rock (I think ) .
The reason for rotating lenses is that switching a light on and off reduces bulb life . It’s fairly traditional now .
If you are a navigator , you usually know roughly where you are , the lighthouse confirms your guess right or wrong ,or gives you an accurate position locally .
Returning from patrols round the North Cape to Kinloss , we used to see Tarbert Ness Light at 60 miles out on a clear night . I saw the light just the other day when my son took me to the Maritime Museum, at Greenwich
(0 degrees Longitude ) ,it had been superseded by a more modern device , so was donated to The Museum. It sits there flashing away to itself ,very clearly displayed at eye level with a gallery ,the beam shines along a wall , and it is amusing to hear dads trying to explain to their kids what is going on . The innnards are like a watch , beautiful gears and polish . Interestingly ,it is the same flash group as Richard’s . Also , my second connection to the light is the mechanism ; in common with a lot of lights around the world , it was made in my home town of Birmingham , an odd thing since it is about as far from the sea as you could possibly get in the UK .
No , I was asking Richard which light his is based on ,on the grounds that he may have chosen a local one .
ahhh… admit it morgan… ya jus’ be fascinated by flahing lights… and shiny things… jus like da res’ of us little kids…
…funny you should ask…the position of that light sequence is exactly 20 feet from where I sit…It is used as an indicator of the “Valve End” of my bath tub, where my rubber ducky finds it’s home …I have two rubber duckies…one always lives at the end where the source of the light is, and the other; a relative stranger, makes it’s home at the other end and keeps getting in my way.
The best way of locating the position of this light, is to look at Mapquest through Google; and punch in “36 Starwood Road, Ottawa, Ontario, The Dominion of Canada”…this should get you the location; ± 100 feet. The location is also within 40 feet of the town/station of Peter’s Pond; a fine pond side site of the Peter’s Pond Fish prossessing plant, and fish hatchery. The station is on the main line of the Ironwood, Peter’s Pond and Western Railroad.
Fr.Fred
Me thinks the Friar has been tastin’ the Holy Water again 
Fred ,
You got me confused now . Have you got a 20 ’ bath , ("the light is 20’ from where I sit ") .If the light is at the end of the bath , and by your feet , that makes you about 20’ in the leg . I think the ducks are after the red herring , so watch where they peck . Anyway , these 20’ legs make you pretty tall . Are you the original Big foot ? We need to know .
Mike
Mo-reece ,
'tis true , I like flashing things ,and I’ve never been caught . I like shiny thangs as well , even shiny strang . Not just on christmas presents either .
Mike
ps I wonder why Richard hasn’t answered --perhaps he’s keeping his light under a bushel .
I suspect that if one examines the light at Port Orford, OR, one will find that it flashes in just that sequence, Grp Fl 5 in 30 secs , non occulting. Of course, I could be wrong. It could be purely random.
In any event, it is cool, and now I have something else to watch in the wee hours.
SteveF
Let’s see here…some of you think Richard is smart enough to figure out light sequences…hehehehe…he’s lucky he can figure how to log onto the chatroom…Hehehehehehe
Brother Smith from down south
Mike Morgan said:Well Mike,
Mo-reece , 'tis true , I like flashing things ,and I've never been caught . I like shiny thangs as well , even shiny strang . Not just on christmas presents either . Mike ps I wonder why Richard hasn't answered --perhaps he's keeping his light under a bushel .
Senility is definately not exclusive to your part of the world. The reason I haven’t answered you is that I completely missed this.
The lighthouse is from a photo I took myself of the Cape Blanco light house just a few miles from us and therefore deemed an appropriate icon for the POC. The lights were done for me on my existing logo by Piute right here on LSC a couple years ago. I liked it so well that I began using it as my chat logo. The timing is Piute’s and you have to understand that he lives in Colorado, a bit of a way from any ocean.
Most people don’t notice the lights which is what makes it so fun when someone does (except when Dwight saw it over on MLS and made me remove it because it was “animated”). I thought it was overkill because there were a couple of others much larger and animated than mine at the time but…oh well! It’s not my call.
As to Fred’s lighthouse…! After the third Honey Brown not only do lights flash but they spin around as well. hehe!
Tom Smith said:
Let’s see here…some of you think Richard is smart enough to figure out light sequences…hehehehe…he’s lucky he can figure how to log onto the chatroom…Hehehehehehe Brother Smith from down south
Now Tom don’t you know that the truth really hurts? If you don’t behave I’ll remove your mug from the box…
Hehe! This guy’s telling me???
Richard ,
Are there no canals in Colorado ? Except root canals ? Perhaps someone built a light there to attract ships , or even because it was easier there than out on some rocks somewhere .
Of course , our submariner friends don’t know what we are talking about , there are not many windows in a sub . And , you have to ask yourself , can they count as high as five flashes ?
Thanks , Richard , it’s nice to know the story .
Mike
Richard Smith said:
So Richrad, which one are you “Trade” or “Mark” ???
Jon Radder said:
Richard Smith said:
So Richrad, which one are you “Trade” or “Mark” ???
Haha! Well Jon, the ugly one on the left is Tom. [:D] Here’s my latest photo.
Richard Smith said:
Here’s my latest photo.
He looks pretty young but he’s just back-dated, yeah!
Substitute me for him, substitute my coat for gin…