Early Friday morning, September 6, the sea was flat; fog had lifted as 9 volunteers made their way by Whaler, paddle boards, and kayak to Curtis Island for a day of “clean-up”.

This would be the first of many opportunities for small groups of volunteers to begin addressing issues identified in the recently released Curtis Island Light Station Preservation Plan, 2024.  The report and plan identified “Plant Growth Adjacent to Building” as a major problem for both the island barn and the oil shed.

Jack Harris juggles boats all day. As a volunteer, he is restoring the 13-foot classic to transport volunteers, benefactors, building materials, and more.

Along with help from his father, Captain Chris Harris, they have stripped rub rails, sanded old paint, fiberglass patched and puttied holes, primed, polished, and painted the Whaler. And, restored the mahogany seats and side rails.

Sam and Barney Appleton launched their boat early this spring to provide access to Curtis for volunteers John Healy and Michael Skaling, who discovered both sets of access stairs from the landing had been destroyed by the fierce January storms.