Cape Beale Light

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Cape Beale Lighthouse
Cape Beale Light.JPG
Cape Beale Lighthouse
Cape Beale Light
LocationCape Beale
Vancouver Island
British Columbia
Canada
Coordinates 48°47′11″N125°12′56″W / 48.78639°N 125.21556°W / 48.78639; -125.21556
Tower
Constructed1874 (first)
Constructionsteel skeletal tower
Height10 metres (33 ft)
Shapesquare pyramidal tower with balcony and lantern, central cylinder, slatted daymarks on three sides
Markingsred tower and lantern
OperatorCanadian Coast Guard [1]
Heritageheritage lighthouse  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Light
First lit1958 (current)
Focal height48 metres (157 ft)
Characteristic Fl WR 5s.

Cape Beale Lightstation is an active manned lighthouse on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada.

Contents

History

The lighthouse was built in 1874 and its focal plane is 51 meters above sea level. The present tower was built in 1958 and marks the entrance to Barkley Sound. It is 10 metres tall. Cape Beale received its name from Charles William Barkley, captain of the Imperial Eagle , who named it for his ship's purser, John Beale. The lighthouse is best known for its proximity to the West Coast Trail which is the theoretical route survivors of shipwrecks would take to get to the nearby community of Bamfield.

In 1906, Minnie Paterson, the wife of Tom Paterson, keeper of the Cape Beale Light, helped rescue everyone onboard the crippled barque Coloma during a severe storm. [2] [3] [4] For her actions, Government of Canada presented Minnie with a gold watch and a silver plate along with a silver tea service from the Seattle Maritime Union. Minnie told a reporter she would have gladly given up the awards and the media attention to have not had the wrecks. [4]

From 1971 to 1998, the Cape Beale Light was part of the British Columbia Shore Station Oceanographic Program, collecting coastal water temperature and salinity measurements for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans everyday for 27 years. [5]

Geography and climate

Cape Beale Light has a rainy and mild Oceanic climate (Köppen: Cfb; Trewartha: Dolk).

Climate data for Cape Beale Light
Coordinates 48°47′10″N125°12′58″W / 48.78611°N 125.21611°W / 48.78611; -125.21611 (Cape Beale Light) ; elevation: 25.9 m (85 ft); 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1984–present
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Record high °C (°F)15.5
(59.9)		18.0
(64.4)		20.0
(68.0)		21.5
(70.7)		25.5
(77.9)		34.5
(94.1)		30.0
(86.0)		32.0
(89.6)		30.0
(86.0)		24.0
(75.2)		17.5
(63.5)		14.0
(57.2)		34.5
(94.1)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)8.4
(47.1)		8.9
(48.0)		9.8
(49.6)		11.5
(52.7)		13.9
(57.0)		15.4
(59.7)		16.8
(62.2)		17.0
(62.6)		16.4
(61.5)		13.4
(56.1)		10.4
(50.7)		8.4
(47.1)		12.5
(54.5)
Daily mean °C (°F)6.1
(43.0)		6.2
(43.2)		7.1
(44.8)		8.6
(47.5)		11.1
(52.0)		12.8
(55.0)		14.1
(57.4)		14.3
(57.7)		13.6
(56.5)		10.8
(51.4)		7.9
(46.2)		5.9
(42.6)		9.9
(49.8)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)3.6
(38.5)		3.5
(38.3)		4.2
(39.6)		5.8
(42.4)		8.3
(46.9)		10.1
(50.2)		11.3
(52.3)		11.6
(52.9)		10.7
(51.3)		8.2
(46.8)		5.3
(41.5)		3.5
(38.3)		7.2
(45.0)
Record low °C (°F)−6.5
(20.3)		−10.0
(14.0)		−3.0
(26.6)		0.5
(32.9)		2.0
(35.6)		4.0
(39.2)		4.0
(39.2)		7.5
(45.5)		5.0
(41.0)		−2.5
(27.5)		−9.0
(15.8)		−8.0
(17.6)		−10.0
(14.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches)429.6
(16.91)		263.1
(10.36)		290.3
(11.43)		216.5
(8.52)		114.9
(4.52)		98.5
(3.88)		52.1
(2.05)		84.9
(3.34)		121.3
(4.78)		287.7
(11.33)		431.3
(16.98)		386.6
(15.22)		2,776.8
(109.32)
Average rainfall mm (inches)422.9
(16.65)		260.7
(10.26)		288.5
(11.36)		216.4
(8.52)		114.9
(4.52)		98.5
(3.88)		52.1
(2.05)		84.9
(3.34)		121.3
(4.78)		283.9
(11.18)		430.0
(16.93)		383.5
(15.10)		2,757.5
(108.56)
Average snowfall cm (inches)2.3
(0.9)		2.4
(0.9)		1.9
(0.7)		0.0
(0.0)		0.0
(0.0)		0.0
(0.0)		0.0
(0.0)		0.0
(0.0)		0.0
(0.0)		0.0
(0.0)		1.4
(0.6)		3.5
(1.4)		11.4
(4.5)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm)22.719.023.019.815.413.111.312.814.720.423.923.4221.4
Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm)22.618.822.919.815.413.111.312.814.720.323.623.2220.4
Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm)0.700.760.650.030.00.00.00.00.00.040.440.693.3
Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 [6]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Canada: Southern British Columbia". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill . Retrieved December 25, 2015.
  2. ↑ Valerie Green (2004). If More Walls Could Talk: Vancouver Island's Houses from the Past. TouchWood Editions. pp. 100–. ISBN   978-1-894898-22-5 . Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  3. ↑ Adrienne Mason (2003). West Coast Adventures: Shipwrecks, Lighthouses, and Rescues Along Canada's West Coast. Heritage House Publishing Co. pp. 98–. ISBN   978-1-55153-990-4 . Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  4. 1 2 "Lighthouses@Lighthouse Digest ... Women of the Light". www.lhdigest.com. Archived from the original on 2024-11-30. Retrieved 2025-07-27.
  5. ↑ "British Columbia Lightstation Sea-Surface Temperature and Salinity Data (Pacific), 1914-present - Open Government Portal". open.canada.ca. Treasury Board of Canada . Retrieved 2021-02-11.
  6. ↑ "CAPE BEALE LIGHT". Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020. Environment and Climate Change Canada. Climate ID: 1031316. Retrieved 2024-11-09.



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