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Linda Graham has fond memories of her days as a volunteer crewmember in the mid 1980’s onboard the Lightship Nantucket LV-112. But those memories are more than just memories; she recorded those days in photos and along with magazine and newspaper stories about them she complied them in an elaborate one of a kind binder, which she recently presented as a gift to Capt. Ken Black.

During her four years as a member of the Lightship Nantucket, Inc. she did everything from swabbing the decks, scraping the old paint, hauling the heavy lines, cooking in the galley (and one time served 450 cups of fish chowder), to giving tours and even doing engine watch and she loved every second of it. She and the other volunteers of time would all agree that it was an experience of lifetime, one that can never again be repeated.

Linda got to meet and become first acquainted with Ken Black, known in the lighthouse community as “Mr. Lighthouse,” when Capt. Black was one of the volunteer captains of the vessel. In fact there are several articles and photographs of Capt. Black in her memories book.

One of her fondest memories happened when the lightship was chugging from Portland, Maine up the coast to Rockland for Schooner Days. It was a very long trip with the vessel only traveling at about 12 knots and Linda was up on the bridge getting a lesson in navigation from Capt. Black. When noontime arrived and Capt. Black wanted to get some lunch in the galley he gave command of the ship to Linda and told her to keep it on course until he got back from lunch. Linda recalls that it was as exciting as it was scary, but she was also honored that he trusted her with the ship.

However, she had the same thrill when she piloted the lightship as when she presented the memories book to Capt. Black.

This story appeared in the February 2006 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.

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