By Dan Aceto
Staff Writer

Lighthouses throughout the state will open to the public this Saturday as the U.S Coast Guard and American Lighthouse Foundation prepare to host the second annual Open Lighthouse Day.
Last year hundreds of people traveled by land and sea to get a closer look at some of their favorite lighthouses along the coast, and this year is expected to be no different.
Shari Poftak, a volunteer for the Friends at Wood Island Lighthouse will conduct boat rides to the island off the coast of Biddeford on Saturday. She said visitors can expect approximately an hour and a half historical tour of the grounds, including the chance to speak with two former keepers, and catch a glimpse of what life was like on the island before the lighthouse became automated in 1986.
Cliff Trebilcock, who was the keeper at Wood Island Lighthouse from 1970 to 1972, said life was quiet most of the time –  that is unless a 30-foot breaker happened to broadside the quaint little house he and his wife occupied.
“The waves sounded like thunder when they hit the house,” Trebilcock said. “Although the winters were desolate, the summers were nice,” he added
Trebilcock said he spent most of his days performing regular maintenance of the grounds, however he was anything but idle. One summer he even took time to hoist himself up and repaint the granite tower of the lighthouse by hand.
Russ Lowell said he didn’t know a thing about lighthouse keeping when he first began at Wood Island in 1979, and often wondered what he’d gotten himself into. However those fears quickly passed when Lowell first set foot on the island.
“It was absolutely beautiful, I was just in awe,” said Lowell. “I felt extremely fortunate.” Lowell, who considers himself a homebody, said he passed the time reading books and magazines between his regular routine of caring for the grounds and keeping the lighthouse functioning properly.
“It was completely enjoyable, one of the best three years of my life,” Lowell said.
Not all keepers were as fortunate as Lowell. Marty Cain, who was the keeper of Goat Island Lighthouse in Cape Porpoise from 1975 to 1978, found himself caught in a February 1978 storm he’ll never forget.
“I knew we were in trouble when I saw the seas begin to roll across the lawn,” Cain said of the nor’easter that struck the island.
 “We weren’t going anywhere at that point.” Cain said the seas were so rough it would have been impossible for a boat to land and bring Cain, his wife and their two infant sons back to the mainland safely.
 As the storm progressed, the backup generators that supplied power to the house failed, leaving the family without electricity or heat. Just when things couldn’t get worse, Cain’s wife heard some rather unpleasant noises coming from the 135-foot walkway that led to the lighthouse from their living quarters and urged her husband to inspect the situation.
“It was definitely talking!” Cain said as he described how he moved from the house to the walkway. “I could see the water just flowing beneath me, Mother Nature in her wrathfulness just kept coming and coming!”
As Cain hurriedly made his way back to the house, he heard a huge rumble and looked behind him. The walkway had “folded like an accordion” and washed out to sea.
Cain said it takes a special type of person to live the solitary life needed on the island and that unless they have got a supportive spouse and a strong will, they may very well end up, “talking to the seagulls.”
Poftak said, boat rides out to Wood Island will run to and from the island every hour from 9:30 a.m. Although Poftak said rides are booked through 11:30 a.m., she will schedule more trips as necessary until 1:30 p.m. to accommodate all who are interested in seeing the lighthouse. For more information or to book a reservation, contact Poftak at 286-3229.
 For a full listing of lighthouses participating in the event, visit the Maine Office of Tourism’s website at www.visitmaine.com. />
Staff Writer Dan Aceto can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 237.