Versant Power Carries Out Yeoman’s Work on Little River Island

As the month of April gave way to May, American Lighthouse Foundation volunteer caretaker Terry Rowden was busy making preparations for the 2024 overnight stay season at Little River Light. This included making site visits to determine what damage – if any, the winter season had inflicted upon the island, and begin getting the operating systems in the keeper’s house back online.

It was during one of the visits in early May when Terry Rowden stepped inside the base of the lighthouse and noticed something was different. There was silence. Normally silence would be welcomed within a lighthouse, but not at Little River. The familiar subtle hum of the transformer, which is located inside a locked, caged area of the tower, was missing.

Terry then went inside the keeper’s house and checked on the lights – no power! Was it a problem at the utility pole on the mainland in Cutler? The submarine cable that extends from the mainland to the island? Or the transformer inside the lighthouse? One thing was for certain – the problem was going to require the help of professionals.

A call was made to Versant Power, the electric services company headquartered in Bangor, Maine, to report the outage. A crew responded and checked over the equipment / connections at the utility pole on the mainland in Cutler. Following a period of troubleshooting, the techs determined that the problem was not at the pole. This confirmation left either the submarine cable or transformer on the island as the culprit.

Versant Power set up a date with the American Lighthouse Foundation thereafter to further investigate the cause of the outage. On May 17, 2024, two Versant Power trucks and a crew of four showed up in Cutler. Initially, two crewman remained on land at the utility pole and the other two were transported to Little River Island in the lighthouse skiff by Terry Rowden. Once on island, the effort to diagnose the problem commenced.

Awaiting the results of the investigation was a very anxious time for representatives of the American Lighthouse Foundation (ALF). If the problem was the transformer, it could mean some programmatic downtime, but nothing insurmountable. If the problem was along the submarine cable, this would be a different story altogether. Amid the troubleshooting process, the 2024 overnight stay season was hanging in the balance.

Not long after, the two Versant Power crewmen emerged from inside the lighthouse to share their findings – the transformer was the problem. ALF representatives breathed a welcome sigh of relief!

The good news transitioned to great news after the crew spoke with the office at Versant Power. As it was, one of the trucks had a new transformer onboard and permission was granted by the electric service company’s management to swap out the failed transformer on the island with the new one in-hand.

Versant Power wanted to take care of the problem right then and there – something ALF was ecstatic to learn. But was there enough time?

Anyone who knows Little River Island understands how life revolves around the tides. There is no getting on or off the island either side of low tide for two hours. And on this day, the tide was falling. The logistics were going to have to be near-perfect for the evolution to be completed in time. Something that seldom occurs in the operation of light stations or complex power restoration projects.

The Versant Power crewmen were undaunted by the challenges in front of them. Off to the mainland they went in the lighthouse skiff to retrieve the new transformer. Once the transfer of the equipment from the utility truck to the skiff was concluded, Terry Rowden pointed the bow of the skiff back towards the island. There was no time to waste!

Arriving at the island, the skiff was tied up and the crew – now three in number, offloaded the transformer onto the float. In the meantime, Terry backed down the island tractor as far as he could on the float system to minimize the distance the crew had to carry the transformer.

Following the transformer being loaded into the tractor’s cart, it was transported a half-mile across the island to the entry door of the lighthouse. In the meantime, the ebb tide was creating its usual sense of urgency. Water was falling away, and with it, time permitting necessary boat access via the floats.

Armed with skillful expertise and driven by a passion to “get the job done – and done right,” the Versant Power crew carried the new transformer inside the lighthouse and systematically prepared the equipment to be reconnected. Once everything was in place and checked over, it was time to reenergize the submarine cable and restore commercial power to the island.

Presto! The new transformer was humming a beautiful “tune” and power inside the keeper’s house was in full effect. The 2024 overnight stay season at Little River Lighthouse was saved!

Amidst the excitement, the ebb tide, which waits for no one, was slipping away to levels now requiring immediate attention. No time to dally! Everyone headed back across the island to the skiff. The point of no return tide-wise had arrived – it was time to go. The crew and their tools were loaded into the skiff, lines were cast-off and to the mainland the group journeyed.

The Versant Power crew finished the complex island project – complete with a litany of uncommon logistical challenges, in just under four hours. It was an amazing effort. Thank you, Versant Power. Your talented and dedicated crew shined bright on this historic day!