New Flagpole for Race Point Lighthouse

The American Lighthouse Foundation’s Cape Cod Chapter, which cares for Race Point, Wood End and Long Point lights – as well as keeping the private aid to navigation shining bright at Sandy Neck, is an amazing team of volunteers.

This intrepid group’s dedication, skills and can-do spirit, is second to none. If a project needs done, ALF’s Cape Cod Chapter will find a way! Case in point is a new flagpole that was erected at Race Point Lighthouse in October 2024.

Sounds like a fairly straightforward project, right? As we envision it, yes, but reality is much different. The level of planning and design that must go into such efforts is intense – and often unseen.

The following is a recap of the new flagpole installation project by Gary Childs, chairperson of the American Lighthouse Foundation’s Cape Cod Chapter…

We started with the old flagpole that was pipe sections welded together and supported by two channel iron sections coming out of concrete located just to the southwest of the new flagpole.  The old flagpole had been painted numerous times and the channel iron supports had rusted out and been patched several times. It failed, and in doing so, the old flagpole needed to be lowered down before it all fell on someone.

Several years ago the location of the new flagpole was laid out with the hopes that there would not be too many wires, pipes or debris that would prevent digging a new base.  Dan Lynch, a volunteer Race Point Lighthouse (RPL) “Keeper” found a 35 gallon plastic pickle barrel (he sugars for maple syrup up North). Then Tom Miller, another RPL volunteer “Keeper,” used water from the well to dig a hole without problems and sank the barrel into the sand. This was covered up with a board for two years as more pressing issues were addressed – there are only so many of us.

Calculations were done (US and Metric) to figure out the volume of the barrel for Sakrete bags of concrete mix, which would require fresh water. Water from the site’s well is too salty to mix with the Sakrete, so jugs of fresh water were ‘obtained’ from Mike and Kalliope Chute – more RPL volunteer “Keepers” in Provincetown.

During April’s ‘Picasso Painting Party,’ an annual volunteer project that entails painting and patching the inside of the keeper’s house and whistle house, we had good weather – and with the help of family member Jason Hallet (younger with a stronger back), nine bags of Sakrete were mixed in a wheelbarrow and poured into the barrel. Thereafter, a schedule 40 4” ID PVC pipe was centered in the barrel, 42” long and secured plumb. The Sakrete was poured around it and pipe levels were used to make sure the pipe was maintained plumb.

Next the old flagpole’s 5/4” boardwalk deck (made by a volunteer “Keeper” around the old flagpole) was leveled and maneuvered into place over the PVC pipe. The 4” PVC pipe was left long and capped to prevent water from entering the pipe. Due to the odd appearance of the base, we told the visiting public – kidding of course, that it was a strategic air command missile located at Race Point Lighthouse…or that it was our oil well location for future use. We had some good fun with it!

Some time passed as we went from plan A to plan D (final plan that was used). Last year another volunteer RPL volunteer “Keeper” – Tom Miller, located 10’ 4” OD galvanized electrical conduit pipe and we found it to just fit inside the 4” ID PVC base pipe. The galvanized pipe would have to be hammered in (1/8” down into PVC pipe with each blow of the maul by five people rotating over two hours or so). The 4” PVC pipe had to be cut down first (planned for) to a height where the new flagpole base would fit correctly.

So, about 4 1/2’ for the 4” metal pipe is below the flagpole deck, with the remaining 4 1/2’ of 4” metal pipe above the top of the flagpole base, which was soon to be slipped into the PLP-manufactured flagpole.

The new flagpole was purchased with RPL volunteer “Keeper” donations (significant dollars) and income from the light station’s over-night stay program). No federal money was used, nor offered. Race Point Lighthouse operates under the American Lighthouse Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization via an agreement with the U.S. Coast Guard. The historic site is not part of the CACO National Park Service. The 10-14 acres of the station property are separate. This longstanding (1998-present) agreement has enabled the lighthouse, keeper’s house, whistle house and oil house to be fully restored and preserved through grants, donations and income from the over-night stay program.

Otherwise the structures might have very well been torn down or razed similar to the fate of the light station structures at Long Point and Wood End. Race Point Lighthouse is successful because none of the volunteer “Keepers” get paid, but rather kindly volunteer to make repairs to exterior and interior buildings. In fact, thanks to the assistance of Conwell ACE Home Improvement and Benjamin Moore Paint (supplying the paint), we have started painting the outside of the keeper’s house, which is slated to be finished next May before the start of the 2025 overnight stay season.

Conversations between PLP Flagpole, which is out of New Hampshire, and the local flagpole distributor were had with their sales manufacturer and engineering personnel. The engineering team custom made the 20’ flagpole on a section of space-age plastic that had an ID of ‘just a scooch over 4’ and was bonded to a vertical flagpole column model. This is actually a vertical flagpole meant to be affixed to the gable-end of a structure. The newly finished flagpole was 5 1/2” OD with and ID of just over 4” that went up the inside of the pole 5’.

One of the engineers became very interested in this project after viewing the History of Race Point Lighthouse PowerPoint presentation that he volunteered (with his family) in the PLP Flagpole pickup truck to ship and bring the new pole to Race Point. He was warmly greeted and shown the layout of the light station, as well as the mission statement of the Cape Cod Chapter at Race Point under the stewardship of the American Lighthouse Foundation.

The “truck” at the top was 3D printed to be all high resilient plastic without the traditional ball bearing assemble that would not stand up to the harsh weather out there at the end of the beach.  There is a lot of salt and fog in the air, and the winds get mighty strong out at this exposed location. During Hurricane Sandy, a 95-mph wind gust was recorded at Race Point. I don’t have a number for the wind gusts out there this past January.

The installation: Once the new flagpole and base were all prepped, and a team of more RPL volunteer “Keepers” were assembled (Wendy Pomerantz, Dave Pomerantz, Ethan Pomerantz, Dick Judge, and others), we started on the ‘lift’ process.

A pickup truck was backed up over the boardwalk and parked just shy of the pipe, which was now sticking out of the ground. The new fully-dressed flagpole was loaded onto the pickup rack frame over the hood, butt end first. This was moved fully onto the rags of the cage until it was in place.

Ropes were secured to the flagpole base to control the lowering. Ethan Pomerantz – a transcontinental pilot for big jets, lined up the flagpole for east and west, and the pole was raised until the new flag pole was directly on top of the connecting pipe. As the controlled descent of the flagpole down the pipe happened, it was all hands on deck working.

Long-life RTV (room-temperature-vulcanizing silicone) adhesive was used on the pipe to bond it to the plastic. The base was adjusted about and all things slipped into place with just a little movement of the flagpole on the pipe. Throughout, all of the pipe levels were used, and in fact, all were – and are, plumb. The level bubbles were right where they needed to be centered.

After a night, where the glue could finish curing, the cleats were mounted by the PLP Flagpole folks, and the flag was raised. Clean up followed and a Flag Etiquette document was reprinted and left with the volunteer Keepers.

The flag is not up at night. We did not want to install a light at the flagpole due to our desire that the only light out there at night be the lantern aglow in the lighthouse. The flag comes in every night, during inclement weather, and when the Station buildings are secured for the winter.

Many of our longtime “Keepers,” who happen to be U.S. veterans, can now rest assured that this flagpole is functional and will be around for many more years. The estimate is that it will sustain in 150mph winds (without the flag on it to keep the ‘moment arm’ less without the ‘sail’ on it.

Again, this was accomplished through the generous (really generous) volunteer “Keepers” and the contributions received from the overnight stay program. The American Lighthouse Foundation and its Cape Cod Chapter are very proud of this restoration item.

Next up will be the lighthouse. The tower’s metal work needs some TLC before paint preparations are carried out, and the topcoats are applied. The International Chimney Corporation has submitted a quote for the project. We have two other contracting firms to consider as well. Again, as stewards of this historic property, we will take this on. It is hoped that the property’s stewardship agreement will continue well into the future as we have done since 1995 when Jim Walker and his crew first tackled the restoration and preservation of this “jewel at the end of the beach.” The dream lives on.