Carving out history

Prince Edward Island is home to a master stone carver – Mother Nature! One of the best examples of her ongoing handiwork can be found here in the Darnley area. As seen at nearby Thunder Cove Beach, the water and wind are constantly changing the landscape. Sometimes, spectacular masterpieces emerge, such as the famed Teacup Rock, which fell victim to a hurricane in 2022. The teacup was the setting for significant life events including baby announcements, engagement photos and family pictures. Mother Nature is not done yet, though. She is chipping away here and there on the Island’s coastline, working on her next creation. 

Lighting the way

Everyone is familiar with lighthouses, many of which dot the coast of Prince Edward Island. However, range lights, like the ones at the mouth of the Malpeque Bay, are navigational aids of a different kind. They are used to guide ships through narrow passages. Two lights, the front lower than the rear, are positioned near each other.  At night, when viewed from the water, the two lights line up only when the vessel is in the right position to navigate the channel and reach a harbour safely. 

The original light was located on Fish Island to the north of Cabot Beach Provincial Park. By the late 1980s, the abandoned light was threatened by shore erosion. A local fisher and the president of the Malpeque Historical Society sawed the tower in half and it was flown by helicopter in two sections to Cabot Park, where the lighthouse was reassembled and restored. The lighthouse appeared in the Canadian television series, Emily of New Moon, which aired on CBC Television from 1998 to 2000 (Source: Lighthousefriends.com).

Pictured above is Cabot Beach Provincial Park with view of lighthouse in bottom left and Fish Island in top right.