On September 11, the San Francisco Chronicle featured East Brother Lighthouse as No. 1 of five lighthouse themed places to visit. See story below. The entire East Brother Island is kept shipshape by volunteers, and just yesterday, a crew of 20 volunteers from Chevron led by “Big Mike” Hernandez swarmed the island and did about a week’s worth of painting in six hours. Volunteers are always needed, and information and sign-up can be found at http://www.ebls.org/volunteering.html.

5 lighthouse-themed places to visit

San Francisco Chronicle
September 11, 2011|Jill K. Robinson



Top of the Lighthouse, looking West towards Mt. Tamalpais. The East Brother Island Lighthouse in San Pablo, Calif. on Wednesday August 18, 2010, is also a boutique 5-bedroom inn. The present innkeepers are leaving the island after two years of running the place. They are looking for new innkeepers to run the business.
Credit: Michael Macor / The Chronicle 2010
Once merely bonfires built on hillsides to guide ships, lighthouses have evolved to be more than functional - they're also picturesque additions to the coastline. Romantics may yearn for a time when they could live in a lighthouse, but often forget the less-romantic aspects of the job: polishing glass, listening to howling winds and climbing stairs. While it's too late to sign up as a real lighthouse keeper, fans of the coastal buildings can get close to the lifestyle at these points.
1. East Brother Light Station, Point Richmond
This restored Victorian lighthouse bed and breakfast sits atop a small island between San Francisco and San Pablo bays. Check in and get a tour of the island's buildings and history of the lighthouse while getting vast views of Mount Tamalpais and the San Francisco skyline. It's all so close, but seems a world away from your little lighthouse island. (510) 233-2385, www.ebls.org.

 

Chevron volunteers take a break after painting the west façade of East Brother Lighthouse on September 16, 2011.