Characteristics of the Jersey Shore: Lighthouses Mystery Cache
Characteristics of the Jersey Shore: Lighthouses
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(small)
Related Web Page
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
| The cache is NOT at the posted coordinates. Posted coordinates are for a famous lighthouse of the Jersey Shore, the Navesink Twin Lights. Stop in for a Passport to Adventure booklet and sticker for GC12NAX. |
 Lighthouses are towers, buildings, or frameworks designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses. Lighthouses are used as navigation aids to pilots at sea by marking dangerous coastlines, hazardous shoals and reefs, and safe entries to harbors. By the end of the 19th century, the United States with its long coastlines had the most lighthouses of any nation. Once a common sight along the coast of the United States, the number of operational lighthouses has declined due to the expense of maintenance and replacement by modern electronic navigational aids. The oldest existing lighthouse in America still in operation is the Sandy Hook Lighthouse, which was built in 1764.
|
 Where dangerous shoals are located far off a flat sandy beach, the prototypical tall masonry coastal lighthouse is constructed to assist the navigator making a landfall after an ocean crossing. Often these are cylindrical to reduce the effect of wind on a tall structure, such as the Barnegat Light and the Cape May Light. Where a tall cliff exists, a lighthouse structure may be placed on top of the cliff, such as the Navesink Twin Lights. Sometimes a lighthouse needs to be constructed in the water itself. Wave-washed lights often have caisson bases constructed to withstand water impact, such as the Great Beds Light, the Miah Maull Shoal Light, and the Ship John Shoal Light.  In shallower bays, screw-pile ironwork structures are screwed into the seabed and a low wooden structure is placed above the open framework, such as the former Brandywine Shoal Light. As technology advanced, prefabricated skeletal iron or steel light houses tended to be used for lighthouses constructed in the twentieth century. These often have a narrow cylindrical core surrounded by an open lattice work bracing, such as the Sandy Hook Point Light, the Tinicum Island Range Rear Light, and the current Elbow of Cross Ledge Light.
|
 In a lighthouse, the source of light is called the "lamp" (either fueled by oil or electric) and the concentration of the light is accomplished by the "lens" or "optic". In classical period lighthouses, the light source was a kerosene lamp or earlier an animal or vegetable oil Argand lamp. Lighthouse keepers were needed to trim the wicks, replenish fuel, wind clockworks and perform maintenance tasks such as cleaning lenses and windows. The development of the Fresnel lens in 1822 revolutionized lighthouses in the 1800s, focusing 85% of a lamp’s light versus the 20% focused with the parabolic reflectors of the time. Its design enabled the construction of lenses of large size and short focal length without the weight and volume of material in a lens of conventional design. Lenses were rotated by a weight driven clockwork assembly wound by lighthouse keepers, sometimes as often as every two hours. The lens assembly sometimes floated in mercury to reduce friction.
|
 As lighthouses have become less essential to navigation, many of their historic structures have faced demolition or neglect. In the United States, the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000 provides for the transfer of lighthouse structures to local governments and private non-profit groups, while the US Coast Guard continues to maintain the actual lamps and lenses. As a result, many groups have been formed to restore and save lighthouses around the world, including the World Lighthouse Society and the United States Lighthouse Society. |
To solve the puzzle and locate the cache, let the lighthouses guide the way.
Assume you are standing at the posted coordinates, and assume N 40 , W 73.
|
| Barnegat Light |
9 |
| Brandywine Shoal |
0 |
| Cape May Light |
6 |
| East Point Light |
3 |
| Elbow of the Cross Ledge Light |
8 |
| Great Beds Light |
1 |
| Hereford Inlet Light |
9 |
| Miah Maull Shoal Light |
5 |
| Sandy Hook Light |
2 |
| Sandy Hook Point Light |
8 |
| Ship John Shoal Light |
4 |
| Tinicum Island Range Front Light |
3 |
| Tinicum Island Range Rear Light |
4 |
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Chmmyr: Gurer nccrnef gb or pbasyvpgvat, naq va fbzr pnfrf vapbeerpg, vasb ba gur vagrearg.
uggc://jjj.anipra.hfpt.tbi/?cntrAnzr=yvtugYvfgf
Guvf yvax fubhyq uryc terngyl va fbyivat gur chmmyr.
Pnpur: Ynetr sbezreyl I gerr (hagvy Fnaql xabpxrq bar unys qbja). Ubyr va gur fvqr bs bar gehax.