Right on the shore, Burntcoat Head Park is
the place to go if one wishes to see the
World's Highest Tides. They have even been listed in the Guinness Book of World Records. Twice a day 160 billion tons of water flow in and out of the bay which just happens to have the correct size and shape to set up a resonance with the tidal flow, producing much higher than normal tides. At a recording station at Burntcoat Head the tides have been recorded since the 19th century, recording average tides of 55.8 feet. The absolute highest tide of 70.9 feet was set during the
1869 Saxby Gale.
While waiting for the tide one may take advantage of what the park has to offer, including large grassed picnic areas, several nature trails and a replica of the 1913 lighthouse which burned in 1972. The first lighthouse, built in 1858, was lost when the tides sufficiently eroded the land around it to first make it an island, then eroded the island away. The replica in the park was built by the community in 1995.
At the lighthouse through the summer are interpretive guide to answer any questions one may have about the lighthouse, the park, the tides or the Burntcoat Head area. Of course, one may tour the lighthouse and get an excellent view of the Minas Basin from the lantern.
The First of the Lighthouses
The first of three lighthouses at Burntcoat Head was built in 1858 and lit in 1859. It was a square wooden tower, 50 feet high attached to the end of the light keeper's wooden dwelling. Flat wick-type kerosene lamps showed a white, fixed light 75 feet above high water, visible for 13 miles. The five oil lamps, with reflectors, had to be cleaned daily.
A narrow neck of land connected Burntcoat Head to the mainland. Over time, the tides of Fundy eroded this connection until the lighthouse could only be reached by climbing up the bank by ladder. Consequently, in 1913, the first lighthouse was torn down and some of the timbers used in the construction of a new lighthouse on the mainland.
The Second Lighthouse
The second lighthouse was a square, white wooden dwelling, with an octagonal, iron lantern rising from the roof. The lighthouse was 39 feet high from the base to the vane and the white fixed light was visible from all points of approach for 14 miles. The light was a 4th order lens; that is 250 mm in focal length. The lighting was a catoptric system, meaning the lamp was backed by a parabolic deflector. The light source was a petroleum vapour Argand burner, The oil was vaporized at 37 pounds pressure and burned under an incandescent silk mantle. In 1950, the light was wired for electricity.
This second lighthouse was burned down by the Department of Transport in 1972 and replaced by a 22 foot skeleton mast. Later, the skeleton mast light was discontinued and there was no navigation marker on the Head.
From Burntcoat Head Park