Ron J
Active member
Wondering what the heck "Ben Butlers Toothpick" is? Believe it or not, it is an Aid To Navigation, for boaters. Located in the Mouth of the Merrimack River,often spoken as the second worst harbor entrance on the East coast of the U.S. I believe Delaware is considered the worst by Mariners. There are rocks located outside the entrance,and it is usually rough water. Extremely strong currents,and high seas whipping up suddenly are common. A few years ago,i left as a passenger,in a "Go-Fast" boat,my brother had at the time. His friends called it "a widow maker". No one wanted to go in it with him. He would call,lucky me,and suck me in,cause i felt bad,no one else went. He has always had this type of boat,and knows how to handle them,so i trusted him as Captain. When we left the mouth,wasn't too bad, Three or four foot swells,but this type of boat flies from wave to wave,(you hope anyway) A few hours later,returning from Gloucester Harbor,out of the Annisquam River, the sea was getting rougher,as it usually does in the afternoon. We went from 3 or 4 ftrs to 6 or 8 ftrs,and the wind blowing strong. Das Boot did not like this weather,and neither did we. We had at least a 45 minute or longer ride back to the Mouth,and knew it wouldn't get better. Finally getting within 10 minutes of the entrance,the seas were alot worse.10 ft waves,not rollers blowing like heck. We had no choice but to continue,going just fast enough to keep the bow high enough,and fast enough,not to send the bow through a wave. At the same time,going fast enough so the swells do not come over the transom,and sink you. Scary,and not fun,but i had confidence in Paul. If i didn't,you would have heard me calling for my Momma! (not that it would have helped)
We did make it of course,and were very happy to be through that Mouth! Entering /exiting is between two long rows of jetty's,extreme undertow,currents,and shifting sandbars,and you have the rocks,just outside the Mouth. Always a dangerous place,thats why there was a Life Saving Station on both sides of the Mouth. One on the Salisbury Beach side,and one directly across,on Plum Island. The Salisbury Station is long gone,although the Plum Island station still exists,it is no longer used. The Coast Guard Station is located inland,in Newburyport. They can be at the Mouth in minutes,with todays equipment. Remember,back in the days of Life Saving Stations,they ROWED a lifeboat after launching down tracks,or pulling a lifeboat thru the sand,and rowing thru wild surf! Brave Souls to do that! Here are old postcards(about 1905) of the Salisbury Life Saving station,long gone.[attachment 67798 ScannedImage-3.jpg][attachment 67799 ScannedImage-3.jpg] Here is Butlers Toothpick,also located on the North side. I don't know how long,or when it was built,but i would guess in the mid eighteen hundreds.Built on granite blocks,its a 4 sided,wooden pyramid. The current frame is steel,with a rock jetty to help protect it.You can see two views,one looking across at the old Plum Island Life Saving Station,and can almost see the top of Plum Island Lighthouse. The other view is looking along the beach,and jetty,towards the Mouth. Rj
We did make it of course,and were very happy to be through that Mouth! Entering /exiting is between two long rows of jetty's,extreme undertow,currents,and shifting sandbars,and you have the rocks,just outside the Mouth. Always a dangerous place,thats why there was a Life Saving Station on both sides of the Mouth. One on the Salisbury Beach side,and one directly across,on Plum Island. The Salisbury Station is long gone,although the Plum Island station still exists,it is no longer used. The Coast Guard Station is located inland,in Newburyport. They can be at the Mouth in minutes,with todays equipment. Remember,back in the days of Life Saving Stations,they ROWED a lifeboat after launching down tracks,or pulling a lifeboat thru the sand,and rowing thru wild surf! Brave Souls to do that! Here are old postcards(about 1905) of the Salisbury Life Saving station,long gone.[attachment 67798 ScannedImage-3.jpg][attachment 67799 ScannedImage-3.jpg] Here is Butlers Toothpick,also located on the North side. I don't know how long,or when it was built,but i would guess in the mid eighteen hundreds.Built on granite blocks,its a 4 sided,wooden pyramid. The current frame is steel,with a rock jetty to help protect it.You can see two views,one looking across at the old Plum Island Life Saving Station,and can almost see the top of Plum Island Lighthouse. The other view is looking along the beach,and jetty,towards the Mouth. Rj
