Punta Martiño Lighthouse

The Punta Martiño Lighthouse (Spanish: Faro de Punta Martiño) is an active lighthouse on the Canary island of Lobos, near Fuerteventura in the municipality of La Oliva.

The lighthouse is situated on a hill at the north-eastern end of the island, and along with the other lights at Pechiguera and Tostón, marks the La Bocayna strait that separates Lanzarote from Fuerteventura.

The lighthouse was opened in 1865, making it one of the oldest in the Canaries. Built in a similar style to other Canarian 19th century lights, it consists of a painted single storey house, with dark volcanic rock used for the masonry detailing. A six metre high, masonry tower is attached to the seaward side of the house.

The sixth order light was originally powered by olive oil, and gave a steady red light that had a range of 9 miles. In 1883, the oil powered lamp was replaced by one that ran on paraffin, and then in 1923 this was superseded by an acetylene lamp, that provided a longer range, and flashed twice every five seconds. An automatic sun valve was also added, to save the keeper having to light and extinguish the lamp, each day at dusk and dawn. A system of solar panels and batteries now provide the power for a 150 Watt electric halogen lamp, which has a reach of 14 nautical miles. When the lighthouse was automated in the 1960s the keeper and his family were the last to leave the island, which now has no permanent residents.

Lighthouse

A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and used as a navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways.

Lighthouses mark dangerous coastlines, hazardous shoals, reefs, safe entries to harbors, and can also assist in aerial navigation. Once widely used, the number of operational lighthouses has declined due to the expense of maintenance and use of electronic navigational systems.

History

Ancient lighthouses

Before the development of clearly defined ports, mariners were guided by fires built on hilltops. Since raising the fire would improve the visibility, placing the fire on a platform became a practice that led to the development of the lighthouse. In antiquity, the lighthouse functioned more as an entrance marker to ports than as a warning signal for reefs and promontories, unlike many modern lighthouses. The most famous lighthouse structure from antiquity was the Pharos of Alexandria, although it collapsed during an earthquake centuries later.

Lighthouse (Lucy Spraggan song)

"Lighthouse" is a single by English musician Lucy Spraggan. The song was released in the United Kingdom as a digital download on 28 June 2013 as the lead single from her debut studio album. The song was written by Lucy Spraggan, James Flannigan and The Ordinary Boys frontman Preston. The song has peaked to number 26 on the UK Singles Chart.

Background

The song was inspired by a journey Lucy made across America at the age of 18 with just her guitar and a three-month Visa, Lucy said, "Lighthouses are my good omen. When I was in the US and stuff went wrong, when I'd miss the last bus or I'd run out of money, I'd always see a lighthouse on a piece of paper, beer bottle or in real life then things would start getting better."

Live performances

On 15 July 2013, Spraggan performed the song live on BBC Breakfast.

Music video

A music video to accompany the release of "Lighthouse" was first released onto YouTube on 22 May 2013 at a total length of three minutes and twenty-two seconds. The video shows Lucy performing the track in a rehearsal space, while other scenes see her wandering around the city at dusk.

Magnetized (album)

Magnetized is the third album by Johnny Hates Jazz released on May 24, 2013. This album was the band's first album in 22 years, after Tall Stories and the departure of fellow bandmates Calvin Hayes and Phil Thornalley. The album, was followed by the release of the same-titled lead single, along with a corresponding music video.

Critical reception

Upon release Magnetized received highly favorable reviews from critics. Radio Creme Brulee stated that the album might be 2013's "pop album of the year". Nick Pett of Backseat Mafia gave the album a more mixed review, but later said that the album "isn't all bad.."

Track listing

All songs written by Datchler and produced by Nocito.

References