Ferries are gone, but lights at Cape Tormentine illuminate memories of sailing to P.E.I.

A spot on the Northumberland Strait that played host to thousands of travellers bound for Prince Edward Island is mostly deserted these days, but the lights that safely guided the ferries remain.

James Upham, a Moncton historian and educator, says Cape Tormentine has fallen "very much by the wayside," when compared to the bustling spot it used to be before Confederation Bridge was built.

Over the years, locals and tourists set off from the tiny community in southeastern New Brunswick "for their chance to get over to P.E.I."

One of the relics from Cape Tormentine's heyday looks at first glance like an old lighthouse.

In fact, Upham explains, it is a "range light."

"It looks like a really classic East Coast, quintessential lighthouse," he said. "But this specific thing is actually a bit different."

There were two range lights in Cape Tormentine, one at the end of the pier and one on the bank and both are still there.

The one on the bank was built in 1907 and remained in service until ferry service ended in 1997.

"The way this works is, this high upper tower would be in back and the lower tower is in front," Upham said. "If you keep those beams of light one above the other, and you keep tracking along that, you're going to have a safe, clear passage from P.E.I. over here to Cape Tormentine."

The lights were visible for 12 nautical miles, which allowed captains to line up with them as they approached New Brunswick.

"And everybody, believe it or not, who traveled that route over that 90 years, whether they recognized it or not, were being guided by this specific light."

Another difference between a lighthouse and a range light, said Upham, is that a lighthouse sends out a pattern of light, such as one long and two short bursts. Range lights shine steadily, allowing sailors to "take a bearing on that light" to figure out where they are on the Northumberland Strait.

Upham describes range lights as "more like the yellow line down the middle of the road when you're driving."

"You don't even have to steer. You just keep it between the lines and keep it straight on," he said. "We had thousands of hassle-free, safe crossings here for decades, and one of the things overseeing that entire thing for that entire process was this light."