Have you ever dreamed of living on the water, or are just a misanthrope who doesn’t like being around people? Here’s some major news for you: A tiny lighthouse in the San Francisco Bay is looking for a pair of new keepers.
“East Brother Light Station, Inc., a nonprofit corporation, is seeking applicants for Keepers of East Brother Light Station, an island in San Francisco Bay that is the home of an intact 1874 lighthouse and fog signal,” Tom Butt, a director at the nonprofit, announced in an email Dec. 4.
“The successful candidates will be a couple, one of whom must possess a Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Credential NMC boat operator’s license,” Butt said. “They will operate the five-room inn, serving both dinner and breakfast, as well as providing ferry service for guests and all other tasks from chef to maid. High-quality culinary experience and capability are critical qualifications.”
The sun sets over the East Brother Light Station, a lighthouse built in the 1870s on an island in the San Francisco Bay. (Photo courtesy of Capt. Jarrod Ward)
The job opening comes as the current lighthouse keepers, Dre and Charity Elmore, get ready to depart in March 2025. They’ll be heading back to New York, where previously Charity ran a farmhouse and Dre gave tours of the Erie Canal.
The East Brother Light Station was built in 1874 north of what’s now the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. It was the home of many lighthouse keepers and their families, who prevented ship collisions with a foghorn and a beaming Fresnel lens. The U.S. Coast Guard automated the station in 1969, and in 1980 – thanks to Butt and other preservationists – reopened as a charming bed-and-breakfast where the public can sleep for a one-of-a-kind vacation.
The role of lighthouse keepers has shifted since the 1800s. They used to run the foghorn, polish the light and wash sea scum from the windows, kick dead fish that washed up back into the water and occasionally get drunk. Nowadays, the keepers serve as hospitality pros who know how to cook gourmet meals, make beds and show tourists a good time. Over the decades, their ranks have included a retired Navy SEAL, wooden-boat builder, commercial fisherman and a flight attendant.
One recent keeper, Desiree Heveroh, was stranded alone on the island without power for months during Covid when an underwater electric cable broke. She couldn’t shower more than once a week and canned her own food because freezers weren’t operational. Still, she made the best of it, as she related to The Mercury News earlier this year: “I grew a garden. I trained a raven. I had a baby duckling. I learned a language. All the things you say you’re going to do, I did. I didn’t look at clocks or calendars, and it was as glorious as it sounds.”
The East Brother Light Station is a historic lighthouse built in the 1870s on an island in the San Francisco Bay that is now run as a bed-and-breakfast for public visitors. (Photo courtesy of Tom Butt)
For this wonderful experience, keepers will receive a modest salary and the chance to tell a great story for the rest of their lives. Butt explained more in his email: “The new keepers will start April 2025, allowing two weeks for training. Compensation is a function of the level of business, occupancy level and economy. In the last two years, it has averaged $140,000, trending upward, for the couple. Compensation includes a health plan and living quarters on the island.”
Interested parties must show proof of a current Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Credential NMC boat operator’s license and can apply via this online form. Learn more about the lighthouse at https://ebls.org. Direct questions to EastBrotherLightStationJOBS@gmail.com.