The miraculous appearance of four uniquely designed lighthouses at the four cardinal directions on the Island has been explained. Two local residents proved able to translate the secret messages behind the lighthouses and win themselves prizes and the undying adulation of the Alameda Lighthouse Appreciation Society (ALAS). 

Alamedans Ian Kennedy, who documented his search on his blog everwas.com, and Eddie Cruz, whose tenacious footwork would be the envy of any private eye, both revealed their versions of the latin phrases inscribed on the lighthouses. Cruz discovered lighthouses where others wouldn’t have dared to consider looking.

Local artists David “Darv” Teare, Bill Silveira and Marc Ribaud created the lighthouses. Some had latin inscriptions that when placed in the correct order read: “Maria aspera iter vitas replete est, et macilentum temporibus inimicum veritatern sed non desset copia est casus.”

Which translates roughly to: “Life’s journey is filled with rough seas, lean times and unfriendly ports, but to not set sail is to miss the adventure.”

Teare was the instigator and primary driving force behind the lighthouse mystery. 

Admiral Banyan Azimuth (aka Phil Hargrave) made two model lighthouses that were presented as prizes to the winners.

During the month of the lighthouse project the Aeolian Yacht Club claimed Ribaud’s lighthouse in an act of civic duty. They were sure it wouldn’t last long in the wild and felt that not only could they provide adequate protection but that it was also a fine talisman for the roof of their repair shop. This lighthouse is now a permanent installation visable from the Bay Farm Island Bridge.