If you've spent any time on the Maine coast, you know the Nubble. Rocky island, white Victorian lighthouse, the Atlantic doing what it does. It's my go-to whenever friends visit. What I didn't know, until recently, is that someone tends it.
Matt Rosenberg (of @nubblelightkeeper fame) has been rowing out to the Nubble since 2012. High school English teacher by day, lighthouse keeper by season, making the crossing several times a week in a small rowboat, about 100 yards of open water, whatever the conditions offer. He's been at it for over a decade. What follows is a conversation about the island, about Maine, and about what it means to care for something that's been standing since 1879.
Q&A with Matt
You make the crossing after a full day of teaching. Walk me through what that transition feels like.
"I definitely get the experience of leaving the world behind when I get in the boat. School teachers make more than a thousand decisions in a day. Going to a place of solitude where the work is physical rather than intellectually demanding is really nice. Being on an island insulates you from the outside world."
An estimated half a million people come to Sohier Park each year to look at the Nubble from shore. You're one of a handful who actually gets on the island. What does that access do to your relationship with that stretch of coastline?
"From the tower I can see way up and down the coast, a perspective you can't really get even on a boat, since it's from 80 feet in the air. When you are on the coast of southern Maine, you are always sharing it with others. From the island I can see all the people, but I can also go to the other side of the lighthouse and have one of the most spectacular views in Maine all to myself. That privilege is never lost on me."
Is there a time of year at the Nubble that most people never see?
"In the off season it feels like a completely different place. The slower pace, the return of the locals, and the golden autumn light create an atmosphere that many people never get to experience. Eventually, it gives way to the stark beauty of winter and the cold that you just have to embrace when you live here. The coast of Maine puts on a new and unique face every day."
You're maintaining a structure that's been standing since 1879, mostly solo, in conditions that can take out power lines. What's the most underestimated part of the job?
"The nature of the job is that you are doing mundane tasks in an incredible place. The part that people often underestimate is the complication imposed on everything by separation from the mainland. It's just around 100 yards of water to cross in the rowboat, but there are some days that it might as well be 10 miles. When you need something on the island that you don't have, it can require creative problem solving to get the job done."
Your photography gives people access to a place they can't enter. How do you think about what to share?
"I do share typical photos of the Nubble on a sunny day with blue skies, but I like the clouds and waves even more. Years ago I started to lean into my perspective and show how I see the Nubble instead of what I thought others wanted to see. I hope my love for the place shows through my photography and is felt by those who see it."
What's in the Coastland bag when you head out to the island?
"When you go to the lighthouse, you need to bring everything you need for the workday. Once I'm on the island, it's an hour round trip to the hardware store or a lunch place. I always bring a lot of water, lunch, a warm layer, materials, and any specialized tools I'll need. My Moon Tote can hold a lot of stuff. I keep snacks and headphones in the inside pockets all the time, because any day has the potential of becoming a long one when you're on the island."
The original keepers lived out there year-round. The tradition goes back to 1879. What do you carry forward from that?
"The lighthouse keepers of the past were tough guys, much tougher than I am. The demands of the job were constant and uncompromising. One thing that I feel deeply is the sense of tradition working at a place 147 years old. Sometimes I am doing something like painting a door or fixing a window and think about how other men at other times in the past did exactly the same thing. I love being able to play a part in the life of the Nubble Lighthouse."
Matt has been tending the Nubble for over a decade now. He'll be out there this week, rowing across, doing what needs doing. There's something very steadying about that.