Imagine sailing into the harbor of Shanghai in 874 AD and being guided by a great pagoda with a lantern’s beam atop its spire! That was the year the magnificent Mahota Pagoda was first lighted, and its flame shone for the next 400 years. What secrets it must hold, as it sits there today - no longer a lighthouse - but one of the world’s most historic relics. Even if you haven’t visited mysterious Shanghai, you can own a remarkable reproduction by Harbour Lights—coming this month to Lighthouse Depot and other dealers!

Just as the original pagoda held secrets, so does this one! Each of the five-levels can be separated and opens to become a treasure box to hold a small memento. Richly hand-painted in Chinese red with gold accents, Mahota Pagoda is unsurpassed in beauty and historic significance.

Closer to home, we all love the “tall ships”... the barques and clippers of another era. Did you know that the US Coast Guard Academy is home to the U.S. Coast Guard Eagle — a 295-ft., 1800-ton, steel hull, three-masted sailing vessel that is the only active tall ship in the US Maritime Services? Built in Germany in 1936 as a training vessel for the German Navy, the ship was part of reparations following WWII, and was commissioned as U.S. Coast Guard Eagle in 1946. Today, hundreds of cadets receive their first tests of seamanship aboard this incredible ship, and we are proud to add the Eagle to our Anchor Bay series. Next time you’re in New London, Connecticut you can see this awesome tall ship and walk its historic deck; until then, enjoy this new Anchor Bay introduction.

Visit www.harbourlights.com and see all the mid-2004 introductions, then reserve your favorites at Lighthouse Depot right away!

This story appeared in the June 2004 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. The print edition contains more stories than our internet edition, and each story generally contains more photographs - often many more - in the print edition. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.

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