I posted an article on east coast sunsets over water nearly a lifetime ago in Internet time, way back in November 2008. I described peculiar instances where observers could experience sunsets totally over water on the eastern coast of the United States.
Think about it. People on the eastern side of any landmass don’t have many opportunities to view sunsets over water. Sure, they can observe sunrises over water all over the place but sunsets are another matter entirely. Those places do exist in a few lucky spots under optimal geographic conditions, and we had lots of fun exploring them vicariously.
Next we flipped the concept over to its opposite side and searched for west coast sunrises totally over water. We proved that it sometimes happens in the United States. However it occurs much less frequently than their eastern counterparts due to coastal mountains interfering with the line of sight and other factors. Once again we had a great time in the process.
Double the Difficulty
This has entertained me ever since. I’ve searched maps for variations on these phenomena, not obsessively but occasionally as the notion struck me. I’ve been trying to discover spots — anywhere, not just the United States — where it should be possible to observe both a sunrise and a sunset totally over water from the same position each day.
Necessary Alignment
This requires an alignment of somewhat unusual and specific conditions. The landform needs to be extremely narrow, maybe a needle-like peninsula, a razor-thin isthmus, the sandspit of a tombolo or something of that nature. This geographic feature needs to align roughly North-South while taking axial tilt into consideration. Finally any other landform either east or west needs to be at least several kilometres away to remain beyond the sight horizon.
Under these ideal conditions, hypothetically, I should be able to observe the rising sun float from the waters each morning as I sipped my coffee and follow the setting sun as it dips back into the sea in the evening while I enjoyed a cocktail, all from the lovely deck of my fictional beach home that I’d construct specifically for this purpose. This will take place after I win the lotto of course.
Promising Locations
I’ve found many places where this phenomenon might exist, at least theoretically. Squiggly shorelines with lots of peninsulas are a good bet. I’ve compiled a few promising spots.
- Chile
- Argentina
- Australia
- Maybe even at Cape Cod, Massachusetts at times.
A Prime Contender
My most promising candidate, however, is Point Pelee in Ontario, Canada. Does that place sound familiar? Why yes, of course, it’s the southernmost point on mainland Canada. It also represents a rare double geo-anomaly, which means that I really need to add this feature to my travel wish list.
Let’s bounce Point Pelee against the criteria: Needle-like peninsula; north-south configuration; and distant landforms well beyond the horizon both east and west. Point Pelee matches these perfectly, almost like someone designed it for this purpose. It’s an amazingly triangular landform jutting directly into Lake Erie due south from mainland Ontario with nothing else close enough nearby to obscure the daily path of the sun at any time of the year.
Evidence
Let’s double check with an image. Google Street View goes right to the very tip. I see nothing but water due south, west and east.
Ample evidence also exists on the various photo sharing websites.
Here’s an example from Flickr. Set a house right around here and it will be perfectly situated to experience daily sunrises and sunsets over water.
But I Probably Can’t Move There
Perfect. I’ve found no other place on the planet better situated geographically to take advantage of a sunrise and sunset over water from the same spot. There’s only one problem: it’s a National Park. I don’t think they’ll let me build my beach house here. Also biting flies live here. Lots of them. I take notice when the second item on the Park’s Frequently Asked Questions page [link no longer works] says, “What are those biting flies?”
“They are called stable flies and they look a lot like a housefly in size and colour. In order for the females to lay eggs, they feed on the blood of animals and humans. Since insect repellent is not effective against stable flies because they hunt by sight versus by smell like mosquitoes, to protect yourself and still have an enjoyable experience at the park, wear loose light-coloured clothing, long pants and closed toed shoes.”
Lovely. That plus the mosquitoes would definitely put a damper on cocktail hour.
Post a comment with lat/long coordinates or a Google Map link if you know of a similarly-situated spot. You might even see it turned into an article on the Twelve Mile Circle!
Meanwhile, the search continues.
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