There are certain jobs that people just dream about. A frequent fancy is being a lighthouse keeper where one can enjoy the peace and serenity of the ocean and surrounding sea life.

We visited a popular island lighthouse 30 minutes from San Francisco to find out just what is involved in being a lighthouse innkeeper.

East Brother Island is situated in the middle of San Pablo Bay, which connects to San Francisco Bay.

The one-acre island has two vintage buildings in addition to an 1874 Victorian Lighthouse. The old work shed has been converted into a cozy innkeepers’ cottage, and the other building houses the machinery necessary to power the working foghorns.

The island has electric power supplied by an underwater cable from the mainland, and a self-contained water system that holds almost 90,000 gallons of rainwater stored in an underground cistern and an above-ground redwood water tank.

East Brother Light Station is managed by a Richmond nonprofit preservationist group, which in 1980 obtained permission from the Coast Guard to renovate and maintain the active light station.

The organization has many volunteers to help with the constant maintenance, and pays most of the bills by renting out the island’s five bedrooms, four days per week. This is where our story begins.

After a series of email communications, we arranged to meet and interview the lighthouse innkeepers Ed and Anne Witts, on the East Brother Island.

On Monday morning, we were waiting at the Point San Pablo Yacht Harbor when Ed pulled up to the dock in the lighthouse's aluminum tender.

Before we could board the boat, Ed had to disembark the Sunday night guests. He was both captain and stevedore, as he helped the people and then lifted their baggage onto the dock. The visitors must have enjoyed their island experience because they were all laughing and carrying on as if they were old friends.

After introducing ourselves and boarding the boat, Ed started the engines and headed out of the harbor for our short 15-minute ride to the island. He immediately gave us a briefing about what to expect when we arrived. We were required to strap on a small life preserver device and climb a stainless steel ladder that extended from the boat deck to the landing pier that is adjoined to the island.

Anne was waiting on the platform to greet us as we exited the ladder. As soon as she smiled, we knew we would like her.

After gathering our camera equipment and walking up the steep ramp between the pier and the island, Ed gave us a tour of the first building we encountered, which houses the machinery to operate the foghorns. For our benefit, he cranked up the diesel generator and gave us a live performance of the horns – which was deafening.

We soon found that Anne and Ed had only been lighthouse keepers for ten weeks, and that their personal story is as interesting as their new dream vocations.

Ed Witts is a native of California who has always loved boating. Anne Witts is a native of Waterloo, Belgium and shares Ed’s affinity for all things nautical, plus she speaks four languages, and loves to cook. They met and fell in love while sailing in Italy; –could such a fairytale story get any better? Yes, it can.

After living in Belgium a short time, the couple decided to sail to California and spend time with Ed’s family while working on their 48-foot sailboat.

They arrived in California just in time to find that The East Brother Light Station was recruiting for innkeepers.

How many folks would like to run a Victorian Bed and Breakfast on a small island in California complete with a good salary, room and board, seals, pelicans, and a five star view of the San Francisco skyline?

Lots, that’s how many.

The number of applicants was large, but there were serious knockout factors in the innkeeper application.

One of the applicants had to be an excellent chef and capable of preparing and presenting food for a table of ten. Another qualification was that one of the applicants had to have a Coast Guard commercial boat operator’s license.

In addition, both of the prospective innkeepers had to have substantial charm and personality. Voila – Ed and Anne had it all – and won the positions.

So what does a lighthouse innkeeper do?

In the case of East Brother Light Station, the island is open for business four nights per week starting on Thursday.

On Wednesday morning, Anne and Ed start shopping for up to 40 guests (5 rooms x 2 guests x 4 nights). They select the food for the menu, and pick up the mail, laundry, fuel, and anything else they will need for the week on the island.

On Thursday morning, they boat back to the island with the supplies, unload their cargo into a large wire cart waiting on the docking pier, and winch the cart up a steep ramp that connects the pier with the island. They unload and store the supplies, and get the island ready for visitors.

At 4PM, they return to the marina dock at Point San Pablo Yacht Harbor to board the Thursday night guests. Upon arrival back at the island, the Witts provide a tour, hors d’oeuvres with champagne, and show the guests to their rooms. The visitors then have time to explore the small island and enjoy the fabulous views and amenities before dinner.

At dinnertime, Anne serves an exquisitely prepared multi-course meal of the finest fresh ingredients. All the guests are seated at one large table, which makes for a convivial atmosphere and an opportunity to socialize.

Friday morning at 9AM, the guests are treated to a sumptuous gourmet breakfast before departing for the marina to resume their normal lives. After transferring the guests and their baggage to the dock, Ed returns to the island to help Anne clean and prepare for the Friday night guests.

Saturday and Sunday are a repeat of Thursday and Friday.

After bidding farewell to the last guests for the week on Monday morning, Ed heads back to the island and the chores that couldn’t be completed during the workweek. Some of the couple’s ancillary duties include marketing and promotion, and developing affinity programs with vendors and organizations.

Later in the day, the innkeepers load the laundry -along with the empty bottles and trash into the island wire cart. The cart is pulled to the opposite end of the island and hooked and lowered by winch down to the waiting boat. They depart for the harbor, unload the cargo, and start a well-deserved Tuesday day of rest.

It’s a tough job, but they love it.

The Witts told us, “We enjoy meeting the people.” Anne added, “I love to cook delicious foods that please our guests.”

The innkeepers live a romantic life full of kudos, fresh air, sunshine, seabirds, and seals. We bet that many of our readers would trade places if they could.

When we asked the Witts what comes after life as a lighthouse innkeeper, the answer came quickly, “We want to spend our later years sailing around the world to experience places we have not been.”

Seems a fit continuation to an already charmed life.

If you would like information about being a guest at East Brother Light Station the website is www.ebls.org

When you call, tell Anne and Ed that Judy and Wayne said “hello.”

Happy travels!