Is the shift change at lighthouse Kereon the worst shift change ever?

BEFORE you complain about your commute spare a thought for these guys, who must have the worst shift change ever.

BEFORE you complain about your trip into work this morning spare a thought for a group of lighthouse keepers who must have dreaded shift changes.

The video is from a French documentary by Thierry Marchadier and shows the way that lighthouse keepers used to change shifts at the lighthouse Kereon in the Iroise Sea.

Hanging around ... Changing shifts at this lighthouse would have to be the worst part of the working day.

Luckily for these lighthouse employees, the lighthouse became remote controlled and totally automated in January 2004 when keepers Jean-Philippe Rock and Brian O’Rorke left Kereon via helicopter for the last time.

It was the last lighthouse isolated at sea to be entirely automated. It was built in 1914 despite continual rough seas, particularly in the winter months when large ocean swells made it an even harder manoeuvre.

A cable is flown between the boat and the lighthouse enables the exchange of everything from men to food, materials, water and fuel. All with the aid of a simple balloon.

The vomitus shift-change is only for the diehard seafarers with strong stomachs and sturdy sea-legs. It is not much different from the scene in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty where Walter (played by Ben Stiller) sets off on a search for the elusive photojournalist Sean O’Connell (Sean Penn), hitching a helicopter ride to a ship at sea.

Surely there are easier ways to make a living? We’ve found some other shift-changes which might make your day seem a little easier.

Originally published as Is the shift change at lighthouse Kereon the worst shift change ever?