b'1989, Chatham barrier beaches looking northCourtesy, Kelsey-Kennard PhotographersO n January 2, 1987, a 50-mph Noreaster combined with a syzygy celestial tidal surge of more than two feet above normal caused the Atlantic to wash over and break through North Beach across Chatham Harbor from Chatham Light.Within a few months the 1987 inlet was established and was being navigated by the fishing fleet from Aunt Lydias Cove.In this 1989 photo, note that the two-year-old break between North Beach and South Beach is wide enough to allow major wave action from the ocean, bringing sand drifting southward from Outer Cape shores into Chatham Harbor.A firm spit is building to connect Lighthouse Beach to South Beach Island. 1988, Galanti home erosionCourtesy, Steve HeaslipA year after the 1987 breach, shoreline erosion north of Lighthouse Beach led to the loss of this home near the end of Andrew Hardings Lane.After the Halloween Storm of 1991, nearby homeowners started a flurry of appeals to build revetments for their coastal banks near that shoreline.By 1995, nine homes were lost on Andrew Hardings Lane and Holway Street.10'