Sometime following my trip to the tower, the old winch has been replaced with a much faster winch and the trip now takes about one minute. I think that the motion sickness pills I had been taking for 2 days prior to the boat ride kept me from getting sick on the five-minute ride up to the deck. On my trip, my ride up was via a bosun’s chair attached to a steel cable. After Richard climbs up the leg of the light station and unlocks the tower, he turns on the generators and starts lifting people one at a time along with heavy duty canvas “lift bags” filled with the supplies for the weekend. The extra benefit (or drawback) to boat travel is the eighty feet between the water and the tower. Since you can’t really skimp on the fuel, it becomes a choice of people or luggage. As it was explained to me, a helicopter can only carry a set amount of weight and it must carry people, fuel and luggage. If you go by helicopter, there are mandatory weight limits for people and supplies. At a minimum, you should double-bag in large garbage bags whatever you take. I advise that you take motion sickness pills starting 24 hours before you leave. It is quite bumpy, and you and everything on board get a little wet. The ride to the light station reminds me of a ride on the “Log Flume” at Six Flags. Guests regularly take diving and fishing gear for the unique weekend. When riding out on the boat you do not really have a limit on what you can take out. On my trip in July, I was given the unique opportunity to ride out on a boat and fly home on the helicopter, so I got a taste of both. Weather and sea conditions influence a trip by boat. Weight restrictions create a limit on what you can carry by helicopter. It is a swift ten-minute helicopter ride or a bumpy two and one-half-hour boat ride from Southport, NC. This normally wouldn’t be a dramatic undertaking except that the steel tower is perched eighty feet over the ocean and 23 miles from the coast of Bald Head Island, near Wilmington, NC. Richard Neal bought the lighthouse in a government auction in 2010 and has slowly been working on converting the former lighthouse into a bed and breakfast. XIX 2013 by Jason JennetteĪ weekend spent on the Frying Pan Tower is an adventure not to be taken lightly or on a whim. first published in Lighthouse News Vol. Overnight Stay: Frying Pan Shoals Light Station Join us today to unlocked early access and episode exclusives. This episode was available early to our Patreon supporters. You can learn more about the tower, and make a donation to its upkeeping, on. It has a filtration system for potable water and high-speed Internet for communications. The tower is powered using wind turbines and solar energy for electricity. He joins us via video chat from the tower. Richard is our guest on this episode of the Carolina Weather Group. In 2010, the government placed the Frying Pan Tower up for auction, with the winning bid going to Richard Neal of Charlotte, NC. Weather conditions are observed on-board by weather sensors and a live streaming webcam. Its location makes it a prime spot to observe tropical weather off the Carolina coast, including a direct hit by Hurricane Irene in 2011. It helps provide safety to Mariners in the Atlantic ocean, is used for environmental research and education studies, and is a shelter to a natural ecosystem for marine wildlife. Frying Pan Tower is located 32 miles off the coast of North Carolina and rises 135' above the Atlantic Ocean.
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