7/1/2023 0 Comments Frying pan tower hotelJust seeing these enormous lumps of water rolling past at what looks 20 knots or 25 miles per hour is just an amazing experience. They don’t actually hit you like you would expect on a surf because the legs are very thin so they slide past. And the waves, the larger they get, the more they look like mountains rolling past. It’s large enough that you don’t feel trapped or constrained. "Surprisingly enough, when you are out here and even though all you see is water, the facility itself gives you a tremendous sense of security. Describe what it’s like from beginning to end to be surrounded by nothing but water when a storm comes through. You’ve ridden out storms at the tower before. They will twist and flex a little bit – not enough to spill your soup but enough to let you know that the winds are approaching 100 miles per hour." That was very conservative because we are at 55 years already. They massively overbuilt these things, with a lifespan of 50 years. "The actual physical structure has four legs that are buried several hundred feet into the bedrock and was built in the nature of an oil derrick, from the Gulf Coast area. Richard Neal works on a generator at the Frying Pan Tower. If you just go to the southeast of there, about 34 miles - as they would say a ‘fir piece’ - you will actually see a strange little oil derrick facility sitting there in the middle of the ocean, out of sight of land." "If you look at the coast of North Carolina, you’ll see a couple of bumps out there – one of them being Bald Head Island. Give us a better sense of where the Frying Pan Tower is, in relation to the mainland. It’s starting to pick up a little bit, but there’s still a little bit of daylight even though it’s getting a little overcast." "Actually the wind is blowing pretty constant. WUNC’s Dave DeWitt spoke with Richard Neal about his unique tower and what it's like to watch a storm from the middle of the ocean: Neal bought the tower from the government in a 2010 auction and has converted it into a bed and breakfast. Richard Neal owns the Frying Pan Tower, a former Coast Guard Light Station 34 miles south of Wilmington, surrounded only by the open ocean. One North Carolinian will be closer to the storm than anyone else, and he’s doing it by choice. It will come closest to North Carolina sometime overnight Saturday and into Sunday. They’ve shared all the juicy details in the video below.Hurricane Matthew continues to roar up the eastern seaboard. The bold sailing couple wasn’t afraid to let themselves be hoisted up to the front door of the Tower and enjoyed total freedom during their stay. Despite its dangerous character, the Tower is perfect for leisure activities such as fishing, golf, scuba diving, and enjoying bonfires at night. Using solar and wind power for its electricity, and a filtration system for potable water, the Frying Pan includes multiple bedrooms, a fully-equipped kitchen, large living and dining areas. But it’s so much more than that, acting as a platform for environmental research, preservation, and studies. Richard Neal purchased the Tower at auction and turned it into a “glamping” destination to cover the renovation costs. As decades passed, the Frying Pan Shoals Light Station became outdated and was eventually abandoned by the Coast Guard by 2004. Coast Guard while also warning ships in the area of the shallow waters, which had caused many troubles for large ships before. The “Texas Tower” was a modified Texas drilling platform meant to offer housing for crewmen of the U.S. It’s called The Frying Pan Tower, born from the restoration of a tower built in 1964. This is 32 miles (51 km) off the coast of North Carolina, at 135 feet (41 meters) above the Atlantic Ocean. It doesn’t get more off-grid than literally staying in the middle of the ocean, at a dangerous height, with sharks lurking beneath you. Apparently, that wasn’t enough adrenaline, so they switched things up a little by staying a few nights at a very unusual Airbnb. What makes their adventure even more surprising is that they’ve got their two young children onboard as well. Riley Whitelum and Elayna Carausu are one of the bold couples around the world who have decided to swap conventional living with sailing onboard their own vessel, called La Vagabonde.
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