Once in a lifetime: WWAY spends night 40 miles off coast at Frying Pan Tower

FRYING PAN SHOALS, NC (WWAY) — WWAY got a once in a lifetime opportunity to spend the night on Frying Pan Tower 40 miles off the North Carolina Coast.

WWAY’s Hannah Patrick and Sydney Bouchelle packed up multiple cameras, a GoPro, and all kinds of equipment to capture a 24 hour journey to stay a night on Frying Pan Tower and tell the stories of the people and the technology that keep it running.

It takes about an hour and a half by boat to get to the tower and then, you have to be hoisted into the tower on a swing.

Frying Pan Tower was built in 1964. It was originally a light station used by the Coast Guard to help boaters navigate the shallow water in Frying Pan Shoals. It’s been out of commission as an official light tower for years.

More than a decade ago, Richard Neal purchased the tower at auction after it had fallen into disrepair. He wasn’t quite sure what to do with the structure at first, but now he’s made it his mission to restore it and make it a place where people of all ages can come and learn about marine life and experience life in the ocean.

Something important for Neal is keeping the legacy of what this tower was originally built for alive and well. While the tower is actually outside of the United States, Neal wants to honor the work the US Coast Guard did on the tower by flying an American flag on the helipad.

“Flying the US flag out here, even during the hurricanes when they get torn up, for me it’s a chance to say – ‘yeah, we might go through some tough times, but we’ll pick up and we’ll start over and we’ll work together,'” said Richard Neal.

Working together is what Neal says keeps the tower running. Neal, along with a team of incredible volunteers, are working to restore the tower so it can be utilized and enjoyed for generations to come.

Frying Pan Tower is running a raffle giveaway right now. Tickets are $10 each. If you win, you are going to get to stay on the tower for three nights including a private chef some water excursions and so much more.

WWAY’s Sydney Bouchelle and Hannah Patrick will have more on the tower’s history, the restoration, what it is like to stay in the tower if you win the giveaway or volunteer, a new rescue device, and what the tower is used for today next week on WWAY News at 6 pm.