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Cape Lookout Light

Outer Banks, NC

Built in 1859, this is the second lighthouse to be built on this spot; the first one built in 1804.  She is one hundred and fifty-eight feet tall and is identified by a flashing white light every 15 seconds that can be seen for twenty-five miles.  Her checkered black and white colors identify her in the daytime!

This beautiful tower is one of the five lighthouses that grace the magnificent outer banks of North Carolina.  The other four are Currituck, Bodie Island, Ocracoke and the jewel in the crown, Cape Hatteras Light!  Together, they provide a margin of safety for mariners, warning them of the treacherous Lookout Shoals and Diamond Shoals . . .known as the Graveyard of the Atlantic.

These lights were built about forty miles apart; designed for sailors to see the next light before they lost sight of the last one! 

A long time ago, before satellite weather reports, two friends of mine, Duke Stock and Ross Smith were delivering Burl Ives’ boat from Connecticut to Florida for the winter season.  The boat, a beautiful ninety-foot yawl promised a pleasant cruise from north to south.

But, they ran into a nor’easter just off Hatteras and were almost killed trying to stay away from Diamond Shoals.  They survived to tell how they lost control of the boat and were driven hard aground, broaching and snapping the masts.  In the water, with debris raining down on them, they thought they were finished.  Fortunately, some townspeople went into the surf and brought them to safety.  The boat was a total wreck!

Don't miss seeing this wonderful Cape Lookout Lighthouse!