Offshore Wetherspoons

I came across an extraordinary news story. JD Wetherspoon is one of my favourite institutions in the world for reasons I explain in the background link below. They have a reputation for creating new pubs in buildings originally constructed for other purposes such as cinemas, theatres, banks, police stations and department stores etc. Sometimes they have names and decorations that commemorate the site's history. This story must surely be their most extraordinary endeavour. They have bought up a derelict sea platform for just one pound and plan to create an offshore Wetherspoons. The platform was originally a lighthouse in the Atlantic Ocean, and therefore it is, I assume, off the west coast of Ireland or Cornwall. It stands outside territorial waters and so all the drinks will be duty-free. There will be a regular ferry service between the platform and shore served by a ship carrying a hundred passengers. Of course there is always the risk customers might be trapped in the pub during a storm... I hope they have the strength to endure such an horrific ordeal. The platform consists of a large circular room near the waterline with a row of windows around its edge; and a tapering tower that rises high above it... presumably that's where they'll put the toilets. Source: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=575764558755745. I will immediately make plans to visit this 'Spoons as soon as it opens.
 
I'd love this story to be true, but sadly it is not. The photo you see is of a derelict sea platform, but it is not in the Atlantic; it is in the Bahamas. It's called the Crystal Cay Lighthouse and it's not really a lighthouse; it's part of the Coral World theme park that was a major tourist attraction from when it was opened in 1987. It was damaged beyond repair by Hurricane Floyd in 1999 and so has been abandoned ever since, see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kb0Qi-sLnmI. Wetherspoons has gone international in recent years, setting up some pubs in Ireland and there's talk on them opening some up in the United States; but so far their global reach does not extend to this Caribbean paradise. But we can only hope. The good news is that there is a similar platform you can visit that is still in working order and opens to the public. It is also called Coral World and it is in Eilat, Israel. It includes a wild aquarium. Source: https://coralworld.co.il/en/.
See here for background: https://hpanwo-voice.blogspot.com/2024/03/wetherspoon-bounces-back.html.