Some time ago I found an excellent article called "Lightning and Sailboats", by Ewen Thomson of the University of Florida. It's at: edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/SG/SG07100.pdf. It goes into a lot of detail on how lightning strikes and its effects on different types of boat construction and grounding systems. Lots of information, no easy answers. I did have one experience sailing near a storm system when I got several strong jolts from touching the outboard bracket. Kind of scary, but the effect lasted only couple of minutes, and we sailed the same area for another couple of hours with several other boats and there were no further incidents. Rick M17 #633 Lynne L On Mon, May 24, 2010 at 11:11 AM, Gordon Gilbert < gordon@financialwriting.net> wrote:
Fellow M-boat sailors:
I'm not ashamed to admit it: I hate being caught in a thunderstorm while cruising Sapphire, my M-17. Whether I'm underway or at anchor overnight, nearby lightning bolts and thunder booms make me feel like a sitting duck about to be zapped. It's a vulnerability I don't feel, right or wrong, on larger sailboats with grounding systems and lots of room to move away from the mast.
Many small boat sailors share my unease with T-storms, but I think few of us know how common it really is to be struck by lightning and what, if anything, there is we can do to lower our risk. Getting off the water is good advice for day sailors plying local waters, of course, but it may not be feasible for those of us out for days at a time -- especially in wilderness areas and for storms that blow up in a hurry.
To help "illuminate" this topic, I've proposed an article on lightning and small sailboats to the editors at Small Craft Advisor, and they like the idea. To gather information for the piece, I'd like to find out:
Has lightning ever struck your M-boat or another small sailboat you've owned, whether you were aboard at the time or not. If so, what were the circumstances? Did the strike damage the boat (fried electronics, holes in the hull, etc.) or hurt anyone? Do you personally know another small boat sailor who has experienced a lightning strike? Have you equipped or modified your boat in an attempt to reduce the risk of a strike (grounding, etc)? if so, why do you think it works? What do you do when you're caught by a T-storm underway or sitting/sleeping in your boat at anchor?
If you have an enlightening story to tell, I'd love to hear from you. Thanks!
Gordon '83 M-17 Sapphire Milwaukee, WI _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
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