Back in the early 70s, we were sailing in the upper Chesepeake in out Balboa 20. The previous owner had put a ground strap on the back of the compression post from the mast base to the keel pivot bolt as a lightning ground. When we were struck on the masthead, the shrouds and backstay glowed and afterward we could smell burnt wood in the cabin. The back of the compression post was chared in a diamond pattern from ground strap and the strap was still very hot. With the boat back on the trailer, we found a hole burned in the masthead and the gellcoat around the chainplates was slightly discolored but there was no other visible damage. I am thankful to the preious owner for having installed the lightning ground since no one was injured and the most serious damage to the boat was some huge pucker marks in the cockpit cushions. We were lucky that no one was in contact with the mast or rigging. Since then, I have installed lightning grounds on every other boat I have owned. I am looking at my newly acquired Seaward Fox to determing how to install a ground and will probably put a copper plate on the bottom somewhere. A friend who is an avid dinghy sailor in Oklahoma has a unique lightning ground system. He keeps three lengths of light chain with a snap shackle on the end of each. When in threatening weather, he clips the chains to the shrounds and lets them dangle in the water. He has been struck twice and says the system works. Whitebeard
From: gordon@financialwriting.net Date: Mon, 24 May 2010 10:11:40 -0500 To: montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com Subject: M_Boats: Hit by lightning? Let me know!
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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