Good job it doesnt strike twice...

Unfortunately, it does. Especially when you're the tallest structure in the immediate vicinity. One strike proves you're a convenient path to earth for a strike, making subsequent strikes more likely than on a random spot.

What do you reckon repairs will involve? I'd guess all new mast and rigging, including chain plates and toasted grp, electronics, probably a complete rewire and keel and bolt inspection. What have I forgotten?
 
I'd like to have seen that slowed down. There appeared to be a mass of incandescent particles thrown out. I hope that they were just loose dirt rather than the surface layers. I'll continue to keep my fingers crossed.
 
The glowing particles are liquid metal - the remains of the masthead VHF antenna and probably most of the other masthead gear. Wherever these land they will leave melty pockmarks in the gelcoat and plastic windows. If the rig was properly bonded to the keel, the rig should be fine, although due a thorough inspection. Most expensively, 80-90% of the electronics on board are now toast and the others will have random faults and/or die in the next 1-2 weeks. Boats in close proximity will also have fried electronics, but are more likely to be in the random faults/die soon thereafter category, which is much more difficult to claim on the insurance. At least they have a video to show! :)
 
johnalison said:
I'd like to have seen that slowed down. There appeared to be a mass of incandescent particles thrown out. I hope that they were just loose dirt rather than the surface layers. I'll continue to keep my fingers crossed.
Click to expand...

I see speed controls on the video player, click the gear icon and select 0.25 x speed. Or not if you dont want to wince...
 
Had quite a few close calls but lucky to never actually been hit. Have seen results though on yachts with blown out electronic gear and wiring. Yucky.
 
Lon nan Gruagach said:
Anchor....
Click to expand...

:) probably the only thing to be undamaged.

Having just watched it at quarter speed, it really is horrendous and, as Yngmar says, the GRP will have been liberally splattered with bits of molten metal, so I reckon the owner would be quite keen on seeing the poor thing put out of its misery. I certainly wouldn't want to trust the hull & chainplate integrity after that.
 
One more fun fact pointed out to me by the owner of a very fancy carbon fibre boat last year:

Carbon fibre hulls (and spars) conduct electricity, but not as well as metal hulls and spars (higher resistance). So they get very hot when struck and the resin infused into the carbon fibre strands flashes away (if trapped, in an explosive fashion), leaving mostly un-infused carbon fibre behind, which has all the structural strength of a wet sock. The boat and/or mast revert back to a bunch of floppy, hot cloth that instantly collapses.

I can't find a photo of a boat this happened to, but apparently it occasionally happens to fishermen with hi-tech rods. Here's one example:

vqde67q14ebz.jpg
 
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