Is Lightning Protection worthwhile?

[William_H]

I've often wonder how I could protect my southerly 46RS from lightening strikes.
The the boat has a carbon mast, it is 7/8th rigged, with a dyneema backstay, air draft about 23m, so often the tallest mast around.
The only metal bits going to the mast head are the aluminum mainsail track and the cables for the; VHF, tricolor/anchor light, wind sensor and a SEAME radar transponder. All fine gauge copper, the biggest being the copper braid on the VHF co-axial.
Carbon fiber is a good conductor, but the epoxy matrix isn't. It's virtually impossible to make an electrical connection to the carbon, the fibers and covered in epoxy.
The boat also has a 4 ton ballast plate recessed in to the bottom of the hull, from forward of the mast to the engine bay. This provides several square meters of potential contact with the sea, but it is covered in an epoxy barrier coat and CopperCoat. The rod rigging is bonded to the grounding ballast plate with heavy gauge braided copper straps.
I can't see an obvious way to provide any protection.
I guess that if the mast received a direct strike, the epoxy would break down and the carbon would conduct, probably shredding the mast!
I don't worry about it, sailing in the NW of Scotland, thunderstorms are rare.
Is there any information on lightening strikes on carbon masts, and how to protect them?

I would suggesrt you make a decent connection to the ali track on the mast. I don't believe carbon fibre is such a good conductor in terms of thousands of amps. Not as good as ali. (which may divert enough current.) Connect the track down to keel bolts or ballast plate. I would not worry about epoxy insulation of ballast plate to water. This would go pretty easily compared to hull itself.
Re poster concerned re connection to keel bolts. Presumably you have multiple bolts and connection to one or 2 would make a good connection (as related to practical wire size) If those bolts were melted then hopefully keel still attached ok. ol'will