Lightening Strike en route to London!

[benw]

OK here goes, as some will recall I was planning a trip up to St Kats. Well last Fri on passage to Queenborough en route to St Kat's we experieneced what most would class as a very luck escape. The day had gone really well meeting all tidal gateways as expected (thanks to Rogers Crossing the Thames Estuary guide). Approaching the Medway the weather cells that had been skirting us loomed large and Southend disappeared behind a black out.
With 0.5nm to the entrance of the Medway the winds picked up to 44mph and thunder and lightening sounded above. We could see electrical activity all around with forks all over the place I made the decision to start the engine for fear of being struck and not being able to power up (not sure if this would have happened but...) With mainsail reefed no headsail we held our course as a motor cruiser emerged out of the gloom passing to port when as they were some 100m clear a lightening strike touched down onto the sea some 20m off our stern. A massive crack (like a bullwhip snapping by your ear) and a strong sulphur smell were noticeable (not from the trouser region I hasten to add)
I had some 3 mins before spoken with St Christopher but wondered why we hadn't taken a direct strike. Was it that it was torn between the two vessels? Interestingly we lost our anenometer gauge on the companionway, completely no LCD screen, the depth and speed log had frozen and our GPS repeater worked normally.
On arrival at Q'boro we had a stiff G+T and counted ourselves very lucky as the static whilst it had blown out some of the instruments upon switching off and back on all started normally.
The rest of the trip up to St Kat's and back was great but the talking point seems to be the near miss!
By the way we found Q'boro to be a good stopover and had a good chat with the mooring chaps on the rounds collecting dues - very friendly.
A great trip up the Thames rounded off with steady 4-5's for our return trip back across the THames Estuary with only one casualty to the Wallet - vomit alley! I think it may have been the strong G+T's consumed by one of the crew!
Any suggestions for dealing with lightening at sea would be useful - not that I am looking for another close encounter!
Ben

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

Phew!... Sounds bloody terrifying!!!!!!!

Glad you came through unscathed, and congrats on completing the trip

 

[Firefly]

I was off the Cant in what sounds like the same squall/Thunderstorm. Got pinned down by an enormous gust and battered with hail which flattened out the water and gave it a strange light green hue, lightening all about (nothing as near as you thank god). Went and had a look at Stangate once it let up - no-one there and suddenly less appealling than usual so I went into Queenborough as well - just ocassionally nine quid for a buoy feels like value!
Glad to know you got 44knots of wind, thats one for the club bar at least - I discovered the little cups on my wind thing (already on strike as far as actually working) had dissappeared completely after this

 

[benw]

Firefly you must have been close to us as we picked up the 2nd yellow visitor mooring down from the ATL.
Where did you head off too? Not sure we saw you up the Thames. We are Charisma Sadler 32 dk blue top sides.
Ben

 

[leomagill]

Sounds like scary stuff, I've been surrounded by electrical storms in the wash before but being a stinkie don't have to worry about a big mast, still very nerve racking though.
Good luck with the underwear laundry.

 

[Firefly]

BenW, there was a Halberg Rassy in front of me then a friends Pentland, don't remember the rest. Mine is a Gibsea 76 called Firefly, strangely enough. I motored back to Gravesend on the Saturday (absolutely no wind, ironic).

I have to say I really find lightning disturbing on the boat, I guess because there is nothing I can do to control or alter the situation.

 

[martcouz]

We suffered a lightning strike a few years back some 4-5 miles east of the Goodwins. It was a similar experience to the extent that there was a very loud bang followed by a strong sulphurous smell ; it took a few seconds to realise what had happened and then to burst into action to ensure all the skin fittings were still intact ! I'd also fired up the engine as the weather deteriorated which was fortunate because I don't think I'd have been able to get it going after the strike. All the boat's electronic and electrical equipment was destroyed, the compass never recovered and the batteries boiled. The masthead fittings were simply vaporised.

Fortunately the insurance company were quite superb in their handling of the claim and insisted on replacing all the equipment rather than repairing.

I learned two things from the whole experience (well, three if you include not getting caught out in a storm) 1) replace all the electronics because the damage they'll have suffered may not become immediately apparent and 2) fit a dissipator at the masthead. I have not had the ill fortune to test the one I had installed but the insurers paid for it to be fitted on the basis of their experience and I certainly wasn't going to argue !

 

[benw]

Not seen much talked about a dissipator - will need to investigate further. Fortunately we had temporary loss of instruments and thus far seem to be giving accurate readings.