The Med, a weather paradise...

MapisM

MapisM

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…Except when it isn't. :ambivalence:
I'm not complaining at all, actually - CF remains the place which I like to call home, and the weather is mostly fantastic.
But it wouldn't be fair to mention just the good, forgetting the bad and the ugly.
And the latter is definitely a proper description for what happened yesterday - just click on the image to see the YT video.
As I'm told, the mast of the sailboat involved is completely destroyed.
Thankfully, nobody was hurt, though. Not as far as I know atm, anyway.

PS: I wasn't there, that's why I'm not reporting this first hand. Will be back onboard in a few days...
 
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Blimey P, that looks really nasty. Hope everyone was ok...…….I doubt the same can be said of the unfortunate boat!
 
Blimey, makes me glad I left the place;) Show how dangerous sailing yachts are as well!
 
We had a very similar electrical storm in Sant Carles a couple of nights ago. We were sitting on our boat and one strike seemed very close (followed by a strong smell of burning). The rain that accompanied it was pretty impressive too, felt like there was a mini tornado passing through.

Incidentally, common sense would suggest that Yachts are more of a target then Power Boats? Is this correct?
 
Bet the guy shooting the video couldn't believe what he was capturing as well.
Was the footage taken from the wooden varnished charter boat that did/does day trips from your Marina around the island?
 
petem said:
We had a very similar electrical storm in Sant Carles a couple of nights ago. We were sitting on our boat and one strike seemed very close (followed by a strong smell of burning). The rain that accompanied it was pretty impressive too, felt like there was a mini tornado passing through.

Incidentally, common sense would suggest that Yachts are more of a target then Power Boats? Is this correct?
Click to expand...

Yes and apropos another current thread anyone with a sailing boat that is not a ketch - or if you like, doesn’t have a kicker mast is being completely reckless in my opinion.
;)
 
petem said:
We had a very similar electrical storm in Sant Carles a couple of nights ago. We were sitting on our boat and one strike seemed very close (followed by a strong smell of burning). The rain that accompanied it was pretty impressive too, felt like there was a mini tornado passing through.

Incidentally, common sense would suggest that Yachts are more of a target then Power Boats? Is this correct?
Click to expand...

Not really known I think - nobody has really worked out exactly what makes lightning follow the path it does - lots of theories but that's about it. I suspect Sailboat's have been struck many more times than mobos but they are far more likely to be caught in a cell too as they are slower and have less ability to get out of the way. I once watched lightning hit the water what felt like pretty close to the yacht I was on (but I suspect anything within a mile feels like it's on top of you) and I've heard others say the same and I know of quite a few cases where the thing that's been struck isn't the tallest around, including a couple of cases of yachts with shorter masts getting hit when taller boats nearby didn't. In fact I remember a hangar at RAF Bruggen that had a hole blasted in the roof about 20' from the lightning conductor (which was in good condition and properly earthed).
 
Pinnacle said:
Hope everyone was ok...…….I doubt the same can be said of the unfortunate boat!
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Yup, nobody hurt, but the sailboat mast is beyond repair, as I'm told - aside from other possible damages, and I'd be surprised if she hadn't any… :(
 
petem said:
Incidentally, common sense would suggest that Yachts are more of a target then Power Boats? Is this correct?
Click to expand...
Cynically, I hope so, since there's plenty of sailboats in our marina… But don't ask me about the science behind that!
 
AndieMac said:
Bet the guy shooting the video couldn't believe what he was capturing as well.
Was the footage taken from the wooden varnished charter boat that did/does day trips from your Marina around the island?
Click to expand...
Yeah, filming lightnings already takes a lot of patience and luck, but catching an event like that is unheard of - in fact, the video was even shown in the national TV news!
Not sure about who made it (I was pointed to it by a local friend who maybe does, I'll ask him), but yes, the boat in foreground definitely is the one you have in mind.
 
waw Mapism,
that's indeed very impressive,
and as far as I can see, extremely close to our fleet ?

most important that nobody is hurt !
 
Well, I wouldn't say extremely close, but not very far either.
The sailboat was in the most southern floating dock of that area of the harbour, at a guess I'd say somewhere between 150 and 200m from our boats.

PS: Didn't you get any electricity breakdown warning, from your onboard system?
I would expect the power grid to automatically disconnect in these cases, at least temporarily...
 
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MapisM said:
PS: Didn't you get any electricity breakdown warning, from your onboard system?
I would expect the power grid to automatically disconnect in these cases, at least temporarily...
Click to expand...

Now that you asc, today i noticed that the shore power sensor from the alarm system is dead, ..
Battery voltage is 26,3v, so one victron quattro appears to work,
 
I'll be there on Wednesday, if there's anything I can check for you on BA, just gimme a shout! :encouragement:
 
AndieMac said:
How long are you staying at CF for Bart? Hope you enjoy your time there, it's a lovely part of the Med.
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So far we ve booked until the end of october, in winter we will probably place her in Cagliari, the marine is in the center of the town / 300m from railwaystation / 10 minutes from the airport...
we really like the region so that we will stay in south sardegna for at least next full season...
 
BartW said:
So far we ve booked until the end of october, in winter we will probably place her in Cagliari, the marine is in the center of the town / 300m from railwaystation / 10 minutes from the airport...
we really like the region so that we will stay in south sardegna for at least next full season...
Click to expand...

I like the sound of that, hopefully we will catch up then as I am also planning a CF trip next summer.
 
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