Weekend Weather

Well I blame the Scottish contingent for the thunder storm currently overhead, been nice all day, he turns up and it starts raining, then before he left the lightning started and it's still going strong, bleedin Jocks /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Looks like it's heading South folks, and it's a noisy one /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif
 
there were some cracking bolts of lightning last night /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
took a lot of organising that did /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
I had a frined in Oz who was hit while out sailing. Not hard enough to cause damage, but he did say the bang was quite exceptional and he saw an arc from the backstay to his tiller. Didn't stop him going sailing again though. Sydney gets big thunderstorms almost every afternoon during the summer and everyone just sails through them. Never heard of anyone getting killed, although a big maxi in Rose Bay had its carbon mast hit, and it vapourised all the resin leaving just the carbon stump sticking up like a pile of half cooked spaghetti. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
My boat has been struck. About midnight, coming in to anchor. I had the electronics unplugged, as I always do with lightning close.

Blinding flash and almighty crash, simultaneously - pretty much like being in the middle of the Big Bang. Sizzling sound. Uncurled from the foetal position to find we were still alive and a Dutchman on a boat nearby called across to ask if we were OK as he had seen the lightning hit our mast.

No obvious damage, but there might have been more if the electronics had been connected.
 
lightning strikes are a common topic on the Mac owners forum,the general concensis of opinion is to stay away from the mast and as far away from the rigging as possible,some guys reccomend hanging a chain over the side to act as an earthing conductor.

The ability to disconnect your electronics quickly would be an asset in a Lightning storm

id be more concerned about getting burned than being hit by the voltage,the other problem would be that electricity burns where it enters and where it leaves,so in a bad strike it could hole your hull
 
Yes, but we are all much, much more likely to have an accident on the road but it don't stop us driving anywhere does it?

Stop with the scare-mongering!

No way could I unplug my electronics. They are all wired in.

Didn't I read somewhere that in the very very unlikely event that you get hit by lightning it would hit the mast - that being the tall lightning conductor attached to your boat. And that you should run a cable down to something (your keel?) so that the lightning has somewhere to go?

Have we all turned into H&S executives or something? Assuming that disaster lurks around every corner? If we don't accept a degree of risk when we go sailing, it won't be worth doing any longer.

Might as well take up knitting. Oh, no can't do that, might stick the needle in my eye.

/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
why dont you knitt some then bernie? or are your knitting needles to dangerous /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

what about worrying over spontaineous combustion?? if the lightning dont get you maybee something else will /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

like a tornado yes lets start a discussion on getting gobbled up by a tornado /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
That's a good idea.

To be on the safe side, I will restrict my sailing from now on to nice sunny days wind strength no more than a force 4.

Obviously this will still be treacherous as I might run aground in the Orwell. The sudden grounding might cause my crew to lurch over the pulpit into the water. His head might strike something hard (probably a lost container) and he might knock himself out.

I might fall in while trying to rescue him. We might both drown.

Oh well, all in a day's sailing...


/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
H&S - So whenever I go sailing it i should wear Lifejacket & safety harness that way I can trip over the harness, fall over the side, get a shock from the woosh of it inflating giving me a heart attack and then if I survive the HA not have the strength in my arms to climb back onbard and get drowned by the quarter wave or die of exposure!

Perhaps I should wear protective headgear, a dry suit and aqualung as well?

i only do this for FUN! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Full immersion suit complete with scuba gear would be best, but best to be even safer, surround the boat in a faradays cage /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
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