What do "you" do when sailing and it starts to thunder&lightning?

[trouville]

What do \"you\" do when sailing and it starts to thunder&lightning?

Thankfully it hasent happend very often to me! Once in Italy. Last year in the Atlantic and now!

Of those times only last year was really terrifing with lightning hitting the sea not so far from me!I was terrified but could do nothing??

I read that if lightning hits the boats destroyed,of advice such as wraping the anchor chain around the stays?And droping the end over the side??To see the thunderbolts hitting the sea im sure it wouldent have helped?The flashes were huge blinding and hugly powerful!!

Last year i could only add distance to my tender into which i threw in a 2 liter water bottel 5 liters of red wine two breads (well wraped) a sausage and round of cheese.She towed better with a bit of weight.

I then made a grab bag with hand held VHF flare pistol(Mini) 6 red flares compass chart sun cream hat and towel and spare pair shorts and shirt in water proof wrapping

What else could i have done or should have done???

 

[Bav34]

Re: What do \"you\" do when sailing and it starts to thunder&lightning?

Less water ... more wine. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

 

[Emjaytoo]

Re: What do \"you\" do when sailing and it starts to thunder&lightning?

Put your portable chartplotter/GPS & H/H VHF in the oven?

I heard some where the oven can act as a static insulation chamber.

 

[sarabande]

Re: What do \"you\" do when sailing and it starts to thunder&lightning?

If you believe in the sacredness of paperwork, it might be useful to have a grab bag for the "office" stuff such as insurance (Ho Ho !) , registration docs, driving land other licences, specs, any valued photos, address book, .... BLAH, BLAH

 

[AIDY]

Re: What do \"you\" do when sailing and it starts to thunder&lightning?

I do exactly the same thing with anything electronic

 

[Scarboroughsloop]

Re: What do \"you\" do when sailing and it starts to thunder&lightning?

How big's your oven?

 

[Guest]

Post deleted by danfoley

 

[StugeronSteve]

Re: What do \"you\" do when sailing and it starts to thunder&lightning?

Also wrap a chicken in foil and hoist to the mast head. This absorbs much of the energy discharged by the strike and cooks to perfection.

 

[TigaWave]

Re: What do \"you\" do when sailing and it starts to thunder&lightning?

I get the shower gel out

 

[Bav34]

Re: What do \"you\" do when sailing and it starts to thunder&lightning?

I actually carry a chicken at all times for just that eventuality /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

 

[Guest]

Post deleted by danfoley

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

Re: What do \"you\" do when sailing and it starts to thunder&lightning?

I put my laptop underwater on a long bit of string where the charge is spread out, and less likely to cause any damage...

 

[Bav34]

Re: What do \"you\" do when sailing and it starts to thunder&lightning?

That's silly, that is! I use my piece of string to secure the boatkeys. I tie them to a kite where I can see them /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

Rgds Steve Franklin.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Re: What do \"you\" do when sailing and it starts to thunder&lightning?

Turn off the flash on your camera. You won't need it.

Seriously, never happened to me but suspect I'd heave to, pack the electrics in the oven, pack a grab bag, and stay below to keep out of the rain.

 

[Noddy]

Re: What do \"you\" do when sailing and it starts to thunder&lightning?

This idea of connecting the rigging to the sea via a chain or jump leads sound sensible.

But isn't aluminium a better conductor. So shouldn't the mast be electrically bonded to the oven when anchoring in stormy conditions??

I'm confused

 

[steve_cronin]

I usually start humming \"Ride of the Valkyre\" and carry on

..if it's going to strike, it's going to strike so no use worrying.

Although those nice Bavaria people have fitted a length of 325amp cable from the mast step to the keel bolts, I don't think that I would get much protection from it, do you?

The only way to get any protection would be to high-tail it to somewhere where the sun was shining and at around 6kts that might take a long time.

Steve Cronin

 

[blackbeard]

Re: What do \"you\" do when sailing and it starts to thunder&lightning?

Anchor near boats with taller masts.

 

[steve_cronin]

Might I respectfully answer your question with the following suggestio

...judging by the apparent hysteria that was generated, a copious amount of toilet paper in the grab bag mightn't not have been a bad idea eh?

Steve Cronin

Relax, lightening hits OP's boats mostly and if it IS your turn there ain't much you can do about it.

 

[Salty John]

Re: What do \"you\" do when sailing and it starts to thunder&lightning?

I've been in several lightning storms and have been hit once on passage. When you have been struck you realise how ineffective all that stuff about hanging things from your shrouds is likely to be in the face of such a huge event. We were lucky, we just lost all the electronics and the alternator regulator burst into flames and set the engine bay on fire, but the boat was structurally undamaged. We were concerned about the wooden masts but they survived undamaged. The masthead wind instrument tranducer was vapourised!
Now we put the electronics in the oven, reef down and stay below. Sometimes these storms pack no wind at all and at other times it's quite ferocious. When we were struck the wind was gusting over 50 knots, at other times we have experienced almost complete calm with lightning bolts hitting the sea around us.
Sit below and drink lots of wine; put the cork in one ear and a finger in the other, leaving one hand free for the glass.

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

Re: What do \"you\" do when sailing and it starts to thunder&lightni

Isn't that a bit too heavy for the stomach? /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

(One more for the (so-far) never-failing Bruce)