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

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

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Put wife in oven.

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

Some say that by connecting the earth you encorage a lightening strike.

Don't know how effective these 'loo brushes' you put up the mast are?

Reef / use oven / stay low down (even if in the cockpit) and hope (or pray of you are that way inclined).

Agree it is frightening when you see a strike just yards away. Best in a marina when there are loads of bigger masts around.
 
Re: What do \"you\" do when sailing and it starts to thunder&lightning?

Just one joint of her at a time, with roast potatoes?
 
Re: I usually start humming \"Ride of the Valkyre\" and carry on

Yes, dying like a gentleman is almost a lost concept. But Wagner is surely beneath the salt for an Englishman. (My apologies if I have flattered you unjustly).
 
Re: I usually start humming \"Ride of the Valkyre\" and carry on

Get in the bosuns chair and climb to top of mast, strip naked and sit on top of mast with arms raised screaming " come and get me you bar steward"
 
Re: What do \"you\" do when sailing and it starts to thunder&lightni

I suggest disconnecting all the masthead lights, antennas & instruments.

We have a metal conduit down the inside of the mast connected to a lightning rod at the top and a wire at the bottom which we lower into the sea. No idea if it would help but it makes us feel better.
 
Re: What do \"you\" do when sailing and it starts to thunder&lightni

When we were returning from our first x-channel trip, we had lightning all round us. Much debate over what to do; electronics in oven? anchor chain round mast? In the end we did nothing but be scared.

We decided a lightning strike would have good points and bad points. Catching fire would be bad. But, on the plus side, as the strike would blow the keel bolts off, the subsequent capsize would put the fire out.
 
There...

...are several ways to take that but I cannot see any indication as to the one intended.

Iwill deal with the principal ones only, so as to be brief:-

Am I being "flattered unjustly" for being thought to advocate "dying like a gentleman"?

or for being an Englishman?

Curious, I havn't a clue.

As for Wagner and his juxtaposition with the salt. Well, considering that he gives immense pleasure to MANY a true englishman and a couple of his compositions are very popular when played by the Central Band of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, I would, respectfully, suggest that to impune him and his work in THOSE circles might not make one too popular with the ruling classes (who are themselves descended from the Hunn - don't ya' know?)

lovely evening isn't it?

My day tomorrow will be spent in the stinking marketplace of the otherwise delightful Leicestershire town of Loughborough where it is our RNLI Branch Flag Day. We may not be too conspicuous however as the man in who's house the bright yellow tabbards are kept is away with his dear wife on St Barts in the Carribean.
 
Re: I usually start humming \"Ride of the Valkyre\" and carry on

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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?

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Depends whether or not the keel bolts have already dropped out before the lightning strikes /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif
 
Re: I usually start humming \"Ride of the Valkyre\" and carry on

Re, dying like a gentleman, I was thinking of Blondie Haslar who said something of the sort in the context of troubling the rescue services. I would like to have a tenth of his courage.

Re, being an Englishman: I think we all feel sorry for those who aren't. No doubt the picts and celts will start pointing out that there is no such thing, but it's just jealousy: rise above it, dear boy.
 
Re: I usually start humming \"Ride of the Valkyre\" and carry on

1. Take a position reading from your gps and plot it on a paper chart. A lightning strike usually fries the electrics

2. Put hheld gps and vhf in the oven (faraday cage)

3. Reef and start engine (again if electrics fried then might not be able to later)

4. Toss coin with swmbo for who puts on foulies and stands at wheel / sits under sprayhood

5. Curse if lose at 4. above and out on foulies

6. RideOfValkyries - start singing
 
Re: I usually start humming \"Ride of the Valkyre\" and carry on

I vote SGPE gets this month's award for most sensible, succinct and s... (oh, hang it) useful advice.

Incidentally, I notice that Freestyle's aluminium mast stand on a stainless steel support which stands on a stainless bracket to which the cast iron keel is bolted. The cast iron keel is also bonded to a copper band which is connected to almost everything else, including the zinc hull anode. So I'm hoping my keel won't drop off, because if it does, I reckon I won't have time to retrieve the handhelds from the oven.
 
Re: I usually start humming \"Ride of the Valkyre\" and carry on

So many replys!!!Im shocked to see that no one has been near a thunder storm!

All the posts repeat whats writen in the PBO and other mags over the years.In Rapello i made it into port with thunder banging away,other times ive watched from the sea wall as lightnightning crashes into the sea.

Last year becouse of those daft tides i was stuck out at sea waiting to get into La Rochell i was 14 miles off but still there are dangers when hove too,I really dident know what to do?

My dingys anthing other than a life raft! But unsinkable? The lightning was comeing down in rockets every one or two minuets and hitting the sea with tremendous noise and light i was almost frozen with fear!

I thought if i was hit and wasent killed i could get into my dingy?But even that wasent sure if my boat had gone at once i couldent have boarded my dingy from the sea i just hoped i would have time to get the dingy up to the wreck and get in with my grab bag!

The sea wasent bad at all the wind was only very bad as the gusts hit. I can say for sure any thoughts of saveing electical gear by putting it in an oven or other cage was the very last thing i would have thought of! Perhaps if i were halfway accross the Atlantic instead of a tidal drift ashore i might have had other thoughts!(If i got over my absolute fear)

A chickin at the top of the mast?? Why not wrap a copper earth strap around it for instant cooking! Lightning knocks spots off a microwave!
 
Re: I usually start humming \"Ride of the Valkyre\" and carry on

Err, Trouville. Read the posts. I have been struck - difficult to get nearer a thunderstorm.
 
Re: I usually start humming \"Ride of the Valkyre\" and carry on

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i was almost frozen with fear!


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I know the feeling, in 2005 when i had lightning striking very close to the boat. The boat didnt seem to attract it thank God. I was literally shaking with fear for a long time after it stopped.I had the dinghy inflated on the foredeck. Probably would have been wise to launch it and tow as you did.
 
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