Lightning strike to mast

Yes, There are a couple of reports in this forum about Hobie masts getting splintered by ligtning. I recall one on the beach. I would do a search.

I've often asked myself the same question. What the hell do you do when those black clouds suddenly pop up out of nowhere. Jump into the water and let the cat sail away?? Risk getting barbecued on a fine mesh tramp??

If you're really worried, then capsize the boat (and maybe turtle it if the water is deep enough.) Turns a 28' lightning rod into two 7' lightning rods (or two 22"-tall pieces of non-conducting fiberglass!) Ride out the storm on the lower hull / tramp and then right the boat when you think it's safe.

Better to head for shore if you see a storm coming up, though. Remember lightning can strike up to 5 miles from a cloud.

Many posts on these forums about lightning. Go to "Search" at the top of the page, ask for "Lightning" and designate "All posts."

This is one OLD thread, but I'd like to add my experiences and research into the matter of lightning and sailing.

I've had lightning strikes very near to my boat while sailing in thunderstorms (P18, H18). Twice in Lake Erie, and once on a smallish reservoir near Akron, Ohio (Lake Springfield). 

In Lake Erie, my wife and I were returning from S Bass Island (Put-n-Bay) to Brand's Marina in Port Clinton, Oh. on the H18. We ran into several thunderstorms, one right after the other from the SW. Very harry. BIG walls of squalls each time, and thunder with lightning. It was all we could do to keep the boat upright and sailing into the wind. On two separate squalls, lightning hit the water within about 100 m from us. Both times I felt a bit of an electrical zap from the tiller bar. Both of us were on the trapezes. The sounds of the strikes were enormous booms. A bit unnerving. But I knew that we had to keep sailing and remain in relatively deeper water to avoid us being a lightning rod of sorts.

The very first time that I have experienced a very close lightning strike was years earlier.... on Springfield lake near Akron, Oh. 

This was on the P18 with a friend as crew. We were out practicing for a coming race in Geneva, Oh. It was a beautiful day, mostly cloudy, with West winds of around 15 mph. 

After an hour's sailing we were at the Eastern-most part of the lake and tacking, when I saw a very dark sky approaching from the west, fast. My crew's reaction was to quickly make for our put-in about 0.8 miles to our west. "Yup, let's get in quick" I thought. By the time we tacked back and forth towards the beach, the storm was upon us with rain, hail, and very stiff winds likely around 30 mph, gusting higher. Of course there was thunder and lightning about.

Fortuitously, days before, I had been researching lightning strikes and their favorite targets.  It's not always the tallest conductive object that the lightning seeks out. It's the object that makes contact with the ground that has the opposite charge. I had read that many very large sailboats never got hit by lightning, but those that approached shore, docks, or an overhead bridge were far far more likely to get hit during a storm. Records indicated that even small skiffs without masts coming into shore during a storm were more likely to be hit than those that stayed out in deeper water.  

The idea is that a boat carries a charge that it has gradually picked up from the water. Out in deep water, it is very unlikely that the lightning "sees" the boat as a good pathway for it's energy release. However, as soon as that boat and it's charge approaches shallow water, or makes contact with the shore (ground), then all bets are off about the lightning not sensing the added charge of the boat. In fact, if the boat has the opposite charge of the electrical mass in the atmosphere, and the same charge as the ground, then it has a better chance of attracting a pathway for the electrical discharge, whichever direction it may take (from cloud to ground, or visa versa).

Anyway, to continue the Springfield Lake lightning encounter, I knew it might be suicide to approach shore under the circumstances of heavy thunder. So, we tacked back and forth, across the lake, doing everything we could to keep the cat on her paws. As we were completing a tack somewhat near a small peninsula with trees, a resounding boom reverberated are area, but a split second after a nice shock hit me through the tiller rod. Then a tree fell at the strike site. I exclaimed "we just got hit.... did you feel it?!" Both of us had just jumped back onto the trapezes, but only I felt the zap.

We finished out the storm without further incident, but didn't dare approach shore or any shallow area of the lake. I know that tactic saved us.

From now on, if I find myself in a thunder storm, I do not venture anywhere near land, shallow areas, bridges, etc. I keep my distance as far as I can, especially in fresh water, since a lightning strike on or near fresh water spreads out in somewhat of a wide cone shape downward, searching for multiple paths to ground. 

Hope this helps someone survive.

-doug

Wow! Interesting info and exciting story too!

Anyone else have first hand experience with lightning strikes?

I've sailed/races in sudden thunderstorms but luckily never had a close strike.