Wally wrote:
Joe wrote:

http://www.canada.com/ottawa/ottawac...3-2b2c92639eee

20 ft boat, 40 ft mast? I dont think so.

It says the standard mast for that boat is 7.2m - 23.7'. Allow, say, 3' for
waterline to mast step, and the height of the mast above water is about 27',
max. The only thing I can think of is that the power line was sagging more
than it should have been (I assume the area isn't tidal).

Well, you don't actually have to contact the wire with your mast to get
electrocuted. At 120,000 volts the EMF is capable of jumping a gap.
That's why you see the big insulators on all high-voltage lines.

That said, take a 7.2 meter mast, add a meter for waterline to mast
step, and add .3 meters for a burgee or windex and you're looking at 8.5
meters above the water, still three and a half meters shy of the
(allegedly) 12 meter power line. Something ain't adding up.

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//-Walt
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