An ex-girl friend's Pearson 10M was hit by lightning a few days ago.
She went aboard for the 1st sail of the season and found nothing
worked....electronics dead and even the bilge pump was dead. Insurance
was called and now she has the long process of a proper survey and
replacement of just about everything, which will take some time.
Hopefully the hull is not compromised. What a drag.
It's strange that every lightning strike I hear of at City Island is on
a mooring and never at a slip. Everyone I spoke to says this is just
luck since our marina is just 1/2 mile away from her mooring area.



RB
35s5
NY

Hey Rob... What a coincidence! I just noticed this thread on one of
our MacGregor forums.

Best regards

Bill
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted: Mon May 22, 2006 11:11 am
Post subject: Lightning strike scare???

Was out yesterday on Long Island Sound in on and off showers when the
strangest thing happened. I could see a rather menacing looking shower
coming our way but not thunder and lightening so we stayed drifting (we
were fishing). As the storm approached but still 4-5 miles away, we
began to hear crackling coming from the top of the mast. touching the
mast, engine, etc produced no effect. Turning off all circuits and
electronics produced no change. Turning everything on and starting
engine produced no change.

As I began to think maybe some sort of charge was being built up on the
boat, we headed for the harbor. As we departed, we heard distant
thunder. By the time we got back to harbor no further crackling. We
went back on the water in sunny conditions for another 5 hours with no
crackling.

Any ideas of what I experienced? My only thought was that we were
building up a positive charge due to the potential negatively charged
atmosphere. I have heard a positive charge must develop oposite a
lightning bolt. Is this true?

wrote:
Hey Rob... What a coincidence! I just noticed this thread on one of
our MacGregor forums.

Best regards

Bill
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted: Mon May 22, 2006 11:11 am
Post subject: Lightning strike scare???

Was out yesterday on Long Island Sound in on and off showers when the
strangest thing happened. I could see a rather menacing looking shower
coming our way but not thunder and lightening so we stayed drifting (we
were fishing). As the storm approached but still 4-5 miles away, we
began to hear crackling coming from the top of the mast. touching the
mast, engine, etc produced no effect. Turning off all circuits and
electronics produced no change. Turning everything on and starting
engine produced no change.

As I began to think maybe some sort of charge was being built up on the
boat, we headed for the harbor. As we departed, we heard distant
thunder. By the time we got back to harbor no further crackling. We
went back on the water in sunny conditions for another 5 hours with no
crackling.

Any ideas of what I experienced? My only thought was that we were
building up a positive charge due to the potential negatively charged
atmosphere. I have heard a positive charge must develop oposite a
lightning bolt. Is this true?


St. Elmo's Fire...foxfire....the atmosphere was charged and you
provided a place for the charge to run...

...and you provided a place for the charge to run...

Thanks Katy... One of the subsequent posters on the Mac
forum came to the same conclusion as yours.

Cheers

Bill

"Capt. Rob" wrote in message
ups.com...

It's strange that every lightning strike I hear of at City Island is on
a mooring and never at a slip. Everyone I spoke to says this is just
luck since our marina is just 1/2 mile away from her mooring area.

On a mooring a boat is a solitary object with a metal 'lightning rod'
protruding into the air above. When the charge in the sky attempts to find
a route of least resistance to the opposing charge on the Earth a solitary
mast is serendipitous. At the dock there are many masts protruding upward,
but there are also land-based objects nearby which probably offer as
favorable an opportunity to equalize those charges as the masts.

The principle is the same for golfers--don't stand alone in the open with a
9-iron over held aloft over your head in the thunderstorm unless meeting
your makers is chief on your list of things to do. Stay in the proximity of
trees, which will take the strike most likely.

Max

I was out on long Island last Friday, while it was raining.
I parked in the street and noticed a tree smoking. Upon
further observation, I could see the power line arcing ,
which was burning the tree. The rain kept it from flaming
up. I called 911, the fire dept. came out, looked at it and
said, ''we can't do anything till it falls down''. Then they
left. the tree was still smoking.

Scotty



"Maxprop" wrote in

The principle is the same for golfers--don't stand alone
in the open with a
9-iron over held aloft over your head in the thunderstorm
unless meeting
your makers is chief on your list of things to do. Stay
in the proximity of
trees, which will take the strike most likely.

Max

Don't lie down either. Crouch on the front part of your feet to reduce your
connectivity profile with the ground.

--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com

"Maxprop" wrote in message
nk.net...

"Capt. Rob" wrote in message
ups.com...

It's strange that every lightning strike I hear of at City Island is on
a mooring and never at a slip. Everyone I spoke to says this is just
luck since our marina is just 1/2 mile away from her mooring area.

On a mooring a boat is a solitary object with a metal 'lightning rod'
protruding into the air above. When the charge in the sky attempts to
find a route of least resistance to the opposing charge on the Earth a
solitary mast is serendipitous. At the dock there are many masts
protruding upward, but there are also land-based objects nearby which
probably offer as favorable an opportunity to equalize those charges as
the masts.

The principle is the same for golfers--don't stand alone in the open with
a 9-iron over held aloft over your head in the thunderstorm unless meeting
your makers is chief on your list of things to do. Stay in the proximity
of trees, which will take the strike most likely.

Max

Run to the nearest steel hull. Safest place around for you and your
electronics. A buddie here had his P42 to hit, melted all the wiring on
the whole boat, fried everything.

Joe

The mooring is tied to a conducting chain which is anchored into the earth.

A dock boat is usually tied with insulating lines to a wooden dock.

It's easier to pump excess charge by electrostatic induction to the moored
boat as the earth has virtually unlimited available charge and there is a
conduction path to the mast or boat. The docked boat can only redistribute
the charge available on the hull or polarize to the external field.

Scotty wrote:
Most boats are tied to their mooring by nylon line.


Yes, but under certain conditions, such as when shackles &
thimbles are used on the mooring line, it can conduct one
heck of a charge.

DSK