Hi Dan,
I read an article in a Canadian sailing magazine that described a lightning strike while sailing. The skipper had attached to the back stay a thick copper cable of about 25 ft. long. The lightning struck the top of the mast - travelled down the back stay - followed the copper wire and exploded in the water behind the boat.
No damage was done to boat - electronics - people.
The cable had to be attached to the back stay ( not the shrouds) as it is secured to the masthead and is easier for the charge to follow to ground. The shrouds are usually secured below the masthead.
For peace of mind I clamp a large diameter - heavy duty - long battery jumper cable to my backstay when storms are around.
Brian
bf.king@home.com
lightning!
Moderator: Jim Walsh
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Ken Coit
Re: lightning!
Speaking of lightning, we apparently had a close hit here last night as the power went out and the phones with it. Power was back on in about 1.5 hours, but I had to disconnect the computer modem before the phones would respond normally. Apparently the modem has gone off hook permanently, but nothing else seems to have been bothered. I guess I should have put a surge suppressor on that phone line after all.
Ken
parfait@nc.rr.com
Ken
dan wrote: hey folks...im just wondering how i should protect my cd25 (and me) from possible lightning strikes. the boat doesnt come with any copper hull plates or anything so what do most of you do if anything to protect against this?
thanks!
dan
parfait@nc.rr.com
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Larry DeMers@sgi.com
Re: lightning!
Dragging a battery cable in the water is a good option, but making certain your mast is grounded well, with AWG 4 solid core wire, in as straight a line as humanly possilbe, to a grounding plate is a good place to begin. Though, in the end, you takes your chances no matter what you do..a story.
Wife, daughter and I were walking up our old marinas dock, approaching the bulkhead, 10 ft. or so away. Lightning struck dead in front of us..something around 50 ft. away or less. Bleww 6 x 3 ft. hole in the ground, which was smoking afterwards. We, all three of us, found ourselves on our knees..not to any sudden religious conversion or something, but from the blast afterwards. It burned an image in my eyes, one main strobe 6-8 inches in diameter, with two side strobes, 3 in. in diameter, or some ratio of those numbers. It pulsed three times, then ended from the bottom up..we were mere feet from our marina with 250 sailboats in it..and none were hit.
Incidently, there was no rain, nor was there a previous lightning that day. It was cloudy, but not threatening. It was the only strike and there was no subsequent rain. Now do you inderstand why I might feel a bit of paranoia now and then? Talk about getting a message..but not knowing what it is!
Lightning is a serious problem on the Great Lakes. We have around 3,4 boats hit every year. My friends Columbia 9.9 had 200 holes in it, 4-6 in. above the waterline, except for two fist size blowouts in the gel under the turn of the bilge. It blew from the interior laminate outwards..an apparent wet pocket that was turned to steam instantly. He made it back to the marina..$19k later, and 3 years time..he is on the water, but too scared to sail any longer, and is selling the boat, and quitting sailing.
An over reaction for certain, but real, none the less.
Larry DeMers
s/v DeLaMer
Cape Dory 30 ~~Back after 3 weeks out sailing Superior~~~
Wife, daughter and I were walking up our old marinas dock, approaching the bulkhead, 10 ft. or so away. Lightning struck dead in front of us..something around 50 ft. away or less. Bleww 6 x 3 ft. hole in the ground, which was smoking afterwards. We, all three of us, found ourselves on our knees..not to any sudden religious conversion or something, but from the blast afterwards. It burned an image in my eyes, one main strobe 6-8 inches in diameter, with two side strobes, 3 in. in diameter, or some ratio of those numbers. It pulsed three times, then ended from the bottom up..we were mere feet from our marina with 250 sailboats in it..and none were hit.
Incidently, there was no rain, nor was there a previous lightning that day. It was cloudy, but not threatening. It was the only strike and there was no subsequent rain. Now do you inderstand why I might feel a bit of paranoia now and then? Talk about getting a message..but not knowing what it is!
Lightning is a serious problem on the Great Lakes. We have around 3,4 boats hit every year. My friends Columbia 9.9 had 200 holes in it, 4-6 in. above the waterline, except for two fist size blowouts in the gel under the turn of the bilge. It blew from the interior laminate outwards..an apparent wet pocket that was turned to steam instantly. He made it back to the marina..$19k later, and 3 years time..he is on the water, but too scared to sail any longer, and is selling the boat, and quitting sailing.
An over reaction for certain, but real, none the less.
Larry DeMers
s/v DeLaMer
Cape Dory 30 ~~Back after 3 weeks out sailing Superior~~~
dan wrote: hey folks...im just wondering how i should protect my cd25 (and me) from possible lightning strikes. the boat doesnt come with any copper hull plates or anything so what do most of you do if anything to protect against this?
thanks!
dan