Lightening Strikes - What to Do!

[Dave]

The official summer season is fast approaching (YEAH) - - - it's the time of year we all look forward to as prime time, our time to go boating and fishing! Along with the warm weather comes a regular and often steady diet of daily weather forecasts that include "thunderstorms" as part or all of the day's consequence. I live, boat, and fish in Eastern NC, where a daily summer forecast that doesn't include (at the least) "possible afternoon thunderstorms" is rare indeed.

Where there's thunder, there is lightening, and lightening is not good when you're the highest receptor on an otherwise flat sea. You can check the weather forecasts and stay off the water when there is ANY change of a thunderstorm, which will effectively put you out of commission for most, if not all of the late spring, summer, and early fall season. That would be most effective, but not necessarily practical. Even if you take all prudent precautions to avoid thunderstorms, especially along the coast, you may find yourself out when a fast appearing storm moves through the area. You are the owner and captain of your boat - your primary responsibility is the safe transport of your crew and passengers! Here are some of the preliminary and precautionary things I do to help avoid being caught in a lightening storm.

Check the marine weather forecast before you set out and monitor the weather channel while you are out, especially if you are a distance away from safe harbor.

Be constantly aware of changing weather conditions. Learn to read the difference between non-threatening clouds and "thunderstorm" clouds, and look to the sky often. Be warned of unusual, sudden, or significant changes of wind speed, and/or air temperatures.

At all times, know how long it will take you to reach safety, and consider the seas may become rougher, and the boat traffic higher, on the ride in. To learn more about the precautions you can take, if you should get caught out in a thunderstorm, please click on the following link:

Note: I highly recommend reading the entire article, but at least the paragraph near the end that is titled "WHEN CAUGHT IN A STORM".

http://www.cdc.gov/nasd/docs/d000001-d000100/d000007/d000007.html

Dave

[Big Will]

*thumbsup*Good stuff. I always wondered if the bimini was better up or down. Seems like up is good. Glad to have a plastic steering wheel too.

[NOTHING ELSE MATTERS]

This is another reason i LOVE NY ;D 100 days out of the year :eek:, we almost have the same fishing time. *laughing**laughing*

Seriously, that was good info Dave, thanks. I never thought it would be a good idea to "duck" in the boat or lay flat when lightening strikes.

[cheez]

This is another reason i LOVE NY ;D 100 days out of the year :eek:, we almost have the same fishing time. *laughing**laughing*

Seriously, that was good info Dave, thanks. I never thought it would be a good idea to "duck" in the boat or lay flat when lightening strikes.

You guys must be fast. I don't think I could duck fast enough to keep from getting struck.;D

[Dave]

You guys must be fast. I don't think I could duck fast enough to keep from getting struck.;D


They don't call it a "New York second" for nuttin' cheez *Cheers*
Fortunately, we're already pretty low in our skiffs, but the tip about lowering my antenna and disconnect the VHF when a storm moves in was something I might not have thought of. Wonder if it would help (me) avoid a direct hit if I moved in close to a nearby (taller) sportfishing or sail boat??? Maybe that would be exactly what (not) to do? Seems like my Mama used to warn us kids not to go under a tall tree if there was lightening in the air. Any thoughts from the "high voltage" experts???

Dave

[bobreeves]

Thanx, Dave. I will read the article later, as I'm going fishing now, but our routine forecast up here is identical - chance of afternoon thunderstorms. I've never really had a plan except to head to the closest shoreline with sand and beach her.

[shaggy3131]

Dave, Thanks for the caution. Lightning is nothing to fool with. I've worked in a hospital burn unit and seen what a lightning bolt or other high voltage strike can do to a body. The voltage follows blood vessels and burns the body internally as well as at entry and exit points. Cardiac arrest, severe burns and death are the most likely consequences.

I don't mean to minimize the danger of lightning storms but:
Using the article's author's statistics, Florida has the most lightning strike deaths (10) and the most lightning strike injuries (30) of any state. 50% of the deaths (5) and 50% of the injuries (15) are related to recreational activities. 40% of the recreational deaths (2) and 40% of the recreational injuries (6) are related to water activities. He did not state how many of the 2 water recreational ligntning deaths or how many of the 6 water recreational ligntning injuries were attributed to boating. Let's assume half (1 death and 3 injuries) were sustained from lightning while boating. The risk is definitely there. And definitely we should avoid boating in lightning storms if at all possible. But statistically, just how likely are we to be struck if we are caught out in a boat in a storm.

Now if we are in a fiberglass Carolina Skiff with wiring connected to the fuel tank under the center console, with all the electronics and the hand rail and antenna connected to the center console, and with no lightning shield, and do get struck, we and the CPR specialist we have taken with us will probably be goners. If the lightning doesn't get us the fuel explosion will.

So, has anyone designed and installed a lightning shield on a Carolina Skiff?

Aubrey

[bobreeves]

Nice article, Dave. In my sailing days (fiberglass boats, mast stepped on deck) we carried a metal plate attached to a heavy wire that would be attached to a stay or the mast itself in the event of getting caught in a storm. With a metal mast, you've got quite a lightning rod sticking up there. I read from the article I should carry a temporary 'antenna' to provide a 60 degree cone to mount on top of the console attached to a heavy (8 ga or better) that attaches to a 1 ft sq plate that I throw overboard or the motor - is that how you read this?

I never venture out when it's threatening, but these things come up very quickly, and some move at 40-50 mph - too fast for me to run from.

[Harry]

Any thoughts from the "high voltage" experts???

Dave
Well I'm no "expert", besides I'm scared to death of electricity.... :eek:

[MartyJ16]

Article is a must read.

The dual grab rails are currently the tallest part of of my skiff, and I'm feeling a little sketchy about the stainless steering wheel.

[boogieblues50]

Hey
Ok here is my take on lightning strikes...my friend in Florida has been a commercial grouper fisherman for over 30 years...Big boats with long lines to small boats with rod and reel...His small boats have been hit by lightning 3 times ...when you go out 50 miles or more outrunning a storm aint possible sometimes....His first hit was on a 20ft or so Roballo CC...He had a ground plate bolted to the hull and hooked up properly...Thought he was ok...It was hit and it went to the ground plate..everything worked right...yep but it blew a hole the size of a softball in the hull...He was lucky He wasnt real far out...barely got it to shore and beached it before it sank...
Ok next boat was a 25ft or so Privater...no ground plate but carried a collaspable pole with a heavy copper wire(half a jumper cable) and a copper plate which he could store and hook together fast...stick it in a rod holder and throw the plate over the side...with this he could still move around but at much slower speeds...over the years he used this system and had two hits on diffrent boats...it worked fine besides scaring the crap out of Him...He didnt realy like the idea of being hit and felt like even thou the system worked It was like asking the lightning to hit him when he put it up...
So what solution did He come up with...the same system but added a Static Electricity Dissapator simalar to this http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1%7C328%7C303332&id=71254 ,,,,Does it work...All I know is that He still fishes the same way and places and has not even had a near hit in the last 10 years...He swears on it....If I was offshore as much as Him on smaller fibergalss boats I sure would have a similar set up...Heck for a $100 bucks or so Iam seriously thinking of adding one to my Skiff..lots of quick thunderbusters on the lakes here in Ga.
One other thing...He was told that on his first boat hit that it blew a hole in the bottom it was probably a positve lightning strike,,,99% of stikes are negative and the few positive stikes are like a 100 times stronger than the negative stikes...was told he was lucky to be alive even with the ground plate on the boat...
BoogieBlues

[brevoortia]

A guy I used to work was hit by lightning 3 times. Not in a boat, all of them were on land in Vermont. He used to offer to buy lottery tickets for 50 bucks apiece.

[Redfish]

Great information, Sarge. I've fished in Florida all my life, and, yes, lightning is an almost sure occurrence if you fish during the summer. A storm can come up suddenly or, more often than not (because of the way thunderstorms in our area form due to rising air currents over the heated landmass) easily form over land and quickly get between you and the hill if you are fishing even slightly (as in 2-7 miles) off the coast. I've been caught in a few of these, and believe me, they will scare the hell out of you even if you "ain't skeered" easily. On more than one occasion I have run to the hill and gotten off the boat when lightening starts popping all around.

I don't mind fishing slightly off shore in my boat, but the manner in which our summer storms form is one reason why I don't push the envelope in a boat not designed for extremely rough conditions even on flat calm days. Winds that accompany these storms are often fierce (as in 30-50 mph), and not only do you have the lightening to contend with, you have to deal with rough seas and heavy rain.

I have seen the lightening strike the water many times, and have one friend who had his boat struck a few years back. The lightening killed the electrical system on the motor, and he had to be towed in. He had his wife with him, and to this day she will not go back in the boat.

One more quick observation. Two years ago a buddy and I were caught about 5 miles off the coast in one of those heavy storms that got between us and the hill. We anchored down off the bow with about 50 foot of rope. It blew and rained like hell for about 30 minutes, and the lightning was very hot all around. We both sat down in the floor of the boat. What was interesting was that afterward (as in 30 mins to an hour) there was so much static in the air that all our graphite rods would make a high-pitched whining noise if stood up in the rod racks. Very creepy!

Bottom line is to respect mother nature--especially when it comes to lightening.

[TooTall]

They don't call it a "New York second" for nuttin' cheez *Cheers*
Wonder if it would help (me) avoid a direct hit if I moved in close to a nearby (taller) sportfishing or sail boat??? Maybe that would be exactly what (not) to do? Seems like my Mama used to warn us kids not to go under a tall tree if there was lightening in the air. Any thoughts from the "high voltage" experts???

Dave

Taller, just have a Taller fisherman on board!!!

[Dave]

Taller, just have a Taller fisherman on board!!!

That's funny Charlie - I've met some fellows I'd like to try out as lightening rods, but you ain't one of 'em. You're welcome on my skiff anytime the sun's shining, my friend. *Cheers*