[Rhodes22-list] sailing and lightning

[TN Rhodey]

In Florida sailboats get hit by lightening fairly often. I don't know if the 
"hit" rate is higher for grounded vs. ungrounded. I know we have had a few 
sailboats get hit while slipped at marina. Again I don't know the specifics. 
I just do what I can to stay out of the way but I have been caught out in 
some violent storms. Once at anchor a storm rolled in and we watched a 
nearby tree take a direct hit. There wasn't a damn thing we could do other 
than hope for the best. After a short hail burst the storm passed.

For my boat and my use I am not worried about lack of lightening protection.

Wally




>From: Bill Effros <bill at effros.com>
>Reply-To: The Rhodes 22 mail list <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
>To: The Rhodes 22 mail list <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
>Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] sailing and lightning
>Date: Sun, 30 Jul 2006 07:43:46 -0400
>
>Todd,
>
>With all due respect, you do not seem very sorry.
>
>The electricity is above your head all the time.  The ground is below your 
>feet all the time.  If it were not difficult for the electricity to arc the 
>gap it would do so all the time.
>
>There are thousands of R-22s out there, yet I cannot point to a single one 
>without a grounding plate that has been hit by lightning.  I have been 
>looking for years.  Have you done the research that has found one?
>
>I do have friends with other mast-stepped boats who grounded the masts and 
>were soon after struck by lightning.  "Thank God I put in that ground just 
>in time!" they say.  I see it differently.
>
>Along with Rummy, I stay out of lightning.  But my boat, and every other 
>boat, is exposed to lightning 365 days a year--and yet they just don't get 
>hit.  Why?
>
>Do the people who ground their boats to the water ground them to the land 
>when they pull their boats for the winter?
>
>When towing do you drag chains?
>
>If it ain't broke don't fix it.
>
>Bill Effros
>
>
>
>Todd Tavares wrote:
>>Bill E. wrote:
>>
>>"Since our masts do not go down into the water, it would seem
>>difficult for lightning to jump to a ground if you don't provide it."
>>
>>Sorry to pick on you Bill, but if lightning can arc 1000ft between the
>>earth or water and the clouds, what makes you think it wouldn't jump that
>>last (or first) five feet from your mast or shroud to the water?  There
>>you go again making statements without first doing the research....we
>>didn't even get a dead-end link to follow.  ;-D    Murphy's Law of
>>lightning says that as soon as you say you would never get struck by
>>lightning, that's when you get hit.
>>
>>Todd T.
>>
>>(joking of course)
>>
>>   ----- Original Message -----
>>   From: "Bill Effros"
>>   To: "The Rhodes 22 mail list"
>>   Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] sailing and lightning
>>   Date: Fri, 28 Jul 2006 21:20:18 -0400
>>
>>
>>   Ed,
>>
>>   I think Rummy has had the most to say on this one, although I agree
>>   with what he has said.
>>
>>   It boils down to "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." It seems to us
>>   that grounding your boat provides lightning with a better path.
>>   Since our masts do not go down into the water, it would seem
>>   difficult for lightning to jump to a ground if you don't provide it.
>>
>>   Our thought is that when you hear lightning you should hang out
>>   around boats with taller masts that are more likely to be struck.
>>   We think the last thing you want to do when you see or hear
>>   lightning is grab hold of a grounding plate and throw it into the
>>   water. The last thing you may hear is "Wow! Did you see that one?"
>>
>>   Bill Effros
>>
>>   Tootle wrote:
>>   > Where did it go?
>>   >
>>   > Where is that question I posted?
>>   >
>>   > Here is what started the question:
>>   >
>>   > http://www.cdc.gov/nasd/docs/d000001-d000100/d000007/d000007.html
>>   >
>>   > It say you should ground your mast. But it does tell me how to
>>   ground the
>>   > mast that I can figure out. So how do you ground a sail boat??
>>   >
>>   > Bill Effros, you are the expert on this subject, aren't you?
>>   >
>>   > So how do you ground a sail boat? John Lock, you are the current
>>   > research expert. What is the correct answer?
>>   >
>>   > Ed K
>>   > Greenville, SC, USA
>>   >
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