Lightning Again

Last week at the dock after Sunday Frostbite racing, another skipper asked "What happens when a boat is struck by lightning?" I thought about our list discussions and responded "Anything." Just so happens that the races tomorrow will be rainy with the possibility of thunderstorms. A little horn blowing. The CAL 25s (one design) have the largest average number of participants of any fleet in the AYC Frostbite second half (includes all them J boats). We won the second race. Lesse. Inside a lifter, outside a header. The former pertained. Cheers Charlie Annapolis

On 3/5/2011 7:03 AM, Husar, Charlie [USA] wrote: > > Last week at the dock after Sunday Frostbite racing, another skipper > asked "What happens when a boat is struck by lightning?" I thought > about our list discussions and responded "Anything." Just so happens > that the races tomorrow will be rainy with the possibility of > thunderstorms. > We were discussing this in schoolship science instructor training the other night. The organization charters a local steel tourist schooner in the spring. One of the trainees saw a picture of the binnacle compass with its iron balls athwartship and asked what they were. There was a discussion of the effect of the fore-and-aft steel mass of the hull. The boat was hit by lightning about a decade ago. It magnetized the hull and the magnetic compass could not be persuaded to work with any amount of compensating iron or magnets until the hull gradually dissipated its charge. Chris Campbell > >

Don Casey's "Sailboat Maintenance Manual" has a complete section on the issue. Its interesting read as it counter to some popular methods and deals with the issue of bonding vs dissipation of the electric strike. Good read. /ch