Ever Hit by Lightning? - Safest Place?

[Bill Saint]

The thought occurred to me this weekend, as I motored through a thunderstorm - where is the safest place to be on a boat when in a lightning storm? What typically happens if struck by lightning? Any precautions to take?

 

[Steve O.]

bolt from the blue

This is merely intuition on my part since I've never been hit, but I would think the safest place would be below deck and not touching anything metal. Statistically there are very few deaths from lightning strikes at sea but its still a very dangerous situation. Ususally a strike will blow out all your electronics and possibly blow a hole in the hull. Make sure your keel is grounded. Some people swear by the masthead-mounted dissapators but I've never seen any evidence that they work; I personally believe that if your number is up, your gonna get hit.

 

[Patti Polk]

Hit once and survived

My husband had the experience on an Albacore. They were sailing in under jib alone when they were hit. The mainsail was set on fire as the electricity went through the boom vang and out the bottom of the boat. Blew out wooden planking. Skipper and crew were okay except for momentary numbness in the legs. This all happened in shallow water. Since then, we head for deepest water around when caught in a storm. Also, stay away from shrouds.