Lightning over the Broads last night

ranworthbreeze · July 18, 2015

Pictures of the lightning over the Broads last night.

http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/weather/amazing_flashes_of_lightning_in_norfolk_overnight_1_4156772

Regards

Alan

SwanR · July 18, 2015

We went to see Neil Diamond at the O2 in London Thursday evening, which was amazing by the way, but we were on our way home, waiting for a train at Stratford, and there was so much lightning around. No thunder at all and it wasn't raining at the time either.

Saw some coverage of the storms in the Anglia region on local news last night. There's some photos and a video at http://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2015-07-17/stormy-night-for-region/

Viking23 · July 18, 2015

How safe are we in GRP cruisers during a lightning strike?

A steel hull would give good protection, as it acts as a faraday cage, and the strike would go over the outside of the hull to earth.

A GRP hull with metal fittings, hand rails, aluminium windows, pulpits, stanchions, spot lights, cleats, water and fuel tank fillers with their fixings going through to the inside of the hull would provide a risk, as the lightning would be looking for a short cut to the water via say a keel, rudder, prop, seacock etc.

I have heard of yachts with metal masts and rigging hanging chains from the rigging into the water, which help to protect the boat and the occupants.

But what can be done in a GRP cruiser?

Have there been any injuries or damage to boats during such storms?

I wouldn't want to be on a mudweight on say Barton Broad in a thunder storm.

Hockham Admiral · July 18, 2015

If you haven't got a mast of some sort then very little!

If you have then you can arrange an earth path for the lightning strike as in the diagram below.

The big problem is with your electronics if you're in a gin palace with go-faster VHF aerials...........

clive · July 18, 2015

90 % of the times when for some untoward reason its lightning when we go over Breydon I think its just our luck also we was coming down the Waveney one day when lightning started dancing on the river in front of us I slowed dramatically until it had passed.