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I though the list would appreciate this forwarded article...
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From: SolarFry@aol.com
Return-path: <SolarFry@aol.com>
To: SolarFry@aol.com
Subject: lightning
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 1998 14:39:31 EDT
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Subject: Lightning *does* strike twice
From: marc.guidoNOSPAM@usa.net (Marc Guido)
Date: Thu, Sep 10, 1998 23:50 EDT
Message-id: <35f99d95.60451521@news>
Hoo boy, what a "unique" weekend. This may be long, but the tale is
worth it...read on.
Sunday was a disappointment while cruising aboard our 1983 Hunter 34,
the "Drive South". The forecast 15-knot easterly never
materialized. Ron had suggested on Saturday night that we daysail
both
boats on Sunday, but the lack of wind changed his plans, and he stayed
put. We had planned to return to Anna Maria Island for Sunday night,
but instead chose to spend another evening at the Vinoy. Todd
drove down from Tampa to join us, and as we were getting a bit antsy
we
opted to motor up to downtown Tampa.
The trip was leisurely, to say the least. We tried flying the rags
when
a slight breeze developed, but it was useless. We were doing less
than
one knot, hanging onto the swim ladder in the water for some playful
swimming. We opted to turn back before reaching Tampa proper, and en
route back a severe thunderstorm warning broke in over the radio. As
we
were approximately 3 miles offshore of downtown St. Pete we could see
the heavy rain bands rapidly approaching, but we saw little else in
the
way of threatening weather.
The rain enveloped us quickly. At times, it looked like we would miss
the brunt of it, but finally visibility closed down to several hundred
yards in the driving sheets of rain. For anyone who has never
experienced a summertime Florida thunderstorm, you have no idea of
what
it's like. The rain falls at a rate of several inches per hour, and
the
lightning is unbelievable. It's usually non-stop cloud-to-ground
bolts,
but again...this time, it was just driving rain. We stayed on course
using compass and GPS, motoring along at 6 knots. I donned my foul
weather gear as the wind had picked up a bit, and as a result the
bimini
no longer offerred refuge.
Suddenly, we got hit with a gust front, blowing some 40 knots or maybe
better. Conscious of the suddenly rising chop, I had no choice but to
abandon our plan to reach the Vinoy, and turned the bow to the
southeast
and into the wind. We were only about a mile off St. Pete at this
point, but we really had no other option.
The chop quickly built to a height of about 4 or 5 feet, with some
considerably larger, and the frequency was amazingly fast between
crests. The lightning began in earnest as well, striking to the east
of
the boat. We deduced its distance to be a mile or two away in some of
the more startling cracks, and even at full throttle the boat
struggled
to make headway at 4 knots in the steep, breaking chop. Every swell
broke over the bow of the boat, showering both of us with salt water
back in the cockpit. Todd, with his usual sense of humor, started
singing the "Gilligan's Island" theme to lighten the mood. For safety
reasons, of course, Pat and Michael stayed below, but both were
quickly
turning green in the churning seas. The wind continued to howl at
least
at 40 knots, and wasn't letting up at all.
Suddenly, one bolt struck so close that Todd and I both exclaimed,
"Oh,
S*%T!!" simultaneously. The lightning and thunder were just as
simultaneous. "Jeez, Todd, that was closer than I'd like!" I said,
until I looked down at my GPS unit and saw clouds of smoke eminating
from the case. "No, it was even closer than that - we just took a
direct hit!!" Pat called up from below about smoke in the engine
room.
Pat grabbed a fire extinguisher as a precaution and Todd stayed at the
helm as I came below through the companionway, being careful not to
look
overly-alarmed. Nothing was visibly amiss in the engine room, but
right
about then Todd called out about clouds of white smoke from the
exhaust. As nearly as I can figure, the brass-hubbed impeller took a
good voltage, melting the rubber fins which drive cooling water
through
the engine. We knew that we had to act quickly.
The swells continued to hit us hard as Todd struggled to keep the bow
into the wind. Everyone donned life jackets. I attempted to hail the
Coast Guard with a "Pan Pan" message, but the VHF was fried, too.
Thank
God I keep my handheld on board as a spare, and managed to raise
Station
St. Petersburg. We set the hook after paying out over a hundred feet
of
rode, at about the same time that the engine temperature alarm
sounded.
I had to approximate our position to the CG as the GPS was toast, and
they had some small difficulty locating us in the driving rain and
vivid
lightning, striking the water all around us. Even though the anchor
was
set, the boat often strayed across the swells, making for some
interesting pitches as their steep sides hit us on a greater angle
than
I would have liked. We made visual contact with the CG before they
saw
us, and we gave them compass points via radio until they spotted our
disabled vessel. When they finally pulled within earshot, they
announced their plans: they would transfer us from our boat to theirs
(you're kidding, right? In this??!!) until the storm subsided, then
make arrangements to get us towed safely back to port. As they
circled
us struggling to bring their boat into position, a TowBoat/US vessel
approached from the St. Petersburg coast. We opted instead to attempt
the tow while the storm still raged.
Retrieving the tow line took 3 attempts and nearly 10 minutes. The
seas
wouldn't give us a break. We finally got connected, and they pulled
us
into the wind so as to retrieve our anchor, which alone was no small
feat as each wave broke right over the bow of the boat. I finally got
it back aboard, and we began the long, slow and no-less-hairy trip
into
the protection of Salt Creek as the lightning continued to strike the
water all around us.
After safely docking the boat in St. Pete, we learned that the tow
boat
crew saw us take the hit. They were in their car on shore, watching
the
storm, and watching us make headway when they saw the bolt hit the top
of our mast. Even in the dark, you could see our VHF antenna bent at
a
90-degree angle from the blast.
Oddly enough, this is the second time that the "Drive South" has taken
a
direct hit. Lightning struck her while she was docked in 1997 at the
previous owner's home, toasting many of the same components that took
a
hit this weekend. Tampa Bay has more cloud-to-ground lightning
strikes
than anywhere else in North America - it's never a dull moment sailing
around here.
In retrospect, the important thing is that no one got hurt. We played
everything by the book, and there was literally nothing that could
have
or should have been done differently. The storm came up quickly and
unexpectedly, and we were already returning to port when the warning
was
broadcast. Jeez, we almost made it, too! So far, the engine's got
the
aforementioned problems, and the "fried" list includes the GPS, the
VHF,
probably the apparent wind head unit, the volt meter and the water
pump. The 110v system is toast, too. The "Drive South" is
presently moored at a repair facility in St. Pete, and the insurance
claim has been filed Fortunately Todd had visited us that
day, so he drove us home to Sarasota, but as if we hadn't had enough
bad
luck that day the streets in St. Pete flooded during the storm. They
flooded enough to come over the door of Todd's car, and likely fried
his
automatic transmission sensor. He never got out of second or third
gear
the whole way.
What a weekend....
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-- Marc Guido Jay Peak Ski Patrol Sarasota, Florida (retired)NOTE NEW E-MAIL ADDRESS!! marc.guidoNOSPAM@usa.net (remove NOSPAM when replying) http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Prairie/8131/gallery.htm
First Tracks!!, an online ski magazine: http://www.fortunecity.com/olympia/hill/82/firsttracks.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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