LIGHTNING, A SHOCKING REVELATION
I was recently asked my opinion about lightning grounding on sailboats. This distresses me because unlike just about ANY other subject concerning sailing and sailboats, I don’t have a firm opinion on this.
My first two boats were ungrounded. We stayed in the slip in inclement weather. We also tried to insure that we were always in a slip next to a boat with a taller mast. That seems to have worked, we were never hit by lighting. But then again, neither were the boats next to us. Our next two boats were fully grounded by the builders. I looked at the way those boats were grounded, and it pretty well matched what I had read on the subject. I also tried to make sure that the boats next to us had taller masts. Again, we’ve never had a lightning strike. Again neither have the boats next to us. Somehow, I feel, this isn’t enough data to make an informed decision.
A few years back, my wife and I decided to take a large risk. We cruised in the Bahamas for two weeks on a twenty-six foot boat, and took the kids with us. That was the risk. Ever spend two weeks on a twenty six foot boat with two kids? That’s a WHOLE other story. At one point during the cruise, we spent about thirty six hours anchored off of Powell Cay while a very active storm raged about us. I spent a LOT of hours, sitting in the companionway, sheltered somewhat by the Bimini and dodger, watching lightning strikes hit the water all around us. We were never hit, and there were no other boats at the anchorage. On a trip a few years before, Mark Bailey (belated congratulations on the Alberg 30, Mark), took his boat to the islands, and a single lightning strike wiped out most of his electronics and forced him to wait, high and dry, while parts were shipped in to him. Both boats were grounded.
Whether or not you ground your boat is a personal decision. Our current boat, a Morgan 38, is grounded by way of a dangling cable attached to the bottom of a shroud. Will it work? Ask me again as time goes by, and more foul weather is experienced. I’ll let you know.