What to do in a thunderstorm?

[Nova II 260]

Re: What to do in a thunderstorm?

It hasn't happened to me (seeking shelter in a storm). Yet.
But, I would think that the safety of a fellow human being would be of some concern to lakeshore people. Passenger safety is always the responsiblily of the skipper. With that in mind, "any port in a storm" would apply. But, I also would not want to have a confrontation with the law enforcement or the propery owner over the matter.
Forum people are concientious boaters, and we learn from each other. But that is not the case of the other 90% of boaters.
If on the river, 50 miles from your ramp or dock, you can't just run back in 10 minutes. Storms in the midwest come up quick. Plans and weather forecast seem to always go awry. And not everyone boating can afford or has a Radar, GPS, charts or even a marine radio. Safe ports, in unkown waters, are not on everyones agenda when they go boating sunday afternoon. Just getting the family off the open water in a storm, is what they are concerned with.

Back to the original agruement: does saving lifes invalidate trespassing?

 

[F_R]

Re: What to do in a thunderstorm?

Heck, I've had waterfront homeowners around here come out and try to chase me away from fishing in front of their house. And I was in my boat in navigable waters!!

Another lightning story: A few years ago I was out fishing in Minnesota's Mille Lacs, offshore of Kathio State Park. Looked up and saw a big black cloud approaching with lightning coming down like table legs. I Put on my life jacket (rare), connected the kill switch lanyard and hauled buggy for the launching ramp. Already by then the waves were a good 3 ft high, and I was skipping from wavetop to wavetop. Just as I approached the channel to the ramp area, my 6 gallon tank ran dry. Before I could get the other one plugged in, the wind had me up in the rocks beside the channel and couldn't get off because of the wind and waves. So there I rode out the storm and lightning, standing in the water and trying to keep my boat from being dashed to bits on the rocks. Almost didn't pay any attention to the lightning anymore. It doesn't ALWAYS pick you off.

 

[jtexas]

Re: What to do in a thunderstorm?

A marine radio, a keen eye to the sky, gps waypoints to known safe places if you are in previously explored waters, enough gas and a WOT to the nearest place. ...

...and an anchor & plenty of rode, just in case.

Surprising how many people think boat house/slip/dock ownership/priviledges entitles them to the public waters under their structure, to include people like marine owners/operators and local law enforcement officers.

and yeah, its a lot of 'em aren't all that concerned, or else don't understand the danger

 

[Bondo]

Re: What to do in a thunderstorm?

Ayuh,......... Good Discussion,........

I'm surprized that nobody has mentioned the "Faraday Cage Effect",...........

It's what makes sitting in a Car so Safe...... The Lightning goes Around you.......

That's what was in My Mind when I build My semirigid Bimini Top.......
Aluminum Roof, connected to an Aluminum Boat........

I've been out Trying a few times to Test it,.......
But Luckily,....... I've been Unsuccessful so far.........

 

[studlymandingo]

Re: What to do in a thunderstorm?

There are bonding anodes that are made to give lightning a place to go besides the people, electronics, and motor. Basically it is a lightning rod that is connected to an anode that is underwater, or just above the surface of the water. I don't know how effective they are, but I would guess it is much better than nothing; the commercial fisherman rely on these systems as they are generally hundreds of miles from a safe harbor.​

 

[Texasmark]

Re: What to do in a thunderstorm?

Well, bond-o that is exactly what I was thinking today while cutting hay with a thunderstorm trying to run me off. I was completely encircled in steel. I had my cage.

On my boat, I don't have that priviledge, but you're absolutely right.

But once on TV I think it was the 911 program some golfing guys were riding out a thunderstorm under a tin roof type thing that had been provided on the course (for just such an event I suppose).

Faraday missed something on this one because it killed one of them and maimed the rest. Don't recall the exact mechanism that did 'em in.

Hope I never find out, but I have often (during a storm) wondered what it would be like to be under a shelter and it take a direct hit.....noise, bright light, electric field.

Mark

 

[SuzukiChopper]

Re: What to do in a thunderstorm?

Me and the woman were out fishing the one day, nice and sunny with some dark clouds to the south of us that pretty much appeared over the hills out of no where. We both know how weather systems track through our province and we could hear the thunder in the distance but didn't think too much of it because for the most part we were out of the path of the storm. That was until we felt a few little rain drops (again no concern) and I looked at her and saw a few of her hairs standing straight up on end. I guess I had a look of "I just saw an alien" because that's when she brought in her line, we both put on our life jackets and high tailed it to the dock. By the time we got to the dock quite a bit of her hair was standing straight up even with the slight drizzle. The storm never did hit the lake and only had about a 5 minute drizzle but seeing her hair stand up like that freaked us out pretty good.

We're both pretty avid storm chasers when we can and enjoy seeing them in action, but the lake is for SURE one place I don't want to be on when one is near. Get to land and find a safe place to ride it out. I would definitely say to keep others in mind as well if it's a small lake (the one this happened to us on only had one launch and lake front properties) and beach the boat (which we did and had never done before), secure it and seek shelter. Leaves the ramp open to people with younger kids that they need to get off. No use even trying to load a boat until the storm has passed... 20 minutes or possibly your life, I'll put those 20 minutes behind me any day.

 

[kmk_7110]

Re: What to do in a thunderstorm?

I had lighting strike a tree next to my house. Around 10-15 yards away, the light is pretty intense with the blinds closed, and the boom is ridiculously loud. It is pretty cool, all tho I did move the bed away from the window after it. And the tree it struck was about 30 feet shorter then the Pine next to it. The pine branches actually hang over it. All the lightning is, is electrical currents the positive and negatives. If the tree or whatever next to you has a closer equal it will strike the thing that needs the positive or negative ions more.It just completes the current.

 

[Fl_Richard]

Re: What to do in a thunderstorm?

All this talk about lighting makes me want to buy a lottery ticket. Living in SW Florida on the Gulf it's almost impossible to avoid the lightning. Every afternoon between 2 and 5 it comes, you can almost set your watch by it later in the year. 30 miles out what are ya gonna do?

What do i do? Duck! and then throw out another scoop of chum.

 

[Wet Wonder]

Re: What to do in a thunderstorm?

It is true that you are trespassing, but b/c it is an emergency situation, you're only liability would be for the value of anything you damaged during your trespass. The owner couldn't recover general damages from you on account of the trespass itself. So if you are just seeking shelter, I don't see any cause for damage.

Under the same circumstances, there would be no criminal liability.

 

[bhammer]

Re: What to do in a thunderstorm?

Ayuh,......... Good Discussion,........
I'm surprized that nobody has mentioned the "Faraday Cage Effect",...........

That is what I was thinking as well. For fiderglass, it is a very poor conductor of electricity and you'd probably be the best ground it can find.

I've been out Trying a few times to Test it,.......
But Luckily,....... I've been Unsuccessful so far.........

Okay Ben Franklin... I mean Bond-o, don't keep trying as we like your posts.

 

[wca_tim]

Re: What to do in a thunderstorm?

stand on the highest point of the boat holding the longest metal object skyward to protect those around me???

 

[Tacklewasher]

Re: What to do in a thunderstorm?

Go park next to a taller boat???????????????????



I've been fishing when the hair started to stand up on my casting arm. Seemed this graphite thing I was holding in my hand liked the electricity.

Hit shore for a bit until the storm moved on. Never even got wet.

 

[jonesg]

Re: What to do in a thunderstorm?

Ayuh,......... Good Discussion,........

I'm surprized that nobody has mentioned the "Faraday Cage Effect",...........

It's what makes sitting in a Car so Safe...... The Lightning goes Around you.......

That's what was in My Mind when I build My semirigid Bimini Top.......
Aluminum Roof, connected to an Aluminum Boat........

I've been out Trying a few times to Test it,.......
But Luckily,....... I've been Unsuccessful so far.........

I've seen it demonstrated with a million volts, you can actually touch the inside steel of the cage as the lightning hits and it won't travel through the steel, the charge runs along the atoms in the outter surface, they called it the shell effect. I saw it demonstrated on the old MIT vandergraph generator in Boston. Any steel type cage works, it has nothing to do with rubber tires on a car.

Faraday demonstrated the elec motor to the Prime Minister Gladstone , seeking funding.
Gladstone asked "Interesting but what use is this thing?"

Faraday replied, "One day you can tax it".

He got his funding.

 

[Kymasabe]

Re: What to do in a thunderstorm?

I've tied up under a bridge or two during storms and just ride it out. Last time out and caught in a storm, I slipped my boat under the center of a huge anchored catamaran sailboat (the joys of 12 foot aluminum boats).

 

[bchboater]

Re: What to do in a thunderstorm?

We are lucky enough to have caught in storms when close to home. Then put the boat back on the lift and ran up the pier. The pier is long, and that part was the most harrowing, felt like I had a huge X painted on my back.

I am always amazed on the jet skis I see out there when there is thunder clapping all over. They seem to have some type of "Immunity idol", and never get struck.

 

[SnappingTurtle]

Re: What to do in a thunderstorm?

This brings up another question. If a storm does suddenly blow up. And we ducked temporarely into someone's empty boat house or private dock, are we trespassing?
"Any Port in a Storm" is good for the boaters safety but, is it also a simeritan(sp) rule? It has been my experience that not all water front home owners care about your safety or welfare.

On Texoma and many other publicly owned lakes there is a stripe of government owned property that surrounds the entire lake, and is not part of any landowners personal beach front kingdom. They often refuse to accept this, but like it, or not, it is so.

In a storm where we were far from the next public harbor, we often headed to the nearest cove in a bad storm, anchored, and headed for land to wait it out.

Many times landowners would come running to say we couldn't park the boat in their private cove, and if we didn't get off their beach they would shoot, call the police, or both. We are trespassing on their private property!!!

A short explanation of their rights, and ours, plus a phone call to the nearest Park Rangers, the local Sheriff, the Lake Patrol, or the Corps of Engineers generally shut them up, but not always.

They often still left with promises of us being in big trouble & they were going to call their friend at “what ever”, and when they got though with us we would be really sorry. They write down registration numbers, take photos, and then disappear never to be heard from again.

In a bad storm, human life takes precedence over my right to privacy, in my book.

We took in many a stranded motorist when I lived in Colorado. The last thing I wanted was for a family to die in a white out in front of the house just because we were to selfish to help.

We did have neighbors that were of the other sort though. Selfish, self-centered, heartless people.

 

[bhammer]

Re: What to do in a thunderstorm?

On Texoma and many other publicly owned lakes there is a stripe of government owned property that surrounds the entire lake, and is not part of any landowners personal beach front kingdom. They often refuse to accept this, but like it, or not, it is so.

Yup, unless it is a private lake, the government owns the land. We have had this issue at two of our Lakes, Grapevine and Lewisville where we beach a boat and someone tried to run you off because they like to think of it as their own land. In one case, a home owner actually put out buoys to try and keep people off.