OT: Lightning

Boating deaths kill about 15 times as many people as lightning. It's safer to stay on dry land.

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John Larkin Highland Technology Inc

Precision electronic instrumentation Picosecond-resolution Digital Delay and Pulse generators Custom timing and laser controllers Photonics and fiberoptic TTL data links VME analog, thermocouple, LVDT, synchro, tachometer Multichannel arbitrary waveform generators

That's also what people told us about parachuting. But it's fun :-)

"The voltages are so massive that if they start to travel through a boat's structure - say through its mast - then meet with high resistance (for instance, the hull skin) the current discharge, in its attempt to reach ground, may simply blow a hole in the non-conductive barrier."

Note that wearing a colander on your head, with a cable to a ground plate below the water line probably won't help.

Perhaps give the lightning a nice convenient path to the water that does NOT involve going through your body, such as towing a metal mast behind the canoe. A potential problem is that if the mast gets a direct hit, it will probably spray hot metal everywhere. Four masts would be better, but probably impractical. However, if it does work, and you survive, patent a lightning arrestor for canoes.

wonder if the cat thought so :p

-Lasse

Only slightly, from NOAA who know a thing or two about it:

On the Water The vast majority of lightning injuries and deaths on boats occur on small = boats with NO cabin. It is crucial to listen to weather information when yo= u are boating. If thunderstorms are forecast, do not go out. If you are out= on the water and skies are threatening, get back to land and find a safe b= uilding or safe vehicle.

Boats with cabins offer a safer, but not perfect, environment. Safety is in= creased further if the boat has a properly installed lightning protection s= ystem. If you are inside the cabin, stay away from metal and all electrical= components. STAY OFF THE RADIO UNLESS IT IS AN EMERGENCY!

If you are caught in a thunderstorm on a small boat, drop anchor and get as= low as possible. Large boats with cabins, especially those with lightning= protection systems properly installed, or metal marine vessels are relativ= ely safe. Remember to stay inside the cabin and away from any metal surface= s.

Don't know but some dogs are known to thoroughly enjoy it. They can become as miffed as the parachutists themselves if the weather is overcast and no flying is happening.

Do you jump? I tried it, but it seemed like an awful lot of waiting around for a couple of minutes of action. Skiing has a much better duty cycle, and I can probably do more vertical feet in a day.

If you're playing golf, stop and hold a 2 iron high above your head. Everyone knows even God can't hit a 2 iron.

Fibreglass is a good insulator. However, the lightning bolt, having travelled maybe several kilometres through the air, doesn't give a creosoted baboon's arse about a few millimetres of insulator. Best advice, dive in and swim underwater till the storm has abated.

Cheers

I bet God can get that joke right, though.

I did when I was young. Then I married and she doesn't like that kind of thrill, plus later my back developed some issues (but not from jumping).

Did some basic formation jumps, up to 5-star because that's the max we could carry up per load. But my most fun jump was out of a Short's Skyvan converted to turbo-prop. He went up to >16,000ft which wasn't quite kosher sans oxygen but ... ... anyhow, I jumped last and alone. The jolt the aircraft made when dozens of others bailed out the tail at once was major. Three seconds later I popped my chute and sailed and sailed and sailed. Saw the aircraft dive down, re-load, and head back up there. So I had to get out of the way, fast. Caught some thermal drifts and the whole ride down was around 1/2h. Totally worth it.

Your reply could have been a bit more retarded than that... just not in this life.

Maybe you will be reborn as something closer to what you actually are.

A simple slug.

It makes sense. When a thunderstorm comes up, head for shore. You're more likely to be drowned than electrocuted. I don't have any personal knowledge of anyone hit by lightning, but I knew a lady who drowned, out sailing on Lake Pontchartrain, from a sudden thunderstorm.

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Why are you giving him life saving advice? Stop it.

mike

oh. sorreee.

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John Larkin Highland Technology Inc

Precision electronic instrumentation Picosecond-resolution Digital Delay and Pulse generators Custom timing and laser controllers Photonics and fiberoptic TTL data links VME analog, thermocouple, LVDT, synchro, tachometer Multichannel arbitrary waveform generators

The drowning risk makes sense. Better to risk being stunned by ground conduction on shore where at least you won't drown. So get to shore and then crouch or stand with your feet close together.

This is probably Always Wrong that you are "talking" too. He has a lot of sock puppets.

Is this your big worry in life? Why don't you go back to your little cave? I doubt you've ever been out on the water in a thunderstorm.

Ahhh, but the devil can.

?-))