Any tips on getting caught out in a thunderstorm?

[woolznaz]

Being on the water grounds your boat. But that is not necessarily a good thing.

Lightning seeks the shortest path to ground (Look at it like water running down a hill. The height of the hill is your voltage, the steepness of the hill is your resistance. The steeper the hill the less resistance. The water will always go fastest down the steepest part of the hill). If your hull is grounded to the water, then the highest point of your boat (that is electrically connected to the hull is the highest point of ground around. Lightning likes that as it shortens the path to ground (makes the hill steeper).

So in a lightning storm, being on a metal boat on the water is not a good place to be.

However you can beach the boat near trees on the shore and "hide" in the shadow those trees cast (stay on the boat though. You never want to be on foot under a tree during a lightning storm). Not the best solution, but better than nothing. If you need to stay on the boat in the open, stay on the seats. While there is still some connection between you and ground, the bimini frame (if up) is a far steeper path for the lightning to take.

Thanks, John O.