Lightning 'superbolts' form over oceans from November to February

[iabmatos]

See the article here:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/release...0909113041.htm

"The new paper shows that superbolts are most common in the Mediterranean Sea, the northeast Atlantic and over the Andes, with lesser hotspots east of Japan, in the tropical oceans and off the tip of South Africa. Unlike regular lightning, the superbolts tend to strike over water."

[Sojourner]

Great, just great... First there were superwaves. Now there are superbolts of lightning. What do I gotta worry about next? Superbarnacles!? Megarums?! Flying squid?!? I need to lie down....

[gamayun]

Don't forget polyester mites....

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by gamayun

Don't forget polyester mites....

Those critters make me glad that my boat is made of epoxy, glass and red cedar. No yummy polyester here!

Jim

[rmlarson1098]

Originally Posted by Sojourner

Great, just great... First there were superwaves. Now there are superbolts of lightning. What do I gotta worry about next? Superbarnacles!? Megarums?! Flying squid?!? I need to lie down....

Exactly. Something else that is/may be a concern, that we really can't do anything about! Will wrapping the spare electronics in tin foil help?
Like wearing rubber soled shoes to protect you from lightening strikes? If you think a half-inch of rubber is gonna protect you from ANY lightening bolt, 'super' or not, good for you. Hang in there. Never mind that this is all happening at the speed of light, with millions of volts, more heat than at the core of the sun and more energy than an atomic bomb...
Maybe tin foil AND store the spare electronics in the back-up pressure cooker.
Like rogue waves, lightening is something I really can't do much about. Hope for the best, plan for the worst. And don't touch anything metal on the boat!

[daletournier]

Originally Posted by gamayun

Don't forget polyester mites....

Seriously? so where do I find them? I worry enough ,now theres this!

[iabmatos]

Hey, if you've got a "joule-ometer" aboard and the hit gets you over the 1 MEGAJoules mark, you lucky - you've got one of those rare superbolts. Otherwise it would be just a very basic lightning strike.

[Jesse]

Quickly grab the roll of aluminum foil and make a hyperprotective "Superjolt Helmet" and you're safe. Of course the boat is toast but that is another matter altogether

[peter57]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Those critters make me glad that my boat is made of epoxy, glass and red cedar. No yummy polyester here!

Jim

Super containers

[Mike Banks]

Yes--it would help. Maybe it might make the difference between being able to call for help or not, in the event of a small to medium strike.

Lightning is formed by the jet stream. The potential for the greatest build-up of charge is in the areas where discharge is less frequent. That leads to big discharges, sometimes it is said from a blue sky--but one thing all discharges need is an ionised pathway for conduction to occur.

This can be an electrostatic field of the same or even opposite polarity, and can be produced by atmospheric gas movements producing a charge, dust and moisture, a combination of some or all, and some ionisation may also occur from solar radiation and cosmic particles.

What all vessels need is good lightning protection.

As to protecting your equipment, Mu metal cabinetry is used to house sensitive switching equipment. Such metals have uses in the military, and thus can sometimes be obtained from military disposals and re-built or used as is to house your essential; electronics--then all you need do in a storm is pull out the multi-pin plugs and shut the doors.

Your vessel might not be in any way harmed by a close discharge--I was in a marina when a steel trawler copped a discharge in front of me--it sounded as though I was in front of a 100 mm cannon--and it fried most of my electronics, masthead instrument senders, battery charging, and a couple of radios. The cause was the change in a suddenly rising magnetic field intensity as the discharge took place--it induced sufficient current in my electricals to blow the circuits irreparably.

So--wrapping in foil might help--if you unplug them first--

[Gaia]

Sail a metal boat. Large Faraday cage 😊

Jim

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Sojourner

Great, just great... First there were superwaves. Now there are superbolts of lightning. What do I gotta worry about next? Superbarnacles!? Megarums?! Flying squid?!? I need to lie down....

Super Barnacles are an issue in some areas of the Pacific. I met a cruiser last year who lost a boat to them while crossing the Pacific. They multiplied so fast they could not keep them scraped from the hull. In a short time (days) they accumulated so thick that they stalled the boat and it began to sit low on its lines. They fouled the rudder to the point of failure. Then the additional loading plus wave action eventually caused the hull deck joint to start to separate. They had to abandon ship.

[peter57]

Originally Posted by Gaia

Sail a metal boat. Large Faraday cage 😊

Jim

I hope that is the case.