Letters

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Lightning strikes thrice

I read the article by Alex Blackwell (PBO February 2021) with great interest.

My boat Lisa is a Langdrag 35 steel cruising yacht, which spends her summer on a mooring in the Harbour at Holyhead with all the numerous other boats in the Holyhead Sailing Club/Clwb Hwylio Caergybi.

I’ve often wondered if we need to consider lightning strikes in a steel boat. I assume the whole boat acts as a Faraday Cage. Am I right in my smugness?

I’d have thought that in a thunderstorm all we have to do is stay below, turn off the chart plotter and take our wireless instruments below.

I’m assuming we aren’t actually sailing, in which case will the boat still protect us because of the cone effect?

Many thanks and thanks to all the team at PBO for producing such a great magazine. I have learned much over the years from its superb articles.

Alistair Goodwin Mold, N Wales

Alex Blackwell responds

Lightning is unpredictable and the power incredibly high. The only advice I can offer is to avoid being on the boat in a lightning storm and the corollary is to avoid them.

I would, however,