What if it strikes?

If lightning is most likely to occur, stop activities such as fishing, water skiing, scuba diving, and swimming. If possible, find a place to anchor where you can be protected from the wind. If you have metal jewelry, accessories, etc. on you, remove them. Wear your life jacket, be careful not to be at the highest point on the boat, and definitely stay away from the water.

Start your stopwatch after you hear a thunder, and divide the time you end up with in seconds by five. The number you find indicates how many miles away you are from the storm.

Listen to the active VHF weather channel in your region where weather reports regarding seas are published regularly, hourly and when necessary.

If there are guests on the boat, they should stay in the cabin and not touch metal objects. If conductive parts of the boat are somehow connected to each other and are not adequately grounded, lateral spark jumps may occur.

It is useful to collect equipment such as antennas, entertainment towers, fishing poles, outriggers - if they are not part of the lightning protection system.

In case of lightning, definitely stay away from fixed VHF radio. Instead, you can use a handheld one.

Do not touch two metal objects at the same time; such as the rudder and railing. If you must steer, do not hold it with both hands; You can hold a wooden spoon or wear plastic gloves. Do not touch two parts of the lightning protection system at the same time: If your hands are on top of each other when lightning strikes, it can transfer electrical current from one hand to the other, over your heart.

Sailing boats are more attractive to lightning, while runabout-type motor yachts are also prone to danger as you will be at the highest point.

Faraday cage creates a protection shield for lightning; Devices such as airplanes, cars, and microwave ovens are examples of Faraday cages. To protect your walkie-talkie, laptop, and other electronics, you can put them in the microwave or cover them with aluminum foil.

Don't forget to wait at least 30 minutes after the storm before returning to normal life.

Checks to be made in case of lightning strike

1. Check if everyone is okay. If someone is unconscious or injured, check if they are breathing and able to move. If there is no pulse and/or not breathing, begin cardiac massage immediately if you are experienced to do so.
2. Direct someone to check the bilges. The transducer may have exploded and a hole may have been created in the hull of the boat. If there is a hole, close it, turn on the bilge pump, grab the bucket and start working... In short, do your best to prevent the boat from sinking. If the situation is getting worse, call for help on the VHF radio. If the radio is broken, light a flare. Get ready for a possible evacuation. Check your inflatable life raft if you have one.

If such a situation has not occurred, the first thing to do after the danger is over is to check whether the engine and electronics are working. Even a nearby lightning strike can burn out the electronics, the engine control unit, and even disable the navigation, communications and propulsion system.

Lightning protection system

A traditional lightning protection system consists of an air terminal, main conductor and grounding plate. The air terminal (lightning rod) is connected to the underwater grounding plate with a thick cable running down the side of the boat. Large metal objects such as tanks, engines and railings are also connected to this system. According to research, multiple terminals and grounding panels give better results.

The grounding plate and the part of the conductor in contact with water must be copper, nickel-copper alloy or marine bronze. Other metals are very prone to corrosion. Connection parts must be able to carry as much electrical load as other parts of the system. A properly grounded and designed antenna can create a shielding cone.

Small boats can also be protected with portable lightning protection systems. These systems consist of a pole long enough to form a protection cone, a grounding plate submerged in at least 1 square foot of water, and connections.

If lightning strikes at the marina or boatyard

It is impossible to include boats in a single protection cone, where marinas spread over a very large area and contain sharp points such as poles and antennas at different heights, which are catch points. For this reason, it is beneficial for all boat owners to have their own lightning rods, as lightning strikes may also occur while sailing. Although protection systems transfer all the energy of lightning to the sea and ground it, it is possible that damage may occur to the electrical and electronic parts of the boat due to improper installation and/or other environmental factors. In addition, such situations are considered as natural disasters due to the amorphous structures of the boats in the dock area of the marinas, their varying heights and the impossibility of them being protected under lightning rod safety cones and/or protecting themselves from lightning with their own lightning rods due to their location in a widespread area. Marinas all over the world state in their boat contracts that they do not accept liability for lightning that may strike boats.

Lightning is a natural phenomenon and the precautions that can be taken are limited. Protecting the entire area of a marina against lightning is only possible in theory. Insurance companies do not have any special demands from the boat owner in this regard; lightning is covered. Generally, 'institute yacht clauses' are used in yacht insurance. This clause does not impose any restriction conditions such as lightning rod and lightning rod in the coverage section.

The point to be considered in this regard is that the electronic and electrical devices expected to suffer the greatest damage are declared within the scope of the policy. Unless specified, that is, unless the accessories on the boat are included in the policy and added to the insurance amount, the policy only considers the boat as insured with its standard equipment and, therefore, does not pay for the damage of equipment not specified in the policy.