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Stories
& Experiences
Lightning Strike :
Not a walk out by the skipper and mate during
a cruise – but a thunderstorm par excellence.
In May 1999, we left the comparative calm of Craobh Haven Marina south
of Oban with full mainsail hoisted. With very little wind, the engine took us north
towards the tidal passage of Cuan Sound between the islands of Seil and Luing. A menacing
black cloud appeared from behind and within minutes rain descended as though we were
standing underneath a fire hose. With 5 knots of tide below us, there was no opportunity
to turn back. As we emerged into more open water south of Easdale island, we lost all
visibility, relying on the compass and GPS navigation system to take us clear of various
rocks.
Fork lightning then lit up the scene, but failed to illuminate the land
which was less than half a mile distant, the rain being so dense. The lightning drew
closer until we experienced a strike five feet behind the yacht with an instantaneous bang
like a bomb exploding beneath our feet. All the instrumentation failed, the wind sprung up
to 40 knots and the seas became quite violent. We reefed the sails and sailed on by
compass for about twenty minutes at which point we entered Loch Spelve on Mull and
anchored in strangely calm and quiet waters with the storm blown over.
It took 10 days to repair all the instruments, but we were fortunate
that the strike did not hit the mast, where the consequences could have been considerably
greater.
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