Lightning strike!

Winter safety tip for breamers....out in boats!

Cheers!

Lightning teaches 2 anglers to be careful

By: TERRY TOMALIN
Published July 27, 2003
© St. Petersburg Times
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ST. PETERSBURG - Corbin Kitzinger can't remember how many times he has run through thunderstorms on his way back from fishing trips.

Kitzinger and friend Tim Bradford, who make up the "The Rod Squad," were competing in the Greater Jacksonville Kingfish Tournament on July 18 aboard Rusty Fox's Dirty Laundry when they noticed storm clouds on the horizon.

"We had no choice but to run right through it," Kitzinger, 25, said. "When we finally made it back to the dock we thought we were safe."

Bradford grabbed the bow line and Kitzinger took the stern as they prepared to tie up at the St. Augustine Municipal Marine.

Kitzinger saw a flash as lightning hit the mast of a nearby sailboat, followed by "the loudest noise that I have ever heard."

The electricity arched through the water, hit Bradford on the foredeck and knocked Kitzinger off his feet.

Fox, who was at the wheel, did not feel a thing.

As Kitzinger fell, he saw Bradford, about 30 feet closer to the strike, falling.

"Tim had his chest on the deck because he was reaching over to tie up the boat," Kitzinger said. "As a result I think he took the full brunt of the strike."

Kitzinger didn't lose consciousness, but Bradford was knocked out.

"I didn't see it coming," he said. "I had this fuzzy feeling, like being tickled with a feather before it hit, then wham!"

There were several witnesses to the strike who assisted Kitzinger and Bradford until emergency medical personnel arrived.

"The only thing I remember was the ambulance ride on the way to the hospital," Bradford, 30, said. "People said I was talking incoherently before that, but I really don't remember any of it."

Back home, Kitzinger, a former lineman for the St. Petersburg High Green Devils, felt as if he had just played both sides in an overtime football game.

"I was really sore and my joints were aching," he said. "It took a couple of days for my ears to stop ringing."

Kitzinger was able to return to work, but Bradford had to take the week off.

Bradford said in the time he was home convalescing, he thought a lot about life, death and his 5-year-old son, Kosh.

"To be honest, the whole thing scared me to death," he said. "I'm a little bit paranoid now about lightning. When you are out on the water, you just don't realize how vulnerable you are."

A thunderstorm passed through St. Petersburg on Friday as Kitzinger was running errands in his truck.

"When that lightning started crashing all around me I just sort of froze up," he said. "I couldn't do anything."

Bradford and Kitzinger consider themselves lucky to have survived the strike. But each year more than 70 Americans are struck by lightning and killed.

With that in mind, it is a good idea to remember these safety tips:

Buy a weather radio or VHF and keep it on your boat. That way you can keep track of approaching storms.

If you are on the water and see a storm approaching, head for the nearest safe harbor. Antennas, masts and outriggers act as lightning rods and increase your chances of being struck if you remain in the open.

If you see a flash of lightning don't try to figure out how far away it is by counting "one Mississippi" Instead, use the 30-30 rule.

The first 30 stands for 30 seconds. When you see the flash start counting. If you hear thunder before you reach 30, the lightning is probably close enough to hit you.

The second 30 stands for 30 minutes. This is how long you should wait after the storm is over before you head out on the water.

Remember, lightning can strike as far as 10 miles away from the storm, hence the phrase "a bolt out of the blue".

When you see the trom approaching if you can't get out the way (which often you can't ina river) lay all radio ariels and rods flat to deck, and get down as low as you can yourself.

If possible get NEAR something taller than the boat, like a tall bankside tree, there is a "cone of protection" around such taller objects, which might just save your hide.

Cheers!

[pw-bream]

Originally posted by trouty
If possible get NEAR something taller than the boat, like a tall bankside tree, there is a "cone of protection" around such taller objects, which might just save your hide.

Trouty,
I'm a bit confused; I've always been told to keep away from tall things like trees during lightning storms, and if caught out in the open on flat ground to lay flat.
What is the basis of this new "get close to a tree" for a "cone of protection" theory? Doesn't the tall object attract the lightning?

[mark savage]

That's what i thought PW.

Another couple of safety points if you are shore based -

1. If you're near your car - get into it, if the lightning hits, it will be channeled around the body and into the ground. Cars are just about the safest place to be.

2. Get away from or stow your graphite rod(s) - it is an exceptional conductor. I've been out and about with them in the past and they hum menacingly with the approach of thunder storms. If that isn't a warning i don't know what is

[Angry]

The way I understand it, Lightning is initiated by a small connecting jolt from the ground (usually a high point like the mast in story) the larger visible strike then returns to that spot, but will travel to a point of lower resistance (in the story it was our luckless fishermen.
I don't know how your supposed to protect yourself.
If your out in the open, getting down low (lying or squatting) means that if you get struck the lightning has a shorter route to earth, and will take the easier path instead of traveling through your entire body and frying all your internal organs.
There have been cases of people you have gotten wet before being struck, there clothes have blown of them as the current travels around the outside leaving the then naked victim fairly unscathed.

Hey Guys.
I was electrocuted (technically not, as I am still alive) when i was 11.
I was fiddling with my Aquarium heater and managed to touch the live heating coils! I had 240V running through my body for prolly 30 seconds. Luckily the current caused my arm to tighen and brought my arm to my chest. This earthed the current and stopped it reaching my heart. The exit burn is only 10cm from my heart! Thank God.
The massive electrical burns to my right hand resulted in the amputation of my right pinky, and three skin grafts, plus multiple scars.
All this, just three days before the start of my final year of Primary School. The accident hasn't hampered me very much at all, but I can tell you the feeling of Electrocution isn't all that nice. Wouldn'ty reccomend it for foreplay if thats what you were thinkin CraigS!!!

oops that was cone of protection - wasn't it?



Theres a good deal of info available on lightning protection for vessels, unfortunately a LOT of it relates to sailing vessels or luxury yachts with fly bridge cabins etc, and little for samll craft like bream boats.

All the same the principles are just the same so it doesn't hurt to have a read up on it maybe..

Lighhtning protection for boats

The thing with a bankside tree is to not be touching it or tied up to it...

Basically the info about not "standing under a tree" is sound because people have a habit of trying to stay dry so stand right hard with their back up against the trunk on the sheltered side trying to stay dry - and when the tree gets hit - they are then part of the shortest most direct path to ground becomeing onbe with the trunk.0

Were they however to say lay flat on the ground under the canopy they would in effect be reasonably well protected from lightning strike bye the cone of protection effect the tree provides.

Bye far the safest is inside your car - which is in effect a faraday cage which will protect you.

Interesting subject eh?

Cheers!

[BreamShark]

What if the tree gets hit by lightning and falls over and crushes you or a branch falls down and hits you???
I'snt this another reason they tell you not to stand under trees in a storm????

(hey im a poddy bream!!! )

I guess it would be clever to NOT seek shelter under an obvious "widow maker" tree (one with dead branches just waiting to crash down on you), but you SHOULD be reasonably safe under any healthy tree. I've seen a good few trees hit hard bye lightning and mostly the trunk 'explodes' from the inside out as the cellulose cells heat up and burst. You see the bark all shred to bits etc and a lot of damage to the cambium layer as the electricity seems to run over the outside of the trunk moreso than inside the wood, but the actual trunk etc, seems to stay pretty structurally sound..

I reckon your safer under a tree than out in a boat on open water...& thats where I head in a real electrical storm.

Having spent a LOT of time in the forest (as a forester) you get to realise that natures a pretty good architect when it comes to designing trees and such, and a good healthy tree should survive most storms or other things nature can dish out (lightning) OK most times. You can usualy spot trees that arent healthy bye the dead limbs, missing leaves, etc - theres AREN't the ones to seek shelter under...

Pick a GOOD lookin tree and head for cover.

Cheers!