Four of us were paddling one of the spring creeks in Florida's Ocala National Forest when a thunder storm blew up rather suddenly. The temperature dropped quickly and the rain was cold. The lightning was following the thunder by only a second or two. Much too close for comfort.
We were in a swampy area with cypress knees and brush on each side - we could not see solid land. The first solid land in sight was about 15-20 minutes down river.
One of the paddlers in a tee shirt and shorts paddling a sit on top kayak was complaining about being cold. It was raining hard and we didn't have extra rain gear for her.
On Sat, 2 Apr 2005 20:43:23 -0600, "skip" <skip@comcast.net> wrote:
Four of us were paddling one of the spring creeks in Florida's Ocala >National Forest when a thunder storm blew up rather suddenly. The >temperature dropped quickly and the rain was cold. The lightning was >following the thunder by only a second or two. Much too close for comfort.>
We were in a swampy area with cypress knees and brush on each side - we >could not see solid land. The first solid land in sight was about 15-20 >minutes down river.>
One of the paddlers in a tee shirt and shorts paddling a sit on top kayak >was complaining about being cold. It was raining hard and we didn't have >extra rain gear for her.>
What should we have done?
I have been in exactly that place during those exact conditions. I used to live just west of Ocala and have been kayaking in the national forest there several many times. I go ahead and paddle to a place where I can take shelter, although getting out of the boat or even off the water is not a high priority for me. I want to get out of the rain/wind if I can, although I'm not going to head for a lone tree or even a high bush. I don't particularly worry about a paddle being metal or a conductor or anything, I think the mass of the object is much too small to make much difference of where lightning strikes. No doubt some folks will advise other tactics of lightning avoidance. Cowering in fear and terror has always worked for me, I used to live on a sailboat where getting off the water or the boat was not an option, and with my mast I was often the tallest thing in the water for miles around. Try to stay as warm and dry as you can (paddling in a panic situation *does* tend to warm you up) and hope the storm passes quickly.
Galen Hekhuis NpD, JFR, GWA ghekhuis@earthlink.net Illiterate? Write for FREE help
Easy and cheap, fits in any pocket, minimal yes, but works great.......space blanket, Walmart for like a couple of bucks. Best to stay in the boat. "Padeen" <junk_box707@worldnet.att.net> wrote in message news:oAY3e.511526$w62.93242@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...> I'll reinforce the paddle-harder-to-get-warm suggestions. In a small,> mastless boat, you're often safer on the water than on shore. Pick a> brushy, sheltered point in the near distance and head for it, working up> warmth with a goal and exercise.>
The drybag suggestion is also a valuable one; I wouldn't go on the water> without extra dry gear protected in a dry bag, for myself and some to
share.>
"skip" <skip@comcast.net> wrote in message> news:qbCdnXEfotjWxdLfRVn-sg@giganews.com...> > Four of us were paddling one of the spring creeks in Florida's Ocala> > National Forest when a thunder storm blew up rather suddenly. The> > temperature dropped quickly and the rain was cold. The lightning was> > following the thunder by only a second or two. Much too close for> comfort.> >
We were in a swampy area with cypress knees and brush on each side - we> > could not see solid land. The first solid land in sight was about 15-20> > minutes down river.> >
One of the paddlers in a tee shirt and shorts paddling a sit on top
kayak> > was complaining about being cold. It was raining hard and we didn't have> > extra rain gear for her.> >
What we actually did was to spread out and paddle like hell for 15 minutes to a point where there was land. This did in fact warm up the sit on top paddler who was without rain grear. When we reached land there was a couple there who had started a small fire under a Plametto tree. We huddled there in fear and trembling until the thunder and lightning passed and then paddled on to the take out in the rain (pleasant for me with my spray skirt, paddling jacket, and Gore Tex hat).
We all had dry clothes, but they were useless in the downpour. No one brought extra rain gear. I have a space blanket, but it was underneath my sleeping pad in the tent. Before I go out again I'm going to pick one up for the boat.
Thanks again. I found your comments interesting and informative.
skip wrote:> Thanks for the comments and suggestions.>
What we actually did was to spread out and paddle like hell for 15 minutes > to a point where there was land. This did in fact warm up the sit on top > paddler who was without rain grear. When we reached land there was a couple > there who had started a small fire under a Plametto tree. We huddled there > in fear and trembling until the thunder and lightning passed and then > paddled on to the take out in the rain (pleasant for me with my spray skirt, > paddling jacket, and Gore Tex hat).
Huddling together was a bad idea. Once on shore, you should spread out. That minimizes the likelihood of more than one of you being struck.
We all had dry clothes, but they were useless in the downpour. No one > brought extra rain gear. I have a space blanket, but it was underneath my > sleeping pad in the tent. Before I go out again I'm going to pick one up > for the boat.
While space blankets are certainly useful items in their own right, you might want to re-think the logic of wrapping yourself in aluminized Mylar during a thunderstorm.
"Brian Nystrom" <brian.nystrom@att.net> wrote in message news:z%h4e.517878$w62.479984@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...> skip wrote:>> Thanks for the comments and suggestions.>>
What we actually did was to spread out and paddle like hell for 15 >> minutes to a point where there was land. This did in fact warm up the >> sit on top paddler who was without rain grear. When we reached land >> there was a couple there who had started a small fire under a Plametto >> tree. We huddled there in fear and trembling until the thunder and >> lightning passed and then paddled on to the take out in the rain >> (pleasant for me with my spray skirt, paddling jacket, and Gore Tex hat).>
Huddling together was a bad idea. Once on shore, you should spread out. > That minimizes the likelihood of more than one of you being struck.
We used that logic going down river, but it went out the window as soon as we saw the fire under the palmetto tree - except, that is, for one person who stayed apart from us for a while, but soon gave in and joined us.
We all had dry clothes, but they were useless in the downpour. No one >> brought extra rain gear. I have a space blanket, but it was underneath >> my sleeping pad in the tent. Before I go out again I'm going to pick one >> up for the boat.>
While space blankets are certainly useful items in their own right, you > might want to re-think the logic of wrapping yourself in aluminized Mylar > during a thunderstorm.
hmmmmm. I'm rethinking. Yeah, maybe that's not such a good idea in a thunderstorm.
Sorry for the little wobble - I still can't figure out how to use that
stabilization thing - I know, I'm a putz.
Any idea what it was hitting? Looked like it must have been very attractive to the lightening.
There is bound to be an amount of movement beyond which stabilization will have no effect. Being caught in gusts of wind may just be more than stabilization can handle.
What model camera did you get? Better yet, just post a URL to a site. -- John *H*
Sorry for the little wobble - I still can't figure out how to use that
stabilization thing - I know, I'm a putz.
Were those separate strikes? They look Identical.
I wondered about that myself as I'm not an expert on lightning strikes even though for about 12 years I had three tall towers in the back yard. I was only an expert on preventing damage and repairing damage I couldn't prevent. :>)
So I emailed one of my old friends who is a professor of meterological sciences along with the video and he replied:
"It's called a secondary strike which can repeat the main strike as many as 40 times. The time delay can be variable from nanoseconds to miliseconds between the strikes. It's one of those things we were discussing the other day about "optical delusions" as the secondary strikes will occur even when the main flash is still visible - you got lucky in that one of the secondary strikes is in the millisecond category. I'll bet you anything it hit the old Fern's tower over on W. Quassett Road right?
You also got lucky with the ionization flare - notice that little tiny thin flash at the start of the strike? That was the ionization trail and from the looks of it, it started at the lake."
He was right which is why I aimed the camera in that direction because that tower is like a freakin' lightning magnet.
Learn something new everyday although I think he mentioned it once in a lecture of his I attended - I just forgot.
Sorry for the little wobble - I still can't figure out how to use that
stabilization thing - I know, I'm a putz.
I took a direct hit on my lightnig rod on the garage the day before we went on vacation (2 weeks ago) The Mexican who had been working in the yard about pissed his pants. He was plastered against the garage door, not moving. I was out in the yard when it hit but this was the second direct strike I have seen there in a year so I wasn't all that "shocked" It did blow the serial port on my weather station again. I guess I will have to work on that problem. It seems to be a pattern.
Sorry for the little wobble - I still can't figure out how to use that
stabilization thing - I know, I'm a putz.
I took a direct hit on my lightnig rod on the garage the day before we
went on vacation (2 weeks ago)
The Mexican who had been working in the yard about pissed his pants.
He was plastered against the garage door, not moving. I was out in the
yard when it hit but this was the second direct strike I have seen
there in a year so I wasn't all that "shocked"
It did blow the serial port on my weather station again. I guess I
will have to work on that problem. It seems to be a pattern.
There's proof positive that lightning rods attract lightning.I might put one up, but not on the house. I'm thinking of putting it on the the top of a flagpole, as far from the house as possible. A flagpole has been on my agenda anyway.
