Being caught in a tornado in Okeechobee Fl, on the Taylor River eight years ago with out warning at 2 AM, I put in a weather alert VHF radio in the camper and the boat in order to get a heads up of pending dangerous weather in the area. It has come in handy on Lake Ontario and Champlain in past years giving plenty of time to get to a safe place.
They say that you can only hear thunder 5 miles away that is too late to pick up your stuff and bag it to safety. Storms traveling at 25 to 30 miles per hour, only gives you 10 to 15 minutes to make it to safety, while a VHF radio with a weather alert give you much more time.
In our business we have to keep a very close eye on the weaher al the time, today was no exception. I have been watching the radar all day, we just had two pop up storms hit us that came from nowhere. But forecasters have been predicting it all day to be this way.
I finally convinced my son to get off Winnisquam, he was lucky as many sever storms were skirting the area.
Coming down in buckets now with lightning very close by, time to sign off.
Thanks for all the info, maybe with this discussion we helped someone avoid having a serious problem in the future.
You're a sitting duck on a lake in an electrical storm. Lightning will hit the tallest object in the area. So, if you're out on the lake and there are tall trees on the shore, and you're a few hundred yards out, it will hit you first because you are the single tallest object in the area, even though those trees are bigger.
Several years ago a guy on vacation fishing with his family got hit hit a killed while fishing on Kanastka in Moultonboro.
You can ask Trav and Colan of th Kripple II, if your fishing with me and we see a storm with lightning we are heading for cover! We have had some close calls here and on Champlain. I will even take cover on an island if I can't make the dock!
When you are talking with Trav sometime ask him about our experience with a bad storm on Squam and Trav telling Colan and I to "shear the pin" on Winni one evening in a storm on Winni! We laugh now , but it is nothing to fool with!
Good Luck to All!
I was fishing with my neighbor drifting live smelt and our lines started rising up in the air from the electricity and decided it was time to head in!!
Dont' mess with lightning in a boat.
While it's true that in a car you are protected by the metal frame around you, as it tends to conduct the voltage around, rather than through you, and the rubber tires do give some grounding protection.
But, in a boat it's the complete opposite...YOU are the ground! You're toast (just put the jam in your pockets.)
I've never seen a boat hit by lightening, but a buddy reported seeing one (alum. hull) he said there were hundreds of holes in the hull where the voltage sieved it.
Hey, nothing's worth the risk. The fish will be there another day. Getting dead really sucks.
