Family was freaking out on the boat in a thunderstorm

[DBrunes]

We were on open water, and lighting came in fast and out of nowhere. The absolute first bolt struck my T-top, which I was holding onto for support (I was on my center console at the time not my trawler, so there is that caveat), and it blew out ALL my electronics, my motor, and knocked me unconscious and into convulsions in front of my family. We floated dead stick for 30 minutes (until we were rescued/tow boat arrived) while bolts continued to crash all round us.

It was F#*&#%ing terrifying for everyone. Before you have been struck, you think there is no chance of getting hit. After you have been struck, you think there is no chance that you are not going to get hit by every single bolt. We were the only, and obviously the tallest thing out there. My son has PTSD and I am dealing with some permanent brain damage as a result.

I think you made the right decision.

The new adage is "When thunder roars, get indoors". So At least in a trawler you can be inside the house. But if you stay out, or continue away from port and you get struck and lose electronics and/or power, things can get worse and it takes much longer to get rescued. No fun bobbing around in a dead boat in the middle of a storm.

My $0.02. Well done captain.

 

[KidSheeleen]

Thunderstorm lightning

As a very long time resident (Florida born) we have had 47 fatality's in the last 10 years. When it thunders/ lightning you go to a grounded place . This does not count the numerous injured. Most cases it's tourists on the beaches and roofers or out door construction people who disregard the storms. All outdoor school athletic areas now have lightning alert devices. Many children over the years have been hit during sports practices. In Florida many as I, have phone apps to indicate lighting strikes in a 20 mile direction. People who ignore the wrath of Mother Nature can end up suffering the consequences. Forget the "Macho" use good judgment. A happy wife means a happy life.

 

[Gdavid]

Summertime on the Chesapeake provides an opportunity for a afternoon/early evening storm 1/3 of the time. It's often hot humid and ripe for a storm, they are usually very spotty and don't last long. If you cancel your plans every time there is a chance of afternoon thunderstorms, you won't spend very much time on the water. Because these storms are so spotty and most of the boats represented on this forum are so slow, your odds of getting the worst of a storm aren't always improved by headed to shore. I'm not arguing to stay out in harms way but the decision to stay put or head in is not straightforward. By the time it is clear that a storm is materializing, if your home port is west of you, you are most likely to be heading into it. I worked for years on a evening fishing head boat that ran from 6pm to midnight. The boat cruised at 10 knots, probably topped out at 12 knots, we were unlikely to outrun very much and spend a lot of time watching storms blow over. It is a shame that someone was uncomfortable but it is also a bit silly to characterize him as reckless. IMO

 

[RArmstrong]

When I was young and adventurous I had a 26 ft Sea Ray Weekender. We used to put on life jackets and take it out in bad weather just to see how bad of weather it could handle. But I was 30 years old and single then.

 

[Gulf Comanche]

When I was young and adventurous I had a 26 ft Sea Ray Weekender. We used to put on life jackets and take it out in bad weather just to see how bad of weather it could handle. But I was 30 years old and single then.

Yeah, I lived through my bulletproof days too.

 

[DBrunes]

Weird, it cut off the first paragraph of my post...

Anyway, I was just intro'g by saying that I had a short story that I feel like validated the OP's actions. And I was going to keep it short so as to not offend those that seemed upset about people telling personal stories in response to the OP. This thread has gotten weirdly derailed.

We were on open water, and lighting came in fast and out of nowhere. The absolute first bolt struck my T-top, which I was holding onto for support (I was on my center console at the time not my trawler, so there is that caveat), and it blew out ALL my electronics, my motor, and knocked me unconscious and into convulsions in front of my family. We floated dead stick for 30 minutes (until we were rescued/tow boat arrived) while bolts continued to crash all round us.

It was F#*&#%ing terrifying for everyone. Before you have been struck, you think there is no chance of getting hit. After you have been struck, you think there is no chance that you are not going to get hit by every single bolt. We were the only, and obviously the tallest thing out there. My son has PTSD and I am dealing with some permanent brain damage as a result.

I think you made the right decision.

The new adage is "When thunder roars, get indoors". So At least in a trawler you can be inside the house. But if you stay out, or continue away from port and you get struck and lose electronics and/or power, things can get worse and it takes much longer to get rescued. No fun bobbing around in a dead boat in the middle of a storm.

My $0.02. Well done captain.

 

[BandB]

Wifey B: Fear is not quantifiable and it shouldn't be judged. One cannot possibly know how the other person is feeling. However, if they express fear, then you must acknowledge them and accept it at face value.

 

[psneeld]

I won't comment on the OP...but fear is a bad thing. One should do whatever it takes to turn fear into apprehension or another emotion that lets you think as rational as possible.


I am NOT advocating scaring the crap out of anyone...but measured care, knowledge, training and exposure can help in the long run.



As FDR pointed out.... "the only thing we have to fear is...fear itself"

 

[BandB]

I won't comment on the OP...but fear is a bad thing. One should do whatever it takes to turn fear into apprehension or another emotion that lets you think as rational as possible.


I am NOT advocating scaring the crap out of anyone...but measured care, knowledge, training and exposure can help in the long run.



As FDR pointed out.... "the only thing we have to fear is...fear itself"

Wifey B: Fear is a good thing sometimes, but fear that is unreasonable is not. However, there are appropriate times and places to address that and to educate. I think what you describe as measured care, knowledge, training, exposure is right. Someone with a fear of flying, you counsel and try to understand, then you do mock flights, and you finally work up to a short escorted flight.

If I felt a child had a fear that just wasn't logical, then I'd try to work to overturn it. I once taught a child with a horrific fear of being in a room with a closed door. I was dismayed his parents hadn't addressed it. It meant sitting and counseling by our counselor and by me and his primary teacher and it meant holding his hand and leaving the door half open, then just a little cracked. It also meant teaching his class mates to be supportive of him, not to make fun and explaining that everyone fears something in life. We went around and they shared their fears. We let the child in question sit closest to the door and when he got worried he could open it and see he wasn't locked in. Fear of being trapped by a closed door is Cleithrophobia. So, very much agree with you on addressing fears. We didn't find out until much later that he'd gotten the fear from a movie he saw, a person locked in a room and couldn't get out and then a fire started. I don't think he knew at first why he had the fear.

So, all I was saying above was fears are very real and deserve to be treated as such. That does include helping one overcome the fear.

 

[dhays]

Semantics. Fear, apprehension, unease, whatever... it all amounts to your brain telling you something is, or is about to be, wrong. Those are good things. They keep us and others safe. Scott's point is a good one. Whatever you call it, you don't want it to interfer with your ability to respond appropriately.

I imagine Scott's training, practice and experience allowed him to perform well despite the fear in situations where the rest of us would be hiding with our heads between our knees.

Ideally, we learn to handle our boats the same way when we find ourselves in situations that are scary.

 

[psneeld]

Dave...correct...it's not really fear that stops the show...it's panic....


Again human factors teaches us that performance increases with stress(ors)....right up to the point where panic hits and performance falls off the cliff.


So semantics shouldn't get in the way of the real enemy..... "the unkown"


Like the other thread that discussed getting as much training as a captain as one can...that should include understanding the fears you might have of certain things you may encounter while boating.


Like the spider thread....

 

[BandB]

Like the spider thread....

Wifey B: Spiders?

Ok, not really my fear. I guess if I'm going to choose one it's going to be bees. Those suckers are tiny and sneaky and they fly and they hide in the grass and bushes and you never know when they might be there. I don't like them.