Thunderstorms mean lightning, and lightning can hit boats and fry their electronics. Learn how to protect your handheld devices — GPS, VHF, phone, camera, and iPad — so you’ll be able to get home.
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Carolyn Shearlock has lived aboard full-time for 17 years, splitting her time between a Tayana 37 monohull and a Gemini 105 catamaran. She’s cruised over 14,000 miles, from Pacific Mexico and Central America to Florida and the Bahamas, gaining firsthand experience with the joys and challenges of life on the water.
Through The Boat Galley, Carolyn has helped thousands of people explore, prepare for, and enjoy life afloat. She shares her expertise as an instructor at Cruisers University, in leading boating publications, and through her bestselling book, The Boat Galley Cookbook. She is passionate about helping others embark on their liveaboard journey—making life on the water simpler, safer, and more enjoyable.
Penny Talbot says
Good advice for lightening storms… I think I got that from Beedie’s Cruising Under power, and remembered it, so when we ran into a really nasty thunderstorm off of Turtle Bay going south, in Cubar 2015, I threw every hand held instrument, laptops loaded with navigation software… whatever I thought needed protecting – into the microwave. Our crew was puzzled but when I explained about faraday cages they figured it out, we didn’t take a direct hit but the one other boat near us did. It was a frightening couple of hours as the storm seemed to want to keep us surrounded… but knowing that we would be able to navigate and communicate if we were struck was a comfort…
Peter MacManus says
Thanks so much for all the interesting topics. Even though I am a 2/3 week cruiser all of your advice gives me more confidence and makes the admiral less worried. She knows that we are doomed and will fry