Electric events

Farr Gone Blog
Stuart Cannon
Thu 13 Oct 2011 14:04
It's now 11.50pm and I am fairly exhausted. For the last hour and a half Farr Gone has stoically stood up to a real blast. There had been lightening either side of us and I thought it best to shoot for the gap between. Big mistake. We got clobbered by not one but three consecutive thunderstorms. We would get past one and everything would calm down then another would hit. Each time ferocious winds would lash at us and even with bare poles the boat was heeling so badly the gunnels were under. Several strikes of lightening struck meters away from the boat with blinding light and that enormous concussion of sound.
As John Steed once said when rescued from certain death by Emma Peel, I saw my life pass before my eyes, what a pleasant experience. Well I wish I was that cool but I must admit to realizing I was experiencing fairly pure fear. I didn't mind the wind pushing us along at ten under bare poles, I've had worse but I really didn't like the thought of becoming a conductor for a brief flash of incredible energy. And it went on for so long. It also wouldn't be wise to think it's over yet as there are still more flashes ahead. It is to be hoped that they will move along before we get there.
Still all this just goes to show that taking life for granted is a mistake. It's odd to think that just about everyone I know is tucked safely away in bed and this fool is thirty miles offshore in an electrical tempest. Is there no end to my insanity?

Sent from my iPad