Final "Lightening" leg to to Florida

Shelena
Phil Scourfield
Mon 23 May 2016 15:00
25th May, 2016



As we started our last night at sea on this passage and light faded to dark so emerged the lightening. It was always a respectful distance away and we were grateful for that. We had had our evening meal and it was my opportunity to rest before the night watch. Helen was therefore on watch. She never experienced anything quite like it in that we appeared to sail surrounded by lightening cells. There was an intensity in the lightening as it lit the night sky, and the power of the elements was immense. Just hope those huge electricity discharges do not strike Shelena. We did as all the books suggest and placed valued electrical items in the oven and microwave as these metal cases are said to protect frying of electrical components. So load up the iPhone and iPad and spare VHF radio….just in case! It would not be the best circumstance to have no electronics. No chartplotter, no satellite or terrestrial phone. No electric winches. No ship’s lights! No auto pilot. Each massive cloud bloated with trapped energy gave off its power. Always random lightening so that it was never known if it would brighten too starboard, or to port, or to stern. The funny thing is you can see lightening with your eyes shut too. It was vertical lightening it was horizontal too. Yet, where was the rain? Where the thunder? Not a bit of either. These are moments to be remembered. An unique experience at sea. Or, maybe, maybe I was dreaming!! The sea can do strange things to a man.