Depart Beaufort for Newport, Rhode Island 14th July.
Shelena
Phil Scourfield
Sun 17 Jul 2016 08:16
14th July
It is actually 4 months since we departed Beaufort, N Carolina following a
direct hit by lightning when at a marina. I pick up my narrative and tell
the story as it occurred based on my notes. So I can say that I have been
pre-occupied and fully occupied over these last months in getting yacht
repairs completed. I thought I would provide some colour on what it's really
like to bit hit; at least our story. At the same time our journey continuing
passages up the US East coast is recorded for anyone that wants to read it.
So we departed Beaufort because we had to. A fishing competition started on
14th July and that was our deadline. We had to leave by that date. There is
no alternative marina because the draft of our yacht is too deep and the
mast too high to find an alternative. So the last possible departure date
was carved in stone. Should be no problem...
A hit from lightening is a devastating experience. Significant electrical
components were damaged. Tackling so many issues was not too hard. The first
thing to establish was whether the hull had been damaged. Preference one is
haul out Shelena for inspection. Only problem is that there is no crane big
enough that is accessible. Plan B is to have a diver inspect the hull.
Thankfully, the outcome was "no sign of any damage whatever".
Next priority is to get the electronic navigation operable. Most of the
Raymarine equipment was damaged. Most kit did not work. Dead. Others that
did work in the same circuits were nevertheless subjected to large voltage
and likely to be damaged. After something of a struggle, our insurers agreed
to replace everything that was exposed to the lightning.
The other key items that had to be fixed were the electronic monitoring and
charging system. Without power, even under sail the yacht uses power for
winches, for lights and any number of ancillary support systems. These
systems were partially completed before we had to depart on the 14th. One
other repair was to the fridge. We met a good guy from England who lived
nearby and was able to source the fridge controller that had blown. That was
good. Derek also fixed the main sail furler controller that was also dead.
So with some trepidation we set off for Newport. A distance of about 570 Nm
so a couple of days at sea. I would preferred to have lifted Shelena to see
with my own eyes that no damage was caused below water...