Boating during storms

[Rich]

I'm not going to give medical advice, but here's what I do when weather is predicted.

I check the morning weather forecast. If the boat has a marine radio, listen to the local weather for our area.

What works great for me is to use the "My Radar" app on my smart phone. The only thing this app does, and does well, is to give you near real time (within 10 or 15 minutes) weather radar. Tracking the weather thatt will affect you is more useful than a general forecast, which tells you what is probable, vs what is happening now. Try it and see what I mean.

http://myradar.com

This one is on Apple as well as Android, and it's free version works quite well.

With it you can track a storm cell and see if it's headed your way or not.

If weather is predicted, I'll check it ever 30 minutes or so, this way I'm not caught off guard.

Often storms may track away from you, or if they are headed for you, you can head for a safe place. If needed use anyone's dock.

Yes, it's a tough call to rent or not, but you may have a full early day of boating if the storms don't hit until 3pm or later, if at all.

Be safe, have fun!

[Dave R]

This will sound counter-intuitive, but if you find yourself unable to reach your port during a thunderstorm and need a safe place to hang out, go park next to the nearest decent-sized sail boat. The mast will be bonded and creates a cone of safety that extends down from the mast at 45 degrees. Basically, the mast is a vastly more attractive lightning target than your boat as long as you are within the cone of safety.

[fatlazyless]

Oh yes, and just like the rubber tires on a car insulate your automobile from being a grounding path for lightning; Converse All-Stars, high top sneakers, made with rubber soles, will do the same for you when out boating in a lightning storm!

[Phantom]

Okay --- now your dragging it out of me and making me show my age

Long before smartphones with live radar App's........ the tried & true method of determining if the ominous clouds you saw off in the distance is an approaching "electrical" storm (as opposed to a simple rain storm) in the vicinity was to simply switch your onboard radio/stereo onto a low frequency AM setting (800-860) and simply listen! If lightning were occurring, you would literally "hear" it as static in the white noise of the radio band. Louder the static -- the closer the actual thunderhead!


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[Rich]

Originally Posted by Phantom

Okay --- now your dragging it out of me and making me show my age

Long before smartphones with live radar App's........ the tried & true method of determining if the ominous clouds you saw off in the distance is an approaching "electrical" storm (as opposed to a simple rain storm) in the vicinity was to simply switch your onboard radio/stereo onto a low frequency AM setting (800-860) and simply listen! If lightning were occurring, you would literally "hear" it as static in the white noise of the radio band. Louder the static -- the closer the actual thunderhead!

Turn up the volume and it gets very close!

Do people even have an AM radio anymore? If they did, do they know how to turn it on?

[SIKSUKR]

Originally Posted by Rich

Do people even have an AM radio anymore? If they did, do they know how to turn it on?

This must be tongue in cheek. I've never had a car that didnt come with AM including my current 2017. I'll bet its almost impossible to buy one without but I know you were being funny. Now if you were talking about 8 track or cassette you would be correct. CD is just about there also.

[thinkxingu]

Originally Posted by SIKSUKR

CD is just about there also.

My wife's 2014 Jeep doesn't have a CD player.

Sent from my XT1528 using Tapatalk

[noreast]

Originally Posted by thinkxingu

My wife's 2014 Jeep doesn't have a CD player.

Sent from my XT1528 using Tapatalk

It's a jeep, Probably no AC either. That's why I hardly ever drive my kids Wrangler. ugh!

[Doobs41378]

Originally Posted by noreast

It's a jeep, Probably no AC either. That's why I hardly ever drive my kids Wrangler. ugh!

Big difference between a wrangler and a Grand Cherokee though.

[Phantom]

Originally Posted by Rich

Turn up the volume and it gets very close!

Do people even have an AM radio anymore? If they did, do they know how to turn it on?

Rich -- remember the circle of life my friend
(1) for your children- you protect, train, teach how to use the bathroom, feed, clothe and many other mundane daily tasks
(2) when you get old - Your children are doing the same for YOU


Let's leave it at I am slightly (and VERY slightly) over the 50% mark heading to #2




(RattleTrap -- BE QUIET !!)


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[Rich]

Originally Posted by Phantom

Rich -- remember the circle of life my friend
(1) for your children- you protect, train, teach how to use the bathroom, feed, clothe and many other mundane daily tasks
(2) when you get old - Your children are doing the same for YOU


Let's leave it at I am slightly (and VERY slightly) over the 50% mark heading to #2




(RattleTrap -- BE QUIET !!)


.

I'm in big trouble!

I'm past the 50% mark too AND I forgot to have any kids!

[Rich]

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

Oh yes, and just like the rubber tires on a car insulate your automobile from being a grounding path for lightning; Converse All-Stars, high top sneakers, made with rubber soles, will do the same for you when out boating in a lightning storm!

I don't think it's the rubber helping you here at all. Lighting just traveled a lot further through the air, a little rubber won't stop it.

On the other hand, the body on your car acts as a Faraday cage (google it), so it will protect you, unless you're in a fiberglass car, or a convertible!

Go ahead, wear your sneakers!