Freedom dry docked

[tx river rat]

I build a yak
And now its such bad weather can't try it out.We have had more than 12 inches of rain in last couple days and more on the way. If this keeps up Ill just mount up in front yard and paddle off down the street I will get to try it as soon as lightning and rain stop.
Ron

 

[Kayak Jack]

Got a similar problem here, Rat. I was going to introduce my lady friend Carol to canoes today. But I'm not planning to paddle whilst the lightning walks about.

Maybe in a day or two.

 

[tx river rat]

Jack
I don't figure neither one of us would melt if we got wet but that lightning is not some thing I want to fool with.
In the last week there have been three folks killed by lighting in this area
and some awesome lighting displays.not my kind of weather.
Jack I sure enjoyed this last winter in Texas I spent the last two not to far from you in Elkart Ind. Man I hate snow.
Ron

 

[Kayak Jack]

I bought a lightning detector last year. It notifies you of strikes within 24 miles in four incremental bands of distances, and tells whether the storm is approaching or departing.

I bought from http://www.ambientweather.com/ and it was around $70 or so. There are three or four detectors that you can googleize up, all are similar except price and doo-dads. I got the cheapest one because range and accuracy are identical to the most expensive. But, to be fair, the most expensive one has a nicer method of displaying information.

With Florida being the lightning capitol of the world (or at least of three counties), Chuckie laughs at my little thing-a-ma-bob. He's right; it would never stop beeping down there. (God must know something about Florida Crackers that the rest of us don't.)

But, for the rest of the world, I appreciate knowing about lightning - one of the two killers of paddlers, hypothermia and stupidity being the other one.

 

[oldsparkey]

With Florida being the lightning capitol of the world (or at least of three counties), Chuckie laughs at my little thing-a-ma-bob. He's right; it would never stop beeping down there. (God must know something about Florida Crackers that the rest of us don't.)

When you see the flash start counting , one thousand an one , one thousand an two , one thousand an three .... the further you can count the further it is away from you , the less time you can count the closer it is to you.

5 seconds is basically one mile between the lighting flash and the sound of the thunder. If you get to 30 then it is time to be inside for 30 minutes , commonly called the 30-30 rule. When you don't have time to count .... then you really wish you were someplace else.

"O" the leading edge of a thunderstorm is the most dangerous and the trialling edge because most folks drop there guard and think it is safe to be outside or out from some type of shelter.

What we call Heat Lighting is another surprise for a person , it is good old fashion lighting near you but the storm is to far away to hear the thunder.

Chuck

 

[Kayak Jack]

Chuck brings up a very good point. I've read that half of the people killed by lightning are struck in the 30 minutes BEFORE the rain, and 30 minutes AFTER it. Thus the 30/30 name of the rule.

To me, it's a torture to not be out there when the rain stops falling, but, that's a good time for another cuppa tea. Enjoy the storm leaving, and beware it approaching. As a fellow says, "It's only critical."

 

[tx river rat]

Heat lightning is the one I hate sometimes just a streak of lightning out of nowhere. It'll wake you up
Ron

 

[Kayak Jack]

In the Air Force, we used to have to shut down refueling operations of our aircraft if lightning was within 3 miles of the field. I now realize that was WAY too close. Should have been more like 15-20 mile range.

 

[oldsparkey]

Heat lightning is the one I hate sometimes just a streak of lightning out of nowhere. It'll wake you up
Ron

That is the one that gets you.

The folks were fishing (a long time ago ) down in the 10,000 islands area of Florida. They were off the point of a small island and were striking out so dad decided to move to another one about 200 yards away.

The weather was clear sky's , sunny and one beautiful day so no one was thinking about anything except getting some snook or as we call them ole line sides.

Dad arrived at the other island and as soon as he shut down the motor and started drifting a bolt of lighting hit the exact spot they moved from , vaporising a lot of the water and scaring the heck out of them. Needless to say that ended there fishing for the day it was back to camp and the safety of the cabin at Kelly Gants.

It was literary a bolt from the blue. Welcome to Florida.

I have had lighting hit a pine tree close to me and spray pine bark all over the tent , but that was during a storm so it does not count , in fact there was no counting that time, it was just a Wham , Bam.
Well the was some counting after it , counting all of my blessing and thanking the pine tree for being the target.

Chuck.

 

[Kayak Jack]

What we have always called heat lightning went from cloud to cloud, never approached the ground. We're operating with different definitions here.

There was a young man killed in Colorado a few years ago by a bolt out of the blue. Nearest lightning activity was 25 miles away.

 

[catfish]

Chuck about 15 years ago I was outside working when a bolt of lightning stuck a pine tree about 50 feet from me. There was only a tiny cloud above. The rest of the sky was clear. It didn,t thunder ,rain or no more lightning that day.

I did the count too. Counted my blessings also.

 

[Kayak Jack]

Catfish,

Counting time when it strikes only 50' from you is like the paratrooper who stuttered. Jump master told him to not count to ten before he pulled the rip cord, just to one.