Voodoo Child's Lightning Strike

I'm curious as to what, if anything, other owners are doing for lightning protection. Voodoo Child was struck a few weeks ago while on the hard and suffered major electrical and electronics damage all of which had just been installed during a 2-1/2yr refit that was nearing completion. It took out brand new electric winches, bow thruster, windlass, main and secondary distribution panels, autopilot, radar, chart plotter, battery chargers, vhf and antenna, all LED interior lighting, voltage regulator, Duocharge, digital air conditioner controller, high water alarms, anchor chain counter, tachometer, spreader lights, cockpit lights, nmea 2000 network, wind, speed and depth instruments and both bow and stern AGM battery banks. It also scorched the jib sail where it was in contact with the roller furling. Unbelievably, there was no structural damage and the mast and rigging checked out ok after it was removed for inspection.

It got me thinking about what might have happened if I had been aboard and out cruising. No batteries to start the engine, no electrical, no navigation electronics or vhf, a compass with possibly a huge unknown magnetic variation, possible life threatening injuries or worse. And, theoretically, the possibility of a rapidly sinking vessel due to blown out thru hulls and failed bilge pumps. Pretty scary scenario.
Has anyone installed and wired lightning ground plates under the hull and if so what dimensions and how were they wired?  What about grounding the chain plates?

One thing that has always worried me on the Lord Nelson is the rosewood compression post. If the aluminum mast passed all the way through the cabin to the keel there would be little resistance and therefore less heat generated by a lightning strike. But with a wood post with small wires passing through it, my fear was that enough heat would be generated to explode the compression post and bring down the rig. Fortunately that did not happen and there are no signs (or smell) of any wood compression post damage on Voodoo Child. My chain plates are not grounded and I know a lot of the charge went down the forestay.

Any thoughts on this topic would be helpful.

Thanks, Tom
Voodoo Child 41LN23

Books Every Galley Should Have

Martha Burke, Fram 37VT71

marthaburke131@gmail.com

Cruising Chef Cookbook 

By Michael Greenwald

Discusses preparing for a voyage and resupplying in native markets.  Provides recipes for pressure cooking, stir frying and grilling, particularly useful techniques for the galley chef.

http://www.amazon.com/Cruising-Chef-Cookbook-Michael-Greenwald-ebook/dp/B00422LGVE/ref=pd_ybh_5

The Boat Galley Cookbook

By Carolyn Shearlock and Jan Irons.

800 everyday recipes and essential tips for cooking aboard with recipes made from readily-obtainable ingredients and tips on how to do things more easily in a tiny, moving kitchen.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Boat-Galley-Cookbook-Essential-ebook/dp/B009F98ADG/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1Z6P7PGB74NH3ZHWB3E5

Sea Fever

"Sea-Fever" By John Masefield (1878-1967), English Poet Laureate, 1930-1967.

I must down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,
And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea's face, and a grey dawn breaking.

I must down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

I must down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull's way and the whale's way where the wind's like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over.

(Photo of David Lyman, ex-Afaran 41LN46, taken in 2009 or 2010, at the helm of Searcher, the family's 57-foot Bowman Ketch--100 miles north of Bermuda, winds 35 knots gusting to 40, seas 15 to 20-feet.

For Sale: Pleiades 35LN22

Just listed in Yacht World:

http://m.yachtworld.com/boats/1986-lord-nelson-35-united-states-yw2832975

From the YachtWorld write up:

Traditional styled yacht that balances performance and elegance and offesr pride of ownership and practical cruising ability.

The graceful exterior incorporates the massive longitudinal strength of the molded rub rail, a unique cockpit storage area that serves as seating when closed and houses the LPG bottles, oversized stanchions, pulpits, spar sections, rigging, along with hand-crafted teak weather decks and precisely fitted teak inserts at all cabin working areas. These are but a few of the many features that when first viewed bring immediate confidence. Her full keel is designed for maximum lift and includes a perfectly balanced rudder that virtually eliminates helm resistance. Her properly designed hull sections allow that important turn of speed with weatherly performance and an easy and forgiving motion at sea. The interior is an artful blend of teak, oriental ash, and other solid hardwoods. From her spacious forepeak head with stall shower and marble vanity, two double berths privately located mid-ship and aft, large and functional galley to the gracious salon that encompasses double settees, finely crafted cabinetry, double-hinged salon-dining table, and navigation center,  a harmonic ambiance exists that will charm the most discriminating buyer.

The Lord Nelson 35, a cruising masterpiece...the legend lives on

FairWind Reunites Past and Present Owners

By Mike Wiens, FairWind 41LN10

Yesterday Linda and I hosted the reunion of Peter Nordlie and his former boat, FairWind.  There must have been some dust in the air because as Peter first spied FairWind through our back door his eyes began to water. Skipping the idle chit chat we went directly to the boat. Through Peter's eyes, actions and words his, fondness for FairWind was obvious. We started at the stern and worked our way forward while I pointed out some of the maintenance items I had done to keep her Bristol. Remarkably, many of the items Peter had added for his Atlantic voyages were still in place. Below deck he started to reminisce about his time at sea aboard FairWind, the security he felt throughout the seven gales he encountered at sea and how well FairWind accommodated him and his crew. I think Peter was appreciative of the care FairWind has received the past several years. 

Peter also brought with him a photo album he made of FairWind, himself, his crew and their adventures on their Atlantic crossing. As he reviewed the pictures with us the joy he experienced on his voyages was obvious. The ports he visited, the people he met, his crew and FairWind were all special to him. 

After lunch Peter answered many questions we had as to how he handled the sails offshore and other aspects of life on FairWind. Our visit ended with Peter taking several photos of his beloved FairWind and along with a sage bit of advice, "Mike and Linda, you've spent a great deal of time working on FairWind, now go out and sail and enjoy her." 

That we intend to do. 

Mike Wiens, FairWind 41LN10

Update from Aurora 41LN17

WX here has been cold. I am shutting hatches down to sit on the dogs after dark and sleeping under a light blanket. Really miserable. I have been looking for the photos of Aurora, taken 3-4 years ago in Beaufort, NC. One has a ruler buried 7" deep in the snow on the cockpit table. The others only add to the ambiance. We swore then NEVER AGAIN!

Ted

S/Y AURORA

Lying Prickly Bay, Grenada, West Indies

tedntex@yahoo.com

(473) 456-7418 (Grenada)

Meet Mike and Linda Wiens, FairWind 41LN10

Mike and Linda (and puppy Riley) have owned FairWind for seven years. Mike and Linda met in college. He had just graduated and she was a cute sophomore. Together they built a successful heating and air conditioning business. Along the way two children, a son and a daughter, came along. Good thing, the kids now run the business while Mike and Linda play. And these two know how to play; if they're not sailing FairWind then they're flying their Bonanza. Mike is an FAA certified flight instructor (CFII).  Until recently they were strictly Lake Erie sailors. That all changed in October 2014 when they cruised FairWind south to her new home in Punta Gorda, Florida. Their humorous blog, svfairwind.tumblr.com, documents all the highs and lows of the trip.

Before leaving Ohio they completed a two year refit on FairWind. Mike said the teak deck was beyond saving so it was removed and nonskid put down. Not all the wood deck is gone though. New teak was put in all the cabin-top pads. New chainplates and standing rigging was installed too. When removing the hawse cleats Mike said he broke many of the bronze sex bolts. He was unable to find a source and so a machine shop made them for $10 each. The bulwark scuppers were rebuilt as the fiberglass inside the scupper wasn't well connected to either the hull or the deck--a common problem on Lord Nelson boats. While repairing the scuppers Mike found that his bulwark is filled with sand impregnated polyester resin. Almost everything on FairWind's deck was re-bedded. Happily this eliminated all the deck leaks. During construction Hai-O laminated stainless backing plates into the cabin top beneath the traveler. The plates were drilled and tapped for the traveler's machine screw fasteners. Mike said he found several instances of this construction technique. Last, but not least, the entire hull and topsides were painted.

By Dave Howell
Nellie D. 37VT63