Maraton to Key West - lightning and anchors

huguley3 · #1 (**permalink**) 06-21-2010

We switched to our Manson Supreme anchor in Marathon after our danforth drug again. There was a rain in Marathon and the mosquitos came out big time. I have not seen that many bugs since rural Minnesota! They would just about carry you away. I also fell out of the dink and wrecked my phone.

We stopped in New Found harbor for the night. We anchored pretty much out in the open with no protection figuring we would be getting up and leaving in the morning and the regular anchorage there is kind of a ways in and our boat is slow. As soon as I turned off the engine I could hear the thunder and we watched a slow moving storm come over us and linger for quite awhile. This was the first test of the new anchor and it held perfectly even with us swinging around.

We left in the morning for Key west and met up with our friend who had been anchored there for a week or so. The water is quite a bit deeper where he was on the north side of key west. We found a 15 foot spot so its not intolerable.

Key West is kind of fun. The boat wakes from the sport fishers coming and going are very annoying. Its without equal as the worst place for wakes I have ever been. There is a 2 hour dinghy dock pretty close and the bus system here is quite good. The town itself seems pretty touristy with chain store shops all over. But you can get some good food and cheap beers on happy hour and not spend very much. The eco-discovery center is free and a fun trip. We toured the Ingham Coast Guard ship while we were there for $18. The internet access here is very spotty. We had used the Maricomms service in Marathon but the access here through them has not worked all week.

The first saturday we were here a friend was over for dinner and a pretty good storm came through. His boat started dragging off into another boat and I was helping him when our boat got hit by lightning! Our vhf antenna got vaporized and the radio is no longer working. Our anchor, running and fofredeck lights are out. tv got cooked and our batteries are draining faster than they should. I can't find whats causing the drain. No one was hurt though and we are just waiting for the wind to shift so we can go back to Marathon and meet the insurance adjuster. Our anchor held solid though through some really good winds.

TL;DR Lots of bugs in Marathon. Key West is touristy but fun. We got hit by lightning. We really like our Manson Supreme anchor.

sailingdog · #2 (**permalink**) 06-21-2010

As a warning, check your anchor rode. Another member of this forum was hit by lightning and nearly lost his boat a few days later due to the chain being fused and damaged by the lightning strike.

All of your electronics are probably shot...and should be replaced. Check your compass, since a lightning strike can damage them as well. Check your rigging before setting out...

huguley3 · #3 (**permalink**) 10-04-2010

The boat was totaled. All the electronics were cooked and something happened to the mast so the main could not be raised without a lot of effort.

So we are on land again. We will probably look for another boat in 5 years or so after we save up some money. In the meantime we will look into chartering a boat so we can go meet up with friends in the Bahamas since we never made it there.

St Anna · #4 (**permalink**) 10-04-2010

What an event for you. It appears that quite a number of SN'ers have been hit by lightning in the last few years.

Bene505 · #5 (**permalink**) 10-04-2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by huguley3

The boat was totaled. All the electronics were cooked and something happened to the mast so the main could not be raised without a lot of effort.

So we are on land again. We will probably look for another boat in 5 years or so after we save up some money. In the meantime we will look into chartering a boat so we can go meet up with friends in the Bahamas since we never made it there.

My symphathies. That is really unfortunate.

May I ask why you aren't using the insurance money to replace your boat? It seems like you really enjoyed the experience of sailing.

Regards,
Brad

huguley3 · #6 (**permalink**) 10-04-2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bene505

May I ask why you aren't using the insurance money to replace your boat? It seems like you really enjoyed the experience of sailing.

It was insured for less than it would have taken to fix it. Also there were other things wrong with it unrelated to the strike that would have taken even more. The shaft came out of the transmission on the way back and I can't put it in reverse now as an example.

I really liked the boat but it did not make sense for me to keep it. If someone else picks it up for cheap then it would be worth putting the money into it to fix it. But I already put quite a bit into it that I would not be able to get back.

Basically it came down to a financial decision to let it go and get a different boat in a few years.