Hi Murray,
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MC>    I have since talked to a few sailing friends and they suggest
MC> wrapping a chain around the mast  and dropping the end into the water so
MC> that if the boat is struck, the electricity can flow directly through
MC> the mast and chain into the water.
MC>    I understand that lightning tends to go to the highest object and
MC> seek the easiest route to "ground" and being in the "middle" of a lake
MC> with a 20 foot aluminum mast is a very uncomfortable feeling.
MC>    Has anyone out there any experience or advice.  Surprisingly, I
MC> haven't heard of many yacht clubs or marinas having their boats hit by
MC> lightning.  Just how dangerous is this.... It certainly felt dangerous
MC> at the time!  If the chain idea is valid, how long should it be?  At the
MC> time, I would have been willing to drop a chain to the bottom of the
MC> lake if necessary !!!!  I believe though that simply a path from mast to
MC> water is sufficient.  What are the odds of survival in a severe storm?
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     That's very interesting.  Even more interesting is actually being hit
by lightning.  There is a huge amount of energy concentrated in one area,
and that seems to play tricks on the minds of anyone who happens to be
within the vicinity.  Every report I've heard about a lightning strike has
been different from the next.  Even when a few people are on the same boat
experiencing the same strike, their observations can vary tremendously.
  Now, a ground can help greatly, but remember we aren't talking about just
a few volts here, a large steel hull will "likely" survive better than say,
a wooden boat, but it will still sustain damage, and you can be sure you'll
have no salvagable instrumentation.  I figure that even if all boats were
built with the anticipation of a possible strike, there still wouldn't be
much that could be done other than building all boats out of steel and
insulating the mast/hull/deck so as to try to protect all else.  Many boats
survive a strike but most don't.  So as far as wrapping a chain around the
mast and dropping it into the water is concerned... well, strange things
can happen, it just might work in the right circumstances - but remember,
things will likely get mighty hot.
      Cheers,
              Augustin~~~===
                                 National Yacht Club, Toronto - S2STOR
... What else floats?  Very tiny bits of burned plastic.
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