Thunderstorm According to the manual my GPS is water- and shockproof. Indestructible, you would think. Since yesterday I know better: When lightning strikes at a few meters distance a GPS is as dead as a dodo. I found out about halfway across the Waal, one of the biggest and most crowded rivers in the Netherlands. I had seen some big ships coming my way when I left the shore and a ferry just starting to cross. I thought I could reach the other side before the ships came too close to me. Under normal conditions I could have made it easily, but first a hailstorm limited my sight, then when I tried to stay on course using my GPS, lightning struck a buoy right next to me and blew the insides of my beloved GPS all over the place. Totally disoriented I floated around, desperately trying to avoid some monstrous cargo ships without having a clue where the hell they were. I could hear them honk: I guess they saw me clear enough on their radar. I could hear they were close, but not at what side of me: The different howling horns blended into one earshattering deathbell. There was no way out for a mortal. Not for a mortal. Luckily at that moment the higher forces decided to interfere. In a sudden flash I saw the Light, at exactly the same moment that lightning struck again, in the middle of my paddle this time. Usually I take an insulated wooden paddle when I go out in a thunderstorm, but this time, luckily, I was using an aluminum one. With all my strength I threw it away from me. Whether it was instinct, help from above or pure skill we will never know. The paddle smashed the windshield of the nearest cargo ship and hit the skipper right between the eyes. His ship left its course and hit the ferry. The cargo ship exploded, with such an amount of heat that it vaporized the rain around me. Finally I could see what was going on, and the first thing I saw was an enormous wave, induced by the explosion, speeding my way. I had lost my paddle but didn't need one. I turned the boat using a hipflick and surfed the wave, passed under the bow of the next cargo ship that sunk seconds later when the heat of the explosion hit it, and stayed on the wave until it dumped me on the little beach where I had parked the car. All I had to do was get the spare paddle from the trunk and head out into the next adventure. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
That was you Niels? "Blaauw, Niels" wrote: When lightning strikes at a few > meters distance a GPS is as dead as a dodo. > I found out about halfway across the Waal, one of the biggest and most > crowded rivers in the Netherlands. I had seen some big ships coming my way > when I left the shore and a ferry just starting to cross. I thought I could > reach the other side before the ships came too close to me. > Under normal conditions I could have made it easily, but first a hailstorm > limited my sight, then when I tried to stay on course using my GPS, > lightning struck a buoy right next to me and blew the insides of my beloved > GPS all over the place. Totally disoriented I floated around, desperately > trying to avoid some monstrous cargo ships without having a clue where the > hell they were. I could hear them honk: I guess they saw me clear enough on > their radar. I could hear they were close, but not at what side of me: The > different howling horns blended into one earshattering deathbell. There was > no way out for a mortal. > Not for a mortal. Luckily at that moment the higher forces decided to > interfere. In a sudden flash I saw the Light, at exactly the same moment > that lightning struck again, in the middle of my paddle this time. Usually I > take an insulated wooden paddle when I go out in a thunderstorm, but this > time, luckily, I was using an aluminum one. With all my strength I threw it > away from me. Whether it was instinct, help from above or pure skill we will > never know. The paddle smashed the windshield of the nearest cargo ship and > hit the skipper right between the eyes. His ship left its course and hit the > ferry. The cargo ship exploded, with such an amount of heat that it > vaporized the rain around me. Finally I could see what was going on, and the > first thing I saw was an enormous wave, induced by the explosion, speeding > my way. I had lost my paddle but didn't need one. I turned the boat using a > hipflick and surfed the wave, passed under the bow of the next cargo ship > that sunk seconds later when the heat of the explosion hit it, and stayed on > the wave until it dumped me on the little beach where I had parked the car. > All I had to do was get the spare paddle from the trunk and head out into > the next adventure. > -- Gabriel L Romeu http://studiofurniture.com furniture, mixed media http://members.xoom.com/gabrielR a daily observation, photograph ± text http://studiofurniture.com/paint paintings, etchings, photographs and objects *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
A GPS is basically a sensitive radio receiver. A bolt of lightning produces a vast amount of radio energy at the same frequencies GPS uses. I am a radio amateur and when I lived in Virginia, I had a lot of land and a huge rhombic antenna ( I could talk to Europe with less power than a handheld marine VHF). When electrical storms were within 10 miles, you could actually see huge sparks jumping from the antenna to the ground system. I would certainly turn the GPS OFF during an electrical storm, or place it in a metal box or even wrap it in aluminum foil. Tot Zeins *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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