[Paddlewise] Anyone understand lightning?

I understand that paddling during lightning isn't good.  I mean I
understand it better than I did in '95 when I took my my kayak on its
maiden voyage up the wide Stono River and thought it was really fun to
paddle through a driving thunderstorm, especially after all those
pansies who were afraid of a little rain stopped cluttering the
waterway.

What I don't understand are the specific mechanics of lightening in a
way that tells me when and why it's dangerous.  On a narrow stream that
sits low between high banks populated by large trees, is there risk of
being directly injured by lightening or only the risk of indirect injury
from a falling tree that's been hit on higher ground.  Am I better off
on the low, narrow water than on the higher bank?

Am I only in danger of a lightning strike if I'm still stupid enough to
paddle down the middle of the wide Stono?  What if I hide under a
railroad trestle?  Can I hang out in the kayak a few feet off the bank
where the trees towering over me will catch the bolt and route it into
the ground I'm intentionally staying away from?

If I'm paddling the Sea Lion, does the metal reinforcement pipe that
runs the length of the hull affect anything?

Anyone understand the mechanics well enough to offer guidance?
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