G'Day, Got caught in a thunderstorm today, my first day in the new Kahuna. Was 2/3rds through a 62km paddle training for the Hawkesbury Classic, when a major thunderstorm came by with torrential rain. Was anxious to get home, which was still a long way off, so stayed on the water hugging the shore and using tree shelter wherever possible. The interval between flash and thunder got shorter and the frequency of strikes greater so I got off the water and sheltered beneath some bushes under a steep 6 foot bank. After about 3/4 of an hour hypothermia was starting to set in despite adding 3 layers of clothing. Here's the dilemma - normally I would have also used a space blanket but wasn't game in the storm because of its metallic nature. I don't really know if this would have been a hazard but didn't want to try the experiment. So the lesson I learned was not to rely on a space blanket but have enough clothes to manage without. Fortunately the storm cleared soon after and paddling the rest of the way home was more than enough to become warm as toast. All the best, PeterO *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Your body is primarily saltwater, as such it is a pretty good conductor. The amount of aluminum in a space blanket is miniscule, as such it is not a great conductor. Your body will do more to protect the blanket from lightening than the blanket will do to draw lightening to your body. But if you assumed the space blanket actually was a good conductor, it could serve as a Faraday cage and thus provide excellent protection by keeping any current flow in the blanket. Unfortunately, it will not conduct current well enough to provide protection, and can be treated as if it is not even there. On Saturday, October 25, 2003, at 08:30 AM, PeterO wrote: > > Here's the dilemma - normally I would have also used a space blanket > but > wasn't game in the storm because of its metallic nature. I don't > really know > if this would have been a hazard but didn't want to try the > experiment. So > the lesson I learned was not to rely on a space blanket but have enough > clothes to manage without. Nick Schade Guillemot Kayaks 824 Thompson St Glastonbury, CT 06033 USA Ph/Fx: (860) 659-8847 http://www.guillemot-kayaks.com/ *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Keep in mind lightning is attracted to pointy objects because the charge is more concentrated at the tip which attracts the lightning. I would worry more about my shape than what I am covered in. Jim ----- Original Message ----- > On Saturday, October 25, 2003, at 08:30 AM, PeterO wrote: > > > > Here's the dilemma - normally I would have also used a space blanket > > but > > wasn't game in the storm because of its metallic nature. I don't > > really know > > if this would have been a hazard but didn't want to try the > > experiment. So > > the lesson I learned was not to rely on a space blanket but have enough > > clothes to manage without. *************************************************************************** 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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