Lightning hits captain of sailboat 2 miles off Florida, officials say. Seven rescued
A boat was left dead in the Atlantic two miles off Florida when a lightning strike hit one person aboard and knocked out the engines, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
Seven people were left stranded on the 24-foot vessel, including the injured captain, officials said.
It happened Saturday, May 18, off Cape Canaveral, about a 220-mile drive north of Miami.
“The captain of the vessel was hit by the strike and in need of medical evacuation,” U..S. Coast Guard officials said in a release.
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“The crew successfully anchored the captain’s boat due to the loss of power from the strike. The crew proceeded to take the family onboard ... and brought them to a safe haven where the captain received further medical attention.”
Investigators did not release the identity of the captain or whether he was struck directly or indirectly when lightning traveled through the boat’s steering wheel.
A flash of lightning can hold 300 million volts and about 30,000 amps, the National Weather Service reports.
“In most direct strikes, a portion of the current moves along and just over the skin surface (called flashover) and a portion of the current moves through the body — usually through the cardiovascular and/or nervous systems,” the National Weather Service says.
“The heat produced when lightning moves over the skin can produce burns, but the current moving through the body is of greatest concern. While the ability to survive any lightning strike is related to immediate medical attention, the amount of current moving through the body is also a factor.”
Coast Guard officials say the boat’s owner “is working with commercial salvage for recovery operations,” officials said.
This story was originally published May 20, 2024 at 10:43 AM with the headline "Lightning hits captain of sailboat 2 miles off Florida, officials say. Seven rescued."