My old boss kept his boat in a marina north of Chicago, and the sailboat next to his got struck. It jumped from the mast base, through the cabin, and blew a hole in the hull directly below it, sinking the boat. It made no sense because the marina was full of sailboats, and the one struck was not the tallest.

My personal experience was not a direct strike, but after getting capsized by a squall in my Interlake, I was holding onto the boom while bailing, when lightning stuck nearby. The mast acted like an antenna; and I felt the charge go from the boom, through my arm and body, down to my feet in the water. I wasn't hurt, but I decided I could wait till the storm passed to bail the boat!