Rick,

I agree with you 100%. I have read about the two schools of thought for sailboats and lightning protection. They are 180 degrees opposed, and and both advocates for each stand by them. One says that grounding will actually attract lighning, and the other says you don't need it. In my humble opinion, grounded or not, if lightning takes a direct hit on your boat, it's going to blow the bottom out of it, and probably take out anybody on it. My experience tells me that if lightning was ever goining to hit us that night, it should have, but missed a good chance. Our boat was not grounded, and we had that stike hit so close to us, but not on us. That 36 foot aluminum mast was without a doubt the highest thing on the water at that time. By the way, I was using an aluminum hiking stick with a rubber handle.

Thanks for the reply.

Don