Here’s an incredible real-time video of lightning hitting a Stamas 39 with seven people on board earlier this week, about 100 miles off Clearwater, Florida.
All seven people were rescued by a Coast Guard helicopter. Remarkably, they all escaped injury.
The rescue started after the owner of the boat, Glenn Rumer, activated his EPIRB; the lightning strike had knocked out all the boat’s power and electronics.
The Coast Guard in Clearwater received the EPIRB alert, and contacted Rumer’s wife, who said her husband and a group of friends were in an offshore fishing tournament.
The Coast Guard sent a Jayhawk helicopter to the scene; it arrived 90 minutes after Rumer had set off the alert. The Coast Guard crew hoisted all seven people, five women and two men, from the disabled boat and flew them to the Coast Guard air base in Clearwater, where they were reunited with their families.
“Lightning storms are routinely encountered in the Florida maritime environment and can pose a significant hazard to boaters,” said Lt. David McKinley, a Coast Guard pilot. “Fortunately, the boaters in this case were well prepared with all necessary safety equipment, including an EPIRB, flares, and a marine VHF radio to ensure a quick and efficient rescue.”
Read more at https://coastguardnews.com/coast-guard-rescues-7-after-lightning-strike-100-miles-off-tampa-bay/2022/06/26/ and see the video here:
