We have a Strike Shield system that consists of a big fitting at the base of the mast with a large diameter cable connected to it. The other end of the cable has an electrode with a couple of feet of edge surface on it and it goes in the water straight below the mast. I think most of the strike went down that into the water, but some of it got inside the boat through the vhf coax shield - we have (had) heliax coax that has a solid copper pipe for shield, so there was very little resistance there. What got inside the boat bounced around on the negative side of the dc bus, jumped around on the chassis of the radios and other electronics, found its way to the inverter chassis and onto its large safety ground and out through the engine block. Took out the inverter and alternator on its way. All fuses on negative wires were blown, the vhf radio blew its face off, the ham radio turned itself on and started tuning itself only to never turn back on again after I turned it off, and all electronics simply went brain dead. Three computers were plugged into the inverter and they are fine. Another computer, hand held radios and gps's, kindles, cell phones and other various small electronics are fine even though most of them were out in the open and some next to the compression post connected to the mast. Two iPods, completely disconnected from power and the stereo and stored in a cabinet far away from the strike and right next to the HH radios and GPS's were toast. One had a hole blown in the screen. I don't understand that one because there is no power lines or anything where it was stored. It had to be an internally generated current from an emp.

Anyway, pulled the boat for survey and no damage - so I got to spend all my time concentrating on electronics and wiring...

Mark