Compared to the price (and bother) of replacing a CF mast. Friend's boat with 60' CF mast has the ground wire terminated at the top by one of those stainless steel bottle brush things. Bottom end goes to a keel stud. So far, so good (10+ years).
Lightning hits are strange things. We had a group from our club headed E one day to Pt Judith. The group broke up into the 'inshore' fleet and the 'offshore' fleet - maybe a 1/2 mile apart. Thunderstorm came through, and each group though the other had gotten hit by lightning - flashes were pretty intense. No one in either group was hit - no figuring it!
A previous member of this BB reported being on his patio one evening with his boat moored just offshore in a Chesapeake tributary. Thunder storm came through and he saw his boat get hit - saw the flash through the cabin windows! Well, perhaps I should go check - he thinks. By the time he rowed out to the boat, it had sunk. Autopsy showed that the strike had apparently run around the cabin, finally exiting through the depth sounder fitting (leaving a 2" hole).
No figuring lightning. Can't help but think of an old Gary Larson cartoon with God sitting there with his finger over the 'Smite' button.