[TowerTalk] FW: Lightning suppression for yachts

[S/Y ALEXIA]

To Whom It May Concern:
 
My name is John Bennett and I Captain a 100ft sailing yacht, which has a
45m carbon fibre mast. We have LPS-Standard lightning prevention
devices, ie. Static dissipaters, but we have been hit twice by what we
think was a static charge. Those dissipaters are grounded through our
keel bolts. In the photo attached, you can see the 2 brushes covered
with plastic and the multi purpose aerial being the highest point in the
photo. When we race, we also have carbon wind instruments that are 1.90m
above the top of the mast and both times this has been hit. It has
electrical wires inside the tubular structure and the lightning charge
travelled down that, damaging a lot of equipment connected to it. 
I know if we go through another storm we will get hit again so I am
trying to reduce our chances.
 
If you have any ideas about our problem and any possible solutions, I
will be extremely grateful as having to replace everything twice was bad
enough but a third time will be very testing.
 
Kind regards
 
John Bennett