Most boats and ships usually ride out a thunderstorm and the high winds, tornados, hail, and floods it can produce. But the ESD event called lightning that it creates is a very different situation. Lightning can be extremely hazardous, particularly to a boat's structure, electrical and electronic equipment, and crew. When far from shore, there is no safe haven when a storm and accompanying lightning occur. As a result, lightning protection must be addressed, and the effective method is a lightning protection system (LPS), a designated intentional low-impedance path for the lightning current to take to earth should a lightning leader come within striking distance of the LPS. An LPS is a bonding, grounding, and shielding configuration made of four distinct parts: air terminals and down conductors discussed in Part 1 and a low-impedance ground system and flash-over protection.
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