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This July 2005 photo taken from the Fredericksburg City Dock catches a lightning flash on the Rappahannock.
file/rebecca sell/THE FREE LANCE-STAR
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Summer storms, water a dangerous mix
Summer storm more serious when your vantage point is a small boat on a trip
Date published: 8/7/2008
WHEN it's summertime and you're going about your normal routine, the average rumbling thunderstorm is not that much of a problem.
If you're out working in the yard, you watch the sky and head in when the sky looks likely to explode.
Heading to work or shopping, you grab an umbrella and try to time your coming and going to avoid getting soaked.
But if you're out on the water and a storm seems possible, it's a whole other kettle of fish.
With options for ducking and running minimal, you keep your eyes on the skies and, if you're lucky, any bit of technology on board to warn of impending trouble.
With friends and family, I found myself in that position last weekend, enjoying a Saturday afternoon after morning showers had passed.
Yes, there was a possibility of a thunderstorm sweeping through. But when we set off, the skies were clear. Weather radar showed a big green blob of storm well west of Fredericksburg.
From our launch point on the Potomac River at Fairview Beach, it seemed perfectly safe to head down for some steamed crabs at a waterside restaurant near the U.S. 301 bridge.
"Seemed" turned out to be the operative word, as we pulled away to first give one passenger a try on water skis at nearby Potomac Creek, where blue skies were in abundance.
By the time we finished, the horizon was taking on a dark gray tint to the north.
No problem, I thought to myself, this weather was moving away from us.
By the time we turned and headed in earnest for dinner in our little, open, 22-foot runabout, that dark edge had turned into a pretty dense bundle of clouds.
The further along we went--which again, should have been away from the clouds--the closer they got.
Inside, I was thinking "Be gone, you big mushy menace! Don't mess with us!"
But outwardly, I was keeping a game face on for our guests as I watched the cloud bank overtake us.
Date published: 8/7/2008
Most recent reader comments:
i have been there and sometimes the rain stings hard.Nothing you can do about it.
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