Wednesday 26 September Incredible lightning storm

Last night we experienced the most awesome, used in the full meaning, electric storm we've ever known.

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We'd come out to the anchorage from being alongside in Musket Cove marina in the afternoon and found a large space in which to anchor. Around midnight I was woken by flashes of lightning over the horizon. Over the next hour the storm worked it's way closer with diminishing gaps between the sheet lightning and increasing thunder and rain. At the height of the storm both David and I were dressed and in the cockpit anxiously watching; was there going to be fork lightning? how close would it get? What precautions can we take? For the last, we were in waterproofs (plus I was wearing my rubber soled sea boots) ready to start the engine should another boat come close and with the laptops, mobile phone and hand held radio in the oven (acts as a Faraday cage in case of a strike).
We saw one bolt and heard an ear splitting crack. It must have been right over head. We had the instruments on in case of needing to move the boat and noted the depth gauge lost it's reading for a couple of minutes – a reaction to the static in the water. Another flash and the lights on two of the gauges dimmed.
Gradually the storm moved east towards Vitu Levu and we could go back to sleep. We were fortunate but next morning we heard of three boats which had been affected by that one overhead hit. Apparently it struck the water and not a boat but the surge caused damage to the wiring in Ocean Pearl, Danny and Yvonne's Super Maramu. They smelt burning wiring and are now faced with replacing all their electronics and repair or replace on electric winches, windlass, bow thruster, radio. The other two boats, another Amel, Abora, and Pipistrelle had minor problems which they were able to repair easily.
We've never seen or known a storm like this one for the constant intensity of the lightning and many others we spoke to have never seen anything like this before.