The morning of June 10 was stormy for the second day of the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament, off Newport, North Carolina.
One of the participating boats, the 55-foot Jarrett Bay Magic Moment, was trolling about 60 nautical miles offshore when it was struck by lightning and lost its propulsion system.
“Are you all OK?,” a voice is heard shouting to the crew shortly after the cockpit was lit up with a flash. No one was injured in the strike.
Click play for video of the strike.
After a few hours of troubleshooting, Capt. Freddie Willis decided nothing could be done at sea, and Sea Tow was dispatched. The crew fished for mahi mahi as they passed the time waiting for help.
After nearly 15 hours under tow at about 5 knots, Magic Moment arrived at the Jarrett Bay yard early on June 11.
The engine control modules were damaged, but other electronics apparently were OK, according to a report on the Jarrett Bay Boatworks website.
