Violent Lightning at 0.50s - STORM IS GAINING - Solo Sailing: Night Chase in the English Channel

The storm built fast behind us—flashing, gaining. We tried to run, altered course, but it kept closing in. Within an hour, it was all around. My bad — there was an amber warning. The honey trap was that heading south in a perfect breeze, 35–40° apparent, felt amazing. The sky didn’t look bad, and I thought it would be nice to return after sunset, pass the city, and see its lights in the dark. Then I saw a column of dark, hazy blue air and turned back immediately — 4.5 nm south of Beachy Head. But it developed quickly into a flashing cumulonimbus. The thunder looked like it was closing in. In fact, it spread all along the starboard side, not far from us. I was busy praying. We sailed for two hours back to the marina, and our surroundings stayed okay. When we reached the lagoon, the flashing was above us. #SoloSailing #NightStorm #EnglishChannel #StormChase #SailingAdventure #SeaEscape #AloneAtSea #Thunderstorm #SailingLife #OceanChallenge