Stranded in a Lightning Storm...Then Our Hair Stood Up Episode 7

Our dinghy died miles from our sailboat as darkness closed in and a massive lightning storm rolled toward us. Then our hair began standing straight up—the terrifying warning that lightning could strike at any moment.

What was supposed to be a simple family sailing trip from Miami to Key Largo for key lime pie quickly became one of the scariest nights we’ve experienced on the water.

The day began perfectly. We left Miami early, spotted dolphins, and motored across a glassy ocean toward the Florida Keys. Our only real plan was to anchor in Key Largo, explore town, and find the best key lime pie we could.

But boat life had other plans.

After finally getting our unreliable dinghy started, we crossed some questionable water, found a dinghy dock, and walked to the Key Lime Pie Factory. When we returned, the dinghy engine wouldn’t start. We spent over an hour troubleshooting it, but nothing worked.

With darkness approaching and lightning flashing around us, we had only one option: paddle all the way back to our catamaran.

At first, everyone was laughing and making jokes. But as the wind picked up, the waves grew, our phones began dying, and the boat still looked impossibly far away, the mood changed. Then Malia’s hair started standing straight up—one of the warning signs of an imminent lightning strike.

We were exhausted, scared, and completely exposed on the water.

More than an hour later, we finally reached our sailboat safely…only to discover that our generator had stopped working. By morning, our watermaker had failed too, leaving our family without running water or flushing toilets.

Just another peaceful day of living on a boat. 😂

But this episode isn’t all boat problems and terrifying storms. We enjoy our first family sunset dinner on the flybridge, sail through the Gulf Stream, and watch the boys catch a beautiful bonita—and then hook into the biggest fish they’ve ever fought!

We finish the adventure back in Miami, where we dress up for one final night with Malia and Hayden before their early flight to Boise. Saying goodbye to our daughter was harder than we expected. It’s one thing for her to leave for college. It’s another knowing that we’re the ones sailing away and will soon be in another country.

This episode captures everything about full-time family sailing: incredible beauty, complete chaos, broken boat systems, deep-sea fishing, terrifying weather, and the family moments that make every struggle worth it.

If you enjoy family sailing adventures, catamaran living, offshore fishing, Florida Keys travel, and the honest reality of living aboard a sailboat, subscribe and join the Sailing Banana Pancakes crew!

Next week, we begin making our way north along the East Coast—but as usual, nothing goes according to plan.

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