Alcohol and boating

[Tranona]

I went out on my son's motorboat to watch the new years fireworks on Brisbane river.
Loads of boats anchored but also a large police presence, many on PWCs. Almost every boat was visited and many breathalised.
Apparently you can lose your car licence if over the limit. Nobody seemed to object.
Perhaps it's the future for UK too?

This subject was done to death a few years ago and I remember the embarrassment of the minister when he was unable to produce any reliable evidence that drink was a problem in relation to boating. Our boating environment is completely different from Australia's.

There are already powers available to prosecute for boating under the influence and they are used, but rarely. There is also a law on the statute books that would allow for the establishment of limits and the systematic use of breathalizers, but regulations to implement it have not been established partly because of the lack of evidence that there is a problem to be solved, partly because of the difficulty of defining limits and where and to whom they would apply and partly because of the difficulty of enforcement.

All well covered in the boating press and (inevitably here!) at the time.

 

[LittleSister]

There are already powers available to prosecute for drinking under the influence . . .

Had a drink or two yourself this evening, perhaps?

 

[Tranona]

Had a drink or two yourself this evening, perhaps?

Well spotted! Have corrected the original for the record, although can't hide the blunder.

 

[DownWest]

Ah, so it appears to be a communications problem, not a boating one....

 

[RupertW]

It would change our boating a lot if alcohol was not involved. Although we never drink at all underway we do tend to get sloshed at anchor quite often, whether in our cockpit or at a restaurant and dinghy back. And of course sometimes the weather gets up and we have to go on anchor watch trollied, mostly to watch out for other boats coming down on us. And using the dinghy to find our boat isn't always easy when there are double the number of lights we see on the way to the quay.

But if we treated anchoring as dry then most nights on board would be a lot duller, or maybe more memorable?

 

[RichardS]

It would change our boating a lot if alcohol was not involved. Although we never drink at all underway we do tend to get sloshed at anchor quite often, whether in our cockpit or at a restaurant and dinghy back. And of course sometimes the weather gets up and we have to go on anchor watch trollied, mostly to watch out for other boats coming down on us. And using the dinghy to find our boat isn't always easy when there are double the number of lights we see on the way to the quay.

But if we treated anchoring as dry then most nights on board would be a lot duller, or maybe more memorable?

You sound like SWMBO and me. We don't drink that much away from the boat, maybe a small glass or two of wine on 4 or 5 nights of the week, but on the boat we regularly get through a bottle or two most nights and regularly wake up a bit the worse for wear next morning. We've had some hilarious trips back to the boat when we've decided to row back so as not to wake the neighbours. Unfortunately, the laughing as we row around in circles is louder than the outboard.

Richard

 

[RupertW]

You sound like SWMBO and me. We don't drink that much away from the boat, maybe a small glass or two of wine on 4 or 5 nights of the week, but on the boat we regularly get through a bottle or two most nights and regularly wake up a bit the worse for wear next morning. We've had some hilarious trips back to the boat when we've decided to row back so as not to wake the neighbours. Unfortunately, the laughing as we row around in circles is louder than the outboard.

Richard

We quite surprised ourselves on the trip we've just completed by drinking every night of course, but not very much at all compared to normal boat consumption. Our way to find our way back to the boat now is a string of tiny solar fairy lights making an arch at the back of the Bimini - with so many identical white monohulls this helps a lot find the right boat.

I suspect when the water is a lot warmer and an accidental swim is just funny again we may go back to our normal boaty consumption, but it was very refreshing starting sails each morning with a clear head.

 

[TLouth7]

Anyone going to admit to having a few beers over the course of a relaxing day's sail?

The key difference I see to driving a car is that you are not relying on quick reflexes and peripheral vision to avoid crashing into things, except in a few specific circumstances.

 

[jordanbasset]

I don't drink alcohol underway not because I am worried about how it would effect my boat handling skills but because boat handling may effect my enjoyment of the alcohol

 

[RichardS]

Anyone going to admit to having a few beers over the course of a relaxing day's sail?

The key difference I see to driving a car is that you are not relying on quick reflexes and peripheral vision to avoid crashing into things, except in a few specific circumstances.

I don't drink alcohol underway not because I am worried about how it would effect my boat handling skills but because boat handling may effect my enjoyment of the alcohol

I think JB has a good point there. I usually have a glass of beer or a shandy with my sandwich at lunchtime when we're underway but I've usually moved away from the helm and the boat is on autopilot with me keeping a lookout from the cockpit seating. However, when we're actually sailing rather than eating+sailing, I tend to stick to soft drinks but purely because I can't sit back and savour the beverage.

It's like when I'm sitting the the garden relaxing at home reading the paper and I always have a beer .... but I would never think of doing that if I was on the drive working on the car. Working and drinking alcohol just don't seem to go together .... alcohol is all about relaxing, surely?

Richard

 

[John the kiwi]

I might have a single beer with lunch when underway or at a lunch stop but no more than that which may surprise some who have me pegged as a bit of a drinker. My reasoning is that as skipper i usually have less experienced crew and i have responsibility for them which i do take seriously.
If i am single handed, then i need all of my wits and energy while sailing.

At anchor in known and very, very sheltered anchorages, I am happy to indulge myself.
So I enjoy sailing and i enjoy drinking, in that order and not often simultaneously.

After assessing the risks, I have fitted a hi level guard wire (dyneema) across the pushpit to make it near impossible to fall in the oggin whilst pumping bilges. Apparently, many drunk older males have perished while relieving themselves over the stern even in calm weather at anchor!

And i think the key is this: Sailing skippers are generally rugged individualists well accustomed to assessing risks and acting accordingly. I do believe that to own and skipper a boat requires a degree of bloody mindedness and willingness to rely on ones own judgement and live with the consequences.

 

[KellysEye]

Across the Atlantic we allowed one drink for either of us who finished a night watch at midnight. After a long passage we would put the boat to bed, have something to eat then get completely pi**ed. Strangely we never had a hangover in the morning.

 

[steve yates]

Anyone going to admit to having a few beers over the course of a relaxing day's sail?

The key difference I see to driving a car is that you are not relying on quick reflexes and peripheral vision to avoid crashing into things, except in a few specific circumstances.

Yup, quite happily. I enjoy beer or wine while sailing, if it's a nice day and don't restrict alcohol at anchor in case of anything going wrong either.

 

[Heckler]

My employer is a major oil and gas company and their biggest killer is road incidents, not incidents involving oil and gas activities. The most dangerous country for road incidents in the USA, worse than Saudi, Pakistan, South Africa, Nigeria for example. The hypocrisy of my employer is staggering. In the example countries there are strict controls over how I go about driving e.g. journey management, in vehicle monitoring, training and oil some cases a ban on driving except via professional drivers. The Americans do not want any of that, so they don't get it. Yanks can't drive, they believe that driving for hours is acceptable, commuting between Houston and NewOrleans for example, daily. I have drill crews that come off two week shifts, after working nights, get in their cars and drive a 1000 miles non stop.

The land of the free! You give the impression of being a liberal dogooder type on here. Fortunately for us there is still a country in the world that allows its people to go around "doing what a man has to do!" More power to them is what I say!
Stu

 

[zoidberg]

So what's wrong with Sex, Drugs and Rock 'n Roll.....?

 

[t21]

I went out on my son's motorboat to watch the new years fireworks on Brisbane river.
Loads of boats anchored but also a large police presence, many on PWCs. Almost every boat was visited and many breathalised.
Apparently you can lose your car licence if over the limit. Nobody seemed to object.
Perhaps it's the future for UK too?

No. It's only okay in an ex-prison colony with single joined-up governing authority and supervising overseas head of state.

 

[Heckler]

No. It's only okay in an ex-prison colony with single joined-up governing authority and supervising overseas head of state.

Another sock puppet popped up?

 

[thinwater]

My employer is a major oil and gas company and their biggest killer is road incidents, not incidents involving oil and gas activities. The most dangerous country for road incidents in the USA, worse than Saudi, Pakistan, South Africa, Nigeria for example. The hypocrisy of my employer is staggering. In the example countries there are strict controls over how I go about driving e.g. journey management, in vehicle monitoring, training and oil some cases a ban on driving except via professional drivers. The Americans do not want any of that, so they don't get it. Yanks can't drive, they believe that driving for hours is acceptable, commuting between Houston and NewOrleans for example, daily. I have drill crews that come off two week shifts, after working nights, get in their cars and drive a 1000 miles non stop.

The limit for US truck drivers is zero. If you are hauling hazardous materials (petroleum), a single failure you loose your truck license permanently. Same with narcotics (marijuana has been legalized in a few states, but trucking regulation is federal and will never be changed IMHO). There are also strict limits on hours of service.

Non-commercial vehicles are not regulated in the same way.

 

[thinwater]

Anyone going to admit to having a few beers over the course of a relaxing day's sail?

The key difference I see to driving a car is that you are not relying on quick reflexes and peripheral vision to avoid crashing into things, except in a few specific circumstances.

Yes. Not when it's kicking and not before entering a marina. Otherwise, a 24 hour max of two, at least one of which will likely be consumed underway, mostly if the sailing is dull.

And I don't get sloshed, ever. I out grew that at about 20. Likewise, no one on the boat will get sloshed. it's... immature.

 

[KAL]

Almost never while under way. Maybe a small 250ml bottle of beer in calm weather and familiar waters, but not often. The main effects on co-ordination and decision making seemed to be after several drinks, which is what one would expect. The effects of one or two drinks would only be evident at night or in demanding circumstances, unlike car-driving, so I think that reasonable caution should be enough for most of us. Cheers.

+1. Apart from anything else, as someone who almost never suffers from seasickness, I learned the hard way that having too much the night before can result in awful mal de mer the next day, if it gets a bit rough.

We therefore tend to stick to soft drinks, tea, coffee, etc., while on passage, but happily indulge when safely tied up in port. I would limit intake if anchored overnight, just in case, but wouldn’t let it stop me enjoying a glass.