DogsBody
Active member
Greetings one and all from a newby.
Despite having been a subscriber to MBM for a couple of years now and sometime reader of these forums, I haven't really had the desire to post here until now.
Having just read the article in the latest MBM (March 2003) concerning breathalysing boat users, I feel I must make my feelings heard to the greater boating masses and would like to know if others agree / disagree with me.
I feel I am at odds with some of what was said in the article and am not in favour of this new legislation from what I have heard about it so far. I've heard rumours that this might be coming for a while now but MBM's article would seem to suggest it is immenient.
While I don't doubt that it is sensible (even necessary) for those in charge of commercial vessels or those venturing out to sea to remain sober, I fail to see such a pressing need for those of us on more sheltered inland waterways where the risks are much smaller (if boating on the inland waterways was that dangerous, would you really be given control of a hire boat for a week after a ten minute demonstration?).
I do nearly all of my boating on the non-tidal River Thames, cruising along at a couple of knotts as I suspect do a great many others, are we really that much of a danger if we happen to have a few beers at the same time?
As I understand it, the main reasons for banning people from driving motor vehicles while under the influence are:
1) that it slows your reactions.
2) it interfers with your co-ordination.
3) that it can affect your reasoning.
Taking these in turn, I can't see no.1 being an issue at an average speed no faster than a walking pace (or can we not walk home from the pub after a night out now?). No.2 doesn't seem that important either - keeping a motor cruiser going straight hardly takes the co-ordination of a fighter pilot does it? That just leaves no.3. I feel that it would take a serious amount of alcohol to make the average motorboater reckless enough to be a danger to themselves or anybody else bearing in mind nos 1 & 2.
It seems to me that the biggest risk on an inland waterway is falling into the river and perhaps being knocked unconscious in the process but how many of us wear our life jacket all the time we're on the river? Not very many in my experience.
Before you all start thinking I'm some sort of alcoholic who spends his time barely able to walk due to excess drinking - I'm not talking about taking a boat out when legless (I've seen people doing that and its not funny) but a similar limit to that imposed on car drivers would be quite ridiculous. Surely common sense not government interference is all that is required?
I'd be interested to hear people's comments both for and against imposing a drink-drive limit on boaters.
Regards,
Darren.
PS I'm not in any way critising MBM for reporting the fact, just that I happen to disagree with some of what they said and with the idea of this new legislation.
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Despite having been a subscriber to MBM for a couple of years now and sometime reader of these forums, I haven't really had the desire to post here until now.
Having just read the article in the latest MBM (March 2003) concerning breathalysing boat users, I feel I must make my feelings heard to the greater boating masses and would like to know if others agree / disagree with me.
I feel I am at odds with some of what was said in the article and am not in favour of this new legislation from what I have heard about it so far. I've heard rumours that this might be coming for a while now but MBM's article would seem to suggest it is immenient.
While I don't doubt that it is sensible (even necessary) for those in charge of commercial vessels or those venturing out to sea to remain sober, I fail to see such a pressing need for those of us on more sheltered inland waterways where the risks are much smaller (if boating on the inland waterways was that dangerous, would you really be given control of a hire boat for a week after a ten minute demonstration?).
I do nearly all of my boating on the non-tidal River Thames, cruising along at a couple of knotts as I suspect do a great many others, are we really that much of a danger if we happen to have a few beers at the same time?
As I understand it, the main reasons for banning people from driving motor vehicles while under the influence are:
1) that it slows your reactions.
2) it interfers with your co-ordination.
3) that it can affect your reasoning.
Taking these in turn, I can't see no.1 being an issue at an average speed no faster than a walking pace (or can we not walk home from the pub after a night out now?). No.2 doesn't seem that important either - keeping a motor cruiser going straight hardly takes the co-ordination of a fighter pilot does it? That just leaves no.3. I feel that it would take a serious amount of alcohol to make the average motorboater reckless enough to be a danger to themselves or anybody else bearing in mind nos 1 & 2.
It seems to me that the biggest risk on an inland waterway is falling into the river and perhaps being knocked unconscious in the process but how many of us wear our life jacket all the time we're on the river? Not very many in my experience.
Before you all start thinking I'm some sort of alcoholic who spends his time barely able to walk due to excess drinking - I'm not talking about taking a boat out when legless (I've seen people doing that and its not funny) but a similar limit to that imposed on car drivers would be quite ridiculous. Surely common sense not government interference is all that is required?
I'd be interested to hear people's comments both for and against imposing a drink-drive limit on boaters.
Regards,
Darren.
PS I'm not in any way critising MBM for reporting the fact, just that I happen to disagree with some of what they said and with the idea of this new legislation.
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