Drinking Ban.....'they' are warming up......

[FWB]

Drinking Ban.....\'they\' are warming up......

St Mawes Saturday.
Police were going around with the Harbourmaster advising people of the incoming legislation. "More for your benefit than ours sir"
So it looks as if they are going to be having fun with their breath tests.
At least when you get home to find your house ransacked you will know where the cops were at the time.

 

[doug748]

Re: Drinking Ban.....\'they\' are warming up......

Hope they had the good sense to target motor boats which are the real source of the problem.....

 

[bilbobaggins]

Re: Drinking Ban.....\'they\' are warming up......

They have good reason! Many will remember this drink-driving tragedy at St Mawes, just two years ago.

In particular, one might reflect on the restraint and considerate attitude of the well-known and respected harbourmaster mentioned at the end of the above piece. I know he did.....

/forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

 

[FWB]

Re: Drinking Ban.....\'they\' are warming up......

Yes but the incident was in the dark involving dories travelling at high speed.
Not yachts doing just over 7 kts.
I dont think we should sail while drunk but this legislation is crazy.

 

[KevB]

Re: Drinking Ban.....\'they\' are warming up......

[ QUOTE ]
Hope they had the good sense to target motor boats which are the real source of the problem.....

[/ QUOTE ]

Plonker.

 

[Searush]

Re: Drinking Ban.....\'they\' are warming up......

But existing legislation was used to prosecute him - so what would be the difference today? How likely is it that either would have been stopped & arrested before the accident.

I'm not sure who KevB considers to be a plonker. To me it seems the two drunks were. To the best of my knowledge ALL of the fatal incidents I have seen reported ( about 3 over several years) plus a few more potentials that had no casualties, EVERY ONE has been a POWERBOAT driver.

Please correct me if anyone has knowledge of a sailboat drunk incident killing people.

 

[Danny Jo]

Re: Drinking Ban.....\'they\' are warming up......

[ QUOTE ]
But existing legislation was used to prosecute him - so what would be the difference today?

[/ QUOTE ] As I read it, the surviving helmsman is accused of gross negligence amounting to manslaughter. This could be quite difficult to prove beyond reasonable doubt. On the other hand it is relatively easy to prove that has a blood alcohol level above a certain limit.

 

[flaming]

Re: Drinking Ban.....\'they\' are warming up......

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Hope they had the good sense to target motor boats which are the real source of the problem.....

[/ QUOTE ]

Plonker.

[/ QUOTE ]

If you don't believe that there is more of problem with drink powerboating than drink sailing then you are dillusional.

 

[Scillypete]

Re: Drinking Ban.....\'they\' are warming up......

The 'surviving' helmsman's case was heard earlier this year at Truro crown court where he was found not guilty of manslaughter.
The very next day the transport minister announced his plans to bring in the drink boating law for all.

This is also probably why they are informing people in St Mawes as it is still very much on the mind there.

 

[Whitelighter]

Re: Drinking Ban.....\'they\' are warming up......

[ QUOTE ]
Please correct me if anyone has knowledge of a sailboat drunk incident killing people.

[/ QUOTE ]

Chris Evans and co on a jolly at Cowes Wek a few years ago. All so pissed they were unable to help when the skipper went over board an drowned

 

[jhr]

Re: Drinking Ban.....\'they\' are warming up......

Not sure if it was alcohol or ignorance. The skipper was the only person on board who knew anything about sailing - no-one else knew how to turn the boat round, start the engine up or make a Mayday call. I think they eventually called up the coastguard on a mobile phone and someone was put aboard to get things under control.

iirc, the police said at the time that alcohol wasn't a factor.

 

[Danny Jo]

Re: Drinking Ban.....\'they\' are warming up......

[ QUOTE ]
The 'surviving' helmsman's case was heard earlier this year at Truro crown court where he was found not guilty of manslaughter.


[/ QUOTE ] Oops, sorry, didn't look at the date, so didn't realise that it was a link to an archive article.

 

[rickp]

Re: Drinking Ban.....\'they\' are warming up......

Except that the law (as currently suggested, bearing in mind that nothing has been laid before parliament yet) says "anyone involved in the navigation" and the implication given by the minister was that if you can't do everything single handed - then the crew are involved. An 'over-the-limit' crew could mean that the law has been broken - something which will be interesting come Cowes week next year....

Rick

 

[SailorFrank]

Re: Drinking Ban.....\'they\' are warming up......

the sooner this regulation comes in the better, what scares me as someone with a merchant ticket who navigates round the south coast in a large merchant vessel is that you think it is ok to be pissed as long as you are going under 7 knots and have sails up - whenever i am on the water be be it pleasure or work I am sober - you all need to pay a little more respect to neptune!

 

[Andrew_Fanner]

Re: Drinking Ban.....\'they\' are warming up......

[ QUOTE ]
Not sure if it was alcohol or ignorance. The skipper was the only person on board who knew anything about sailing - no-one else knew how to turn the boat round, start the engine up or make a Mayday call. I think they eventually called up the coastguard on a mobile phone and someone was put aboard to get things under control.

iirc, the police said at the time that alcohol wasn't a factor.

[/ QUOTE ]

1. Celebrity, either immune or double jeopardy
2. Would the police say alcohol not a factor now?

Will yacht club bars see a decrease in trade?

 

[Anonymous]

Re: Drinking Ban.....\'they\' are warming up......

[ QUOTE ]
- whenever i am on the water be be it pleasure or work I am sober -

[/ QUOTE ]I'd have a lot more time for the views of those who earn their livings driving ships if they would:-

a) Stop their staff from doing heavy breathing and other disruptions on Ch16 particularly at night

b) Learn and abide by the colregs in the open sea.

 

[doug748]

Re: Drinking Ban.....\'they\' are warming up......

Thank you Searush. Of course not all motor boaters are idiots, but if an idiot goes out to buy a boat that is what he tends to get. It is unfortunate that these most dangerous of vehicles are so easy to drive. Unfortunate for the hapless driver and the more so for the innocent around him. I give you the recent events in Cowes.

 

[Gunfleet]

Re: Drinking Ban.....\'they\' are warming up......

Wouldn't be covered by the proposed law, though would it? Pissed crew isn't the target. Pissed skipper is.

 

[SailorFrank]

Re: Drinking Ban.....\'they\' are warming up......

Lemain

Not the point I was making - yes we should all abide by the rules of the road and heavy breathing on ch 16 winds us all up.

However many on this thread believe driving a vessel after a few drinks is acceptable and it shouldn't be.

 

[Anonymous]

Re: Drinking Ban.....\'they\' are warming up......

[ QUOTE ]
Not the point I was making

[/ QUOTE ]
Your point was that you have some special status in this debate by virtue of the fact that you drive boats for a living. I don't agree, any more than a truck driver has precedence in the debate about road safety

[ QUOTE ]
- yes we should all abide by the rules of the road and heavy breathing on ch 16 winds us all up.

[/ QUOTE ] I, and I'm sure that many others here will be glad to hear that but for myself, I am waiting to hear of some kind of initiative amongst professional mariners to address these life-safety issues. It is the professionals who need to put their houses in order. Lives are being lost as a result of collisions at sea - yachts turning Ch 16 off and failure of ships to comply with the colregs are two key risk areas.

[ QUOTE ]
However many on this thread believe driving a vessel after a few drinks is acceptable and it shouldn't be.

[/ QUOTE ]Yes, that's the debate here, but I took exception to your suggestion that your opinion should hold greater weight because you are paid to go to sea. The sea does not belong to any one group of people.