How much do you drink on board?

[BruceDanforth]

Originally Posted by YachtAllegro
I don't drink underway, but may well have a drink
when moored or anchored of an evening. I'm not convinced there is evidence of a problem that needs fixing here - it sounds like legislation for legislation's sake.

Cheers
Patrick

Agree, as a liveaboard who spends most of the summer at anchor a couple or three drinks two or three times a week is not an issue for me. Yes if it is blowing up or the forecast looks bad I would not, but most times we are in a safe anchorage and a beer or glass of wine on the back of the boat is one of our pleasures in life.
Yes you can argue any drink can slow down your response or reduce your thinking ability, but sometimes in life you just have to look at the risks ( in my view the risk is so tiny as to be irrelevant) and take your chances.
Would those who live in a house not have a drink in case their house catches fire or perhaps their neighbours, would their reactions/thinking be impaired. This would be ridiculous but no more ridiculous to me than suggesting you should never drink on a boat except when in a marina.
On the other hand perhaps it may be some are just not comfortable in being at anchor and feeling only secure when in a marina?

I for one have never anchored, certainly never at Flamborough Head or Newbiggin Bay, Warkworth Beach, Nuku Hiva, Tahiti, Rushcutters Bay, Farne Islands etc.

Is it good?

There are so many marinas in Northumberland where I'm based now there seems little point.

 

[onesea]

I for one have never anchored, certainly never at Flamborough Head or Newbiggin Bay, Warkworth Beach, Nuku Hiva, Tahiti, Rushcutters Bay, Farne Islands etc.

Is it good?

There are so many marinas in Northumberland where I'm based now there seems little point.

OK now I know you are doing the winding up here nice one...

 

[Deleted member 36384]

Not really & anyway a better interpretation might be accepting the consequences of one's actions.

Its an oxymoron because destiny is what will or may happen, and individual can not be in charge of it, if for no other reason than they can not control everything external to themselves, hence can not be in charge of destiny. Everyone has to accept the consequence of their actions, there is no choice in that, what happens can not be undone, one can live in denial, never the less, they still have to accept what happens - even if its just denial of the fact.

The arguments for justifying drinking are all rather week using limiting terms like: small, only, two, few, little, nice. Why not just say, I like to drink alcohol, I understand that it impairs me. What I read are the same limiting excuses that people used to use for drink driving: in fact we have even had 'my reactions get better when I drink' argument. Its quite sad really, backward, especially from a group whom I assume are educated.

I am not anti drink, nor anti drinking on a yacht at any time, nor even espousing moderation or limiting consumption, nor do I think people should take note of my opinion. I am against petty justification for using a drug which will impair a humans ability to function, thats all really.

 

[Tomahawk]

.....
I am not anti drink, nor anti drinking on a yacht at any time, nor even espousing moderation or limiting consumption, nor do I think people should take note of my opinion. I am against petty justification for using a drug which will impair a humans ability to function, thats all really.

OK here goes.. I do enjoy getting drunk.
No justification
No excuses
No rationalising
I simply enjoying a beer (or five) with First Officer
I do remember to drink a lot of water if I have drunk too much

But I don't do it when I am sailing....

 

[Searush]

Its an oxymoron because destiny is what will or may happen, and individual can not be in charge of it, if for no other reason than they can not control everything external to themselves, hence can not be in charge of destiny. Everyone has to accept the consequence of their actions, there is no choice in that, what happens can not be undone, one can live in denial, never the less, they still have to accept what happens - even if its just denial of the fact.

The arguments for justifying drinking are all rather week using limiting terms like: small, only, two, few, little, nice. Why not just say, I like to drink alcohol, I understand that it impairs me. What I read are the same limiting excuses that people used to use for drink driving: in fact we have even had 'my reactions get better when I drink' argument. Its quite sad really, backward, especially from a group whom I assume are educated.

I am not anti drink, nor anti drinking on a yacht at any time, nor even espousing moderation or limiting consumption, nor do I think people should take note of my opinion. I am against petty justification for using a drug which will impair a humans ability to function, thats all really.

You'll be telling me that the good Lord ordains it next! Or will it be Insh Allah?

Of course we cannot control external influences, but we can mitigate against them. that's why seat belts are compulsory in cars & crash helmets on bikes.

"Alcohol impairs me" is a sweeping & misleading statement. In essence it is "true" like all good propoganda, but in reality, the effective impairment on your ability to sail is insignificant for small quantities of alcohol. Once you start to feel woosy, then you are going down a serious decline in ability if you do not stop & take time to sober up.

Please allow us to apply commonsense rather than be expected to live by your (or anyone else's) demand for total abstinence. I am not interested in Temporance Chapel "logic". I do not need to "argue for alcohol", but I do enjoy it in moderation. I understand its effects & I am comfortable in handling them (although I accept that not everyone is able to).

The data show that the status quo is not causing a problem, it is those who propose change who should be trying to demonstrate the need for that change & to explain how it will be policed & managed for those of us who are no threat to others.

 

[Deleted member 36384]

... Please allow us to apply commonsense rather than be expected to live by your (or anyone else's) demand for total abstinence. ...

I have made no such demand Searush, in this thread or any another, and your statement that I have is completely wrong. I would like you to acknowledge that you are wrong on that assertion. I have just stated an opinion on the effects of alcohol which frames my position on those who justify low consumption as not having much of a negative effect and therefore might conclude that it has no effect.

I am taking part in a discussion on alcohol and sailing, I am not preaching. If you read all my posts in this thread you may notice that I certainly don't advocate external controls or adherence to rules when it comes to alcohol.

Certain professions ban alcohol for operating equipment, they don't allow a minimum value, or for the individual to make a judgement call. This is because they understand the impairment factor. Its not different to bobbing about at anchor, or sailing in a straight line across an ocean, however, a wee drink won't matter, is the wrong attitude to have. Is that so hard to understand, which again, is really all I am saying.

Mid Atlantic 1988, I was skippering a yacht to Barbados, a young buck at 23, we had a going over the fold in the chart party. No one could steer the yacht due to inebriation and we drifted until the morning. Today it is a nice memory and no harm came, but it was a pretty stupid place to be. There are plenty more stories like that. I am not a sanctimonious git.

 

[Searush]

Maybe I have misunderstood your intention, but it certainly seemed to me that you werestrongly advocating total abstinence was the only safe option & I don't believe that is in the slightest bit practical or of any benefit.

 

[onesea]

I have made no such demand Searush, in this thread or any another, and your statement that I have is completely wrong. I would like you to acknowledge that you are wrong on that assertion. I have just stated an opinion on the effects of alcohol which frames my position on those who justify low consumption as not having much of a negative effect and therefore might conclude that it has no effect.

I am taking part in a discussion on alcohol and sailing, I am not preaching. If you read all my posts in this thread you may notice that I certainly don't advocate external controls or adherence to rules when it comes to alcohol.

Certain professions ban alcohol for operating equipment, they don't allow a minimum value, or for the individual to make a judgement call. This is because they understand the impairment factor. Its not different to bobbing about at anchor, or sailing in a straight line across an ocean, however, a wee drink won't matter, is the wrong attitude to have. Is that so hard to understand, which again, is really all I am saying.

Mid Atlantic 1988, I was skippering a yacht to Barbados, a young buck at 23, we had a going over the fold in the chart party. No one could steer the yacht due to inebriation and we drifted until the morning. Today it is a nice memory and no harm came, but it was a pretty stupid place to be. There are plenty more stories like that. I am not a sanctimonious git.

There is no need for Searush to apologise, this post contradicts itself in such away as to make it pointless, its just twisting words.

To put it plainly I understand you are saying is you do not want rules to change stop people drinking you just do not want people to drink on boats.

 

[Mr Cassandra]

I have not read the complete thread.
I only drink enough not to worry about the anchor dragging

 

[Talulah]

Maybe I have misunderstood your intention, but it certainly seemed to me that you were strongly advocating total abstinence was the only safe option & I don't believe that is in the slightest bit practical or of any benefit.

Total abstinence is the only safe option for commercial skippers under the new rules.

 

[Deleted member 36384]

.... To put it plainly I understand you are saying is you do not want rules to change stop people drinking you just do not want people to drink on boats.

You are wrong, I have not said, nor do I imply, that I want people to stop drinking on boats. If you wish show me the contradictions and where I state or imply that I do not want people to drink on boats, then I am quite willing to apologise for being wrong. If you don't wish to, ok, I have nothing to prove, just an opinion.

 

[Rigger Mortice]

I haven't read the whole thread but, in answer to the OP.

I occasionally have a few drinks when we are on board. We usually have some wine, some gin and a few beers ready to hand. We never drink when we are underway (not because of any decision not to; I just don't fancy drinking when I'm sailing).

If we go ashore I'll have a few drinks but if the weather is dodgy, or we have to use the tender in the dark to get back, then I will be very cautious.

I'm much more relaxed about having a few if we are tied up alongside or in a marina.

If legislation came in I doubt that it would affect us very much, but I would prefer to see none introduced.

 

[rbcoomer]

Blimey, just caught up with the last 6 pages. If debate about the consumption of alcohol can get this close to virtual fisticuffs, then it's no wonder there are so many drink fueled punch-ups in bars!

Each to his own I think and as I'm not aware of loads of incidences where drunken skippers have crashed into others or mown down pedestrians, where's the problem?

I rarely drink and when I do, no longer to excess - but that's my choice and I wouldn't wish/want to impose on others. Some people need or feel they need a drink to relax, unwind and enjoy themselves - others simply because they want to. I don't usually drink at all when driving and really don't see the boat as any different. I haven't always had that approach, and many years ago ran a nightclub - routinely driving home at least slightly worse for wear. I'm not proud looking back and certainly wouldn't do it now, but back then I dropped off half the clubs stuff in 3 or 4 trips over perhaps 10 miles every night and never had any incidents. Now, I don't even let our son go out for the day with certain other parents because they routinely drink 4-5 glasses of wine with every meal and then drive! (Sometimes picking their kids up from school having slurred speech, unable to walk in straight line etc ) If they were out in a boat, I'd take exactly the same view and that would be irrespective of power or sail. Unforeseen things can, and do, go wrong and the sea is an unforgiving environment. Whilst I'd agree that the ability to deal sensibly with a crisis isn't much impaired by 'one or two beers' (adrenaline will counteract the alcohol in a crisis), once blood alcohol reaches 1.5 - 2 x the driving limit, the impact becomes significant and even looking out for oneself can become a challenge for many.

If someone is anchored up in some cove and gets hammered however, the chances of anyone, even themselves, coming to harm are slim so I'm certainly not bothered by their choices. Live and let live. The skipper of the 20,000 tonne container vessel or the riverboat with a dozen passengers is a very different scenario and I'm afraid I support 100% the enforcement of the limit. Even at the nightclub, I never drank at work, only after hours, and I don't think many employers would accept staff drinking in working time or arriving for work drunk either. I guess the grey area comes somewhere in between - '10 y/o child falls overboard and drowns whilst Grandma & Grandpa were sleeping off a bottle of wine at anchor' doesn't make a good headline does it??? That aside, IF something needed to be done, I would prefer to see money spent on education/awareness of general drinking effects than on misguided legislation and a bunch of hillbilly 'drinking & sailing' enforcers patrolling our coastline. Incidentally, I also don't rate the recent 'shock' D&D adverts - very negative and insensitive message and personally I don't feel effective. Something humorous with a serious twist would be more memorable and less offensive. (All IMHO of course)

 

[GrahamM376]

Don't drink whilst on passage. Day sailing maybe a can of beer if anchored for lunch. May well be over the UK drink/drive limit sometimes on overnight anchor or on home mooring or marina, also in tender very occasionally.

 

[Kukri]

May have a glass of wine with a meal, or a beer. A wine box is very handy as you don't have to finish the bottle. An occasional tot of spirits, but I notice the rum bottle on board is six years old!

Forty years ago YM taught me that the most dangerous thing the yachtsman can do is to return on board from the pub by dinghy. Probably still true.

 

[lenseman]

? . . . . but I notice the rum bottle on board is six years old! . . . ..

Oooh, time for a birthday party! Pass the bottle!

 

[bigwow]

//www.boatsontheweb.com/burgee.jpg

Can someone run past me the meaning behind the above.

I'm not clever enough to get the image, just the link.

 

[lenseman]

//www.boatsontheweb.com/burgee.jpg

Can someone run past me the meaning behind the above.

I'm not clever enough to get the image, just the link.

You've just hi-jacked this thread!

 

[PaulGooch]

//www.boatsontheweb.com/burgee.jpg

Can someone run past me the meaning behind the above.

I'm not clever enough to get the image, just the link.

You mean this ?

Easy to do, find the image and right click on it, choose "copy image location" from the popup menu (text may vary according to browser). If you hover over the small icons at the top of your message window, one will say "insert image" (yellow square, looks a bit like a stamp), click that icon and paste the image location in.

 

[Philiz]

I don't drink much on mine, drink plenty on other peoples though