RE - We're on trial (drinking and boating thread) - Confession time!

[CalmSkipper]

RE - We\'re on trial (drinking and boating thread) - Confession time!

I can understand everyones reaction as it feels like a freedom being eroded. Also it feels a bit like the sensible masses will be sanctioned at the expense of the occasional idiot.

However, from a personal perspective I won't drink anymore on a boat I was about to sail than I would in a car I was about to drive (which for me would be either nothing (alcoholic) or max 1 glass wine), and if there was a way of increasing the possibility that the person in charge of the boat approaching me wasn't totally legless, I wouldn't see that as a bad thing.

So, it made me wonder, whats the most you have drunk when say anchored up for lunch/early evening then sailing onwards directly after...so please use the voting buttons and we'll see what the response is! (I'm sure this is anonymous by the way and if not I shall definately keep it that way!

By the way I'm not claiming sainthood or anything - I have the rest of the bottle once I'm safely moored up otherwise there's no room in the coolbox for the next bottle!!

 

[canalcruiser]

Re: RE - We\'re on trial (drinking and boating thread) - Confession tim

Ieat my main meal at lunch time,in summer that might be a mixed salad followed by fresh fish or shell fish (depending on what i catch or collect)then fruit.
Like you i have a small compressor fridge,i take a bottle of white wine and a small glass.One glass while preparing the salad the next before starting a glass while eating and one to finish,Then the last drop with the fish.
Drop the empty bottle overboard open the next,a glass of that with the fish and a second with the fruit and cheese,put that bottle back in the cooler for later,a glass or so during the afternoon
In the evening a good red wine!I once tried drinking water and spent the rest of the week on the heads.

 

[Birdseye]

Re: RE - We\'re on trial (drinking and boating thread) - Confession tim

learned my lesson early on in my boating life (was only 3 pints!) so now I am TT on the boat. No exceptions.

And so are my crew , like it or not /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[A_7]

Re: RE - We\'re on trial (drinking and boating thread) - Confession tim

Do tell!

 

[iain789]

Re: RE - We\'re on trial (drinking and boating thread) - Confession time!

Did a transatlantic a few years ago. Practically a dry ship for three weeks. Arrived in Rodney Bay (St Lucia) in the late evening - absolutely exhausted and elated. Anchored up, anchor well dug in (a CQR by the way). Dug out the bottle of Moet & Chandon that had been cooling in the bilges since Largs. Demolished that in short order followed by quite a lot of a rather decent Islay Malt. Went into melt-down mode (more the exhaustion than the drink).

About midnight a Danish chappie hammered on the hull. 'I think you are too close to me. You could drag during the night'. We disagreed, and suggested he took an interest in sex and travel. Realistically, looking back, we were anchored quite safely. Equally realistically, there was no way short of an earthquake that we were going to move that boat that night.

Irresponsible? Possibly. Would I do the same again? Definitely.

 

[Slow_boat]

Re: RE - We\'re on trial (drinking and boating thread) - Confession time!

I don't like drinking whilst under way, to easy for accidents to happen, but when at anchor it's different. I don't get drunk because I don't like it and don't drink at lunchtime because it makes me sleepy but I do drink a lot more than the drink drive limit in the evening. That probably puts me over the drink drive limit in the morning!

I wouldn't attempt a potentialy difficult passage in that state but let's face it, my boat does about 5 knots tops so I'm hardly a danger to anyone and the sea breeze is a great head clearer!

 

[Steve Clayton]

Re: RE - We\'re on trial (drinking and boating thread) - Confession time!

We state on our charter web-site

In order to ensure that sailing is a safe activity for everyone we only allow a limited amount of alcohol to be consumed whilst at sea

The limits for guests when we are anchored up or in a marina for lunch are 2 * 330ml beers (so about 2/3rds of a pint) or 2 medium glasses of wine (and that is over a period of about one and a half hours).

I will have one beer if guests are having a beer and Liz will have a small wine topped up with lemonade.

Never been a problem as Liz does a wonderful alcohol-free punch or people just want water.

Different when we get back in the marina from the days' sailing; guests can have what they want - beers, wine, shorts and a mixer, brandy, flexinet, etc.

 

[Gunfleet]

Re: RE - We\'re on trial (drinking and boating thread) - Confession time!

Since the government is floating the idea of a drastic reduction in drink drive levels to effectively mean no drink driving see here, I expect the acceptable levels for sailing will fall too. Now, I don't believe for a minute it's okay to drink and sail anymore than I think it's okay to drink and drive, but I wonder if they'll be able to resist spot checks (something for all those heavily armed and expensive coppers in ribs in the Thames Estuary to do) and then we'll need to find a few docs for them to check while we're at it. Boat licences? Boat driving licences? Boat MOT? Boat insurance doc? Radio licence... oh and by the way have you got your id card that nice Mr Blair arranged for you? Now blow into this Breathalyzer. I just think the likes of Mr Ladyman (maj 664, I expect he'll be looking for a new job when his South Thanet constituents next express their opinions on him) are addicted to telling the rest of us what to do, right down to the little bloke in his Folkboat off Thanet. Meanwhile they're so incompetent they can't enforce the same legislation against PWCs, which are really dangerous mixed with drink.

 

[Slow_boat]

Re: RE - We\'re on trial (drinking and boating thread) - Confession time!

A bit like excluding motorbikes from drink drive legislation but including horse and cart. It' big brother madness.
Mind you, I wouldn't mind a job on one of those ribs.

 

[Gunfleet]

Re: RE - We\'re on trial (drinking and boating thread) - Confession tim

All the spot checks will be to prove they're providing 'value.' It would bore you to death except if you had to really do something, when it would be terrifying.

 

[Slow_boat]

Re: RE - We\'re on trial (drinking and boating thread) - Confession tim

Much like the rest of the job, then, but at least it would be on the water.