What to do with a drunken sailor?

[Nostrodamus]

Cutting a long story short a single handed sailor on a decent boat, believed alcoholic, appears tanked up as usual and goes out in pretty bad weather.
Should you say nothing or report the matter to someone?

 

[KAL]

If it were me and I was seriously worried about the guy, I would call the coastguard and let them know, especially if he's about to enter busy shipping areas.

 

[Three kings]

Alerting the coastguard, or other competent authority, would probably be prudent. At the very least he is a danger to himself so his 'decision' to set off in bad weather with a skinfull is a foolhardy one.

Realistically though, he does not need saving from himself, so if he chooses to risk his own life he should be free to do so.

However, he risks ruining someone else's day with potentially tragic consequences and that is not acceptable.

 

[Allan]

I am a grown man and I'm a little anal about not drinking and sailing. That is my decision. Assuming he is a grown man, he has the right to decide for himself.
Allan

 

[Ariadne]

I am a grown man and I'm a little anal about not drinking and sailing. That is my decision. Assuming he is a grown man, he has the right to decide for himself.
Allan

+1

It's his life let him get on with it and keep your nose out of it, you don't know all the facts. It's a bit like interfering in husband/wife argument; you can't do the right thing!

 

[lenseman]

Cutting a long story short a single handed sailor on a decent boat, believed alcoholic, appears tanked up as usual and goes out in pretty bad weather.
Should you say nothing or report the matter to someone?

Hypothetically, if at a later date, you were called as a witness at an inquest because you were the last person to talk to or see a drunk sailor put out to sea in deteriorating wx conditions, think what would you say to his loved ones or children if you do not report him to the CG.

How would you answer in court when asked, "Did you think of reporting to the CG?"

Added to the above, think of the lives he is putting at risk if, in very poor weather conditions, he needs to be rescued because of his stupidity?
.
.

 

[Greenheart]

I s'pose it depends just HOW bad the weather, how accustomed to being that drunk the fellow is, and how dangerous the coast. I think those who vote "stay out of it" should remember what they would do if a neighbour staggered out of his house then zig-zagged down the road in his car...

...if one has a very definite doubt as to the drinker's capacity to navigate safely, it would surely be grossly negligent NOT to inform the coastguard? Apart from anything else, a serious session of booze tends to have a powerful sedative effect - so the yacht might easily be just drifting within a short time - close to shore & other craft.

That question of how to gauge another man's drunkenness, keeps coming back to me. If he's barely able to stand, he's unlikely to be attentive to wind, tide and course changes. On the other hand if he's just a bit rowdy and you can smell the scotch from two moorings away, I'd let him go, and wish him luck...

...there's often an ugly tendency towards hypercriticism, when sober judgement is made of someone who's had a few drinks. Damned shame if such a harsh outlook were now to afflict live-and-let-live sailing folk, too...

 

[Theodore]

What to do with drunken sailor?

being alcoholic while sailing is really bad..If I would be there I too would call coast cards...to let them handle.

 

[onesea]

Cutting a long story short a single handed sailor on a decent boat, believed alcoholic, appears tanked up as usual and goes out in pretty bad weather.
Should you say nothing or report the matter to someone?

Was there no one who could/ would challenge the silly sod before he goes?

Yes you could end up with a little bit of a shouting match, but if he is that drunk keeping away from him should not be a problem.

Not a nice experience for anyone but might go to help change his ways??? Particularly if its some one he knows...

 

[Nostrodamus]

Some dilemma's are difficult ones and that is why I thought I would ask the forum.

He is Swedish and came in about five days ago. Since that time every time he was seen he was drunk so people tended to avoid him.

He was also pretty strange in that one day he decided to hose his decks but he got most of the water on others cloths that were drying on their boats but we were not sure if he did it on purpose or not.

The following day it was teeming with rain so he put his wet weather gear on and hosed his decks down again.

I know with some alcoholics that they perform more normally with a drink than they do sober.

When he decided to leave it was about 6pm in a strong Southerly with a big swell. A couple of boats had come in from the South earlier but they were pitching and rolling all over.

As I mentioned one boat was brought in by the coastguard.

This chap was heading South which was the worst way he could have gone.
He was single handed and even got the boat pretty sideways against the pontoon trying to get out but that could have been due to the conditions.

I think most people were glad to see the back of him and maybe he felt that too.

He was away from the pontoon when I saw him although I did shout to him when he was reversing out and tried to dissuade him from going.

As many have mentioned he is a grown man and I don't know the authorities position in Portugal.

Informing and stopping him a sea may mean he could be fined, stopped sailing or had his boat impounded... I don't know. He would certainly of been charged for calling out the coastguard or mabey I would have been charged for calling them out.

I did not report anything to the authorities but it still leaves me wondering if that is right. He could be a danger to himself or others but he has also sailed all this way from Sweden, possibly in the same condition. Not knowing him I could only go on what I saw.

I don't know if there is a right answer?

 

[V1701]

I think you're right in that there isn't a right answer. I'd have tried to have a chat with him before he set off, but then that could have led to a load of grief. He obviously knows enough to get his boat from A to B, but if he meets his maker prematurely due to alcohol he'll be neither the first nor the last, hopefully no-one else will be put at risk & he'll be alright...

 

[NOHOH]

Hooray and Up She Rises

....Put Him in the Scupper with the Hose-pipe on him.........oops sorry, wrong thread

But seriously.....If he is drinking that heavily...and is alone.....and doing strange things....(is it to attract attention?....in some peoples eyes "bad attention" is better than no attention at all.)...... then he probably does not really care whether he lives or dies.....and maybe in some strange way he delights in tempting fate....

The problem with this kind of attitude is that it potentially puts other people at risk......but then again....we all live with this kind of risk every day...(the man at the garage who forgets to tighten a wheel nut, the pharmacist who puts the wrong drug in your prescription etc etc etc)...and we can never live in a risk free environment......

In the end ....its just one of those things.......and if you see him going out not drunk.....then he may well just wait until he`s out there before getting drunk.....or he may not get drunk at all.........

There is no right answer to your question

 

[jerrytug]

Or perhaps he is a very highly skilled sailor who is utterly capable of sailing in rough weather when drunk,and knows this fact. Whereas you perhaps would not be, and thus are pointlessly worrying your pretty little head?

 

[Robert Wilson]

I'm no prude - far from it - but I won't have alcohol on my boat until back on the mooring/at anchor. In the distant past "drinking during sailing" was part of the game. Not now, with the benefit of six decades I realise that all machinery is a life-threatening hazard when under the influence - and that includes boats. viz slow reactions-crack on the head from the boom or a stumble means a man down or overboard putting other's lives/boats at risk.
And if he'd rammed someone else's pride-n-joy (perhaps yours) and caused damage or injury what then?
If the Swede had to be rescued far out at sea, or closer in shore in a perilous position think of the danger to the lifeboat-men/coastguards who freely and unselfishly volunteer.
I'd have immediately called the coastguard and hopefully got him stopped while still inshore/in the harbour.
Busy-body, 'elf n softy, call it what you like - but anyone in that situation has to be stopped.
Selfishly perhaps, but that sort of alcohol misbehaviour will bring the breathalyser laws down on all of us and then where would we be after a couple of pints in the bar, or a G&T at sunset at anchor?
Sorry if I'm a rant and a prude.
Perhaps the CG should have been alerted during his weird, alcohol-fuelled antics during his time in port?

 

[Nostrodamus]

Or perhaps he is a very highly skilled sailor who is utterly capable of sailing in rough weather when drunk,and knows this fact. Whereas you perhaps would not be, and thus are pointlessly worrying your pretty little head?

You may be right, you may not be but you are right about my pretty little head. Unfortunately you do find yourself in these situations from time to time and I have concerns for my fellow sailors.

 

[jonjo]

The following day it was teeming with rain so he put his wet weather gear on and hosed his decks down again.

Makes perfect sense, ingrained muck on deck has been softened by the rain, so less time and water to wash it off. Then when all is clean further rain will wash off any chalky deposits that might be left by local soft water.

Informing and stopping him a sea may mean he could be fined, stopped sailing or had his boat impounded... I don't know. He would certainly of been charged for calling out the coastguard or mabey I would have been charged for calling them out.

You should abandon your cruise if the diversity of the human race troubles you so much. Come back to the nanny police state of Britain you desire.

 

[DJE]

Personally I would heave a sigh of relief when he cleared harbour without damaging anything and be glad to see the back of him. Once at sea the chances of him being a danger to anybody other than himself are pretty small and IMHO not worth the intrusion into personal freedom which some are proposing.

 

[shaunksb]

Or perhaps he is a very highly skilled sailor who is utterly capable of sailing in rough weather when drunk,and knows this fact. Whereas you perhaps would not be, and thus are pointlessly worrying your pretty little head?

The thing about an alcoholic is their attitude to risk changes when they're drunk. They often do "daft" things or dangerous things. Sometimes just for the Hell of it.

So although sailing a boat will probably come as second nature remembering to clip on when you have to go forward may not.

They are also prone to just collapsing at the end of a session and waking up several hours later which may not be good on a solo sailing trip.

It is almost impossible though to talk them out of doing what they want to do, however daft it may be.



____________________________

 

[alant]

Or perhaps he is a very highly skilled sailor who is utterly capable of sailing in rough weather when drunk,and knows this fact. Whereas you perhaps would not be, and thus are pointlessly worrying your pretty little head?

"perhaps he is a very highly skilled sailor who is utterly capable of sailing in rough weather when drunk,and knows this fact."

There is no such animal on this planet!

 

[Lakesailor]

Swede in Portugal?

He got that far. That's maybe his way.

Leave him be.