Mondays 01/11/2010 Question and boating safety tip ANSWERED

[CaptainScott]

Saftey Tip:
Avoid taking your beautiful boat and crew into crowds. Especially events where alcohol is involved.

One year, my brother and I took our parents Mainship LOA around 38 feet to seafair to watch the hydros race! Basically it is a huge floating party with thousands of boats and bikinis! What a BLAST! Until . . . .

We were drifting in calm waters between races as were most of the other boats when suddenly there appeared a 10 Zodiac with 5 drunk teenage guys. They were being chased by a ski boat also loaded with drunk partiers. The persuing boat was throwing full beer cans at the zodiac. I gather the zodiac folks angered the ski boat some how. The pair of boats were weaving in and out of other boats when the zodiac turned towards us. They were so busy dodging cans the were not looking where they were going.

The zodiac slammed headlong into the side of our boat. Our boat was suddenly being pelted by beer cans as the ski boat continued the asault.
The zodiac folks got there dink turned and were off and running again. The ski boat continued the persuit .To this day I'm not even sure if the guys in the zodiac even new they hit a boat they were so wasted.

We promptly hailed the Coast Guard and the ski boat was eventually stopped however we never saw what happend to the zodiac.

We have since taken our boat to Lake Union on the 4th of July for the fireworks! What a blast. It was that day I decided to never take my boat into such a situation of extreme high risk again. That however is a story for another day.





Question:
Do you drink while boating?

Todays questions is more rhetorical and I really don't expect an answer.
I would however love to hear your stories as to why drinking while boating is a bad idea!!!


FYI: Drinking aboard my boat is acceptible. However I only allow consumption of alcohol aboard Destiny when she is tied to a dock or the anchor is firmly set. Billy saw Destiny loaded with wine last year in Anacortes! We must have had 25 people aboard at one point! She sat low in the water however she was tied firmly to the dock! Wine flowed pretty freely that day!

[FranS]

I agree, no drinking until back at the mooring. Never, ever, ever! But then there was nothing I liked better than cracking a cold one and watching the sun set behind the Manhattan skyline. :-" Ah memories.

[lecker68]

On my boat no drinking unless anchored or docked for some realistic reasons I am a reformed alcoholic and others can drink but I have seen a boat coming in to dock and only the skipper was sober a female was on the deck with a bow line with legs hanging over the side and a wave caught the boat and the rescue squad put the broken leg in an air splint and the severed leg in ice. Need I say more no drinking because the skipper was sober the drunks would not let him dock alone and insisted on helping. Bad news and yes it was a 21' power boat.

[EmergencyExit]

Scott, my father-in-law, USCG retired, used to work the hydros. He tells many stories along your lines !!

No partaking on my boat when underway.

[Alanhod]

[Chrysler20%26]

I am a little lucker than most, I am the only boat at port or on a sail. And when it is cold I find that a little wine keeps me from frezing.

[tgentry]

Anchored, moored or at the dock is OK. Underway, you never know when your smooth cruise might suddenly require all your mental and physical capacity.

In spite of Scott's stories I'm still hoping to see either the Chicago or Milwaukee Air Show from the water this summer.

[mainsheetmike]

Hi, While a bulletpruff teen in S.F. bay off Berkely, blowing 25, We , a group of drinkin kids put a boat on beam ends, with the companionway hatch open, one guy laughing, hanging onto the mast, keeping it over, water going inside the boat, no lifejackets. I had enough since to knock him off the mast and get peope to the high side, and it came back up. Even that was not enough of a wake up call, Blowing 25+ around angel island in a lightning plaining down wind, way to much beer,
'hell ya , lets put up the spinnaker" Alchol just dosen"t mix with the water. So After being clubbed over the head a few times, I do not drink in the boat, nor anywhere else, cause the "off button " does not work very well. Dry sailing is more fun, Mike

[Bhacurly]

I have an allergy to alcohol, every time I drank I woke up in trouble! Been sober now for 8 yrs.

Most of you know I'm a flight nurse paramedic, and work for a helo/fixed wing/ground team outta spokane,,, we cover a large area of the inland northwest,, east of the cascades, including northern idaho, northeastern and north central oregon, and northwestern montana... were busy.

Every year we transport numerous boating folks injured by alcohol related trauma, the very young included, and a few don't make it. Whats really sad is the people injured or killed were often done so by a family member or close friend. The hot summer months are the worst and I always tried to be on vacation over the big holidays. Law enforcement has really stepped up on patrols for anyone operating a jet ski or boat under the influence here also.

I don't have any objections to responsible social drinking, I just choose not to and my friends know this, it's never been an issue on my boat...

[sailbob2]

Love me rum (Dark & Stormies) but, with butt and both feet firmly planted on shore (do tend fall off the dock if not) - LOL

[Capt. Bondo]

[CaptainScott]

ANSWER:
Many people consider drinking and boating a personal choice.
Talking about actually boating, not sitting at a dock, anchored, bouyed, or otherwise secured.

In reallity is is now illegal in most places in the US.

Please remember if you are operating a vessel you are not only taking your own life into your hands you are taking others lives into your own hands. Doing this under the influence is foolishness.

In the last year here on Lake Washington, a single guy was out in his powerboat alone drinking thinking he could only hurt himself so "so what if I drink". This same fellow ran down a young teenager in a kayak and took off. Fortuantely there were folks on shore that saw the incident and reported it. The point being even on a boat alone you risk other lives if you boat under the influence.

Just don't do it.

Scott