Boating Safety this holiday weekend!

[SnappingTurtle]

We are once again coming upon a holiday weekend and for those living near a body of water, this will inevitably be followed up by headlines of boating accidents and highway (towing) deaths.

When talking about safety, it is often reduced to equipment issues. Equipment that comes into play after the accident has already began it's progress.

The most important piece of safety equipment you can take with you on your boat is your brain. Without this, the rest is just there to make a already bad situation better.

We, as boaters are not only responsible for our boat and the passengers in it, but also for any danger we put upon other boaters when piloting our boat in a reckless manner.

These accidents are not only tragedies for those involved and their families, it also supplies ammunition to the non-, anti-boating activist.

I think my message will probably not reach those boaters that cause most problems, but I am posting it here anyway.

iboats forum members seem to be a very responsible & enlightened few.

Just a reminder that we are all ambassadors for boating as a sport.

Have fun, but save the alcohol for the dock afterwards.

Happy “Memorial Day” weekend!

 

[45Auto]

Re: Boating Safety this holiday weekend!

Good message Turtle.

Unfortunately, I think the two lines below from your message are very applicable and will apply to about 95% of the boating accidents this weekend .....

I think my message will probably not reach those boaters that cause most problems,

Have fun, but save the alcohol for the dock afterwards.

 

[wvit1001]

Re: Boating Safety this holiday weekend!

There's nothing wrong with having a few drinks while boating. Just as there is nothing wrong with having a few drinks at a restraunt before driving home. Drinking to many is the problem. I plan on having some beers in my cooler while on the water this weekend and I know most other boaters on the lake will also have some beer on their boats. Boating is supposed to be a relaxing, fun way to spend the day. I refuse to be made to feel like a criminal just because I want to have a beer.

 

[SnappingTurtle]

Re: Boating Safety this holiday weekend!

I too will enjoy a few of my favorite beverages this weekend.

Unfortunately it is the people who don't know the deference between “a few” and “a few to many” that will make those of us who do enjoy a few, look bad.

Alcohol is not the only problem by any means, but it often exaggerates the problems in those with no self control. It is exactly those who can't control themselves that are causing laws to be passed, that affect us that can. It is just a matter of time before all States enact such laws.

These no or zero tolerance laws are screwing up my fun, and I am being punished along with the problem parties.

Like I said I have no problem with drinking, I drink also, I have a problem with problem drinkers.

I have lost friends & family in accidents involving drunk drivers, both on and off the water. I would really hate to read on Tuesday someone from the forum was next on the list.

 

[erikgreen]

Re: Boating Safety this holiday weekend!

If I wasn't needing to test my boat repairs out, I wouldn't even go on the water this weekend. There will be a lot of fools out to get themselves killed on the lakes around here.

Not drinking alcohol on the water is a rule for me... any at all is too much when you're operating a large vehicle that may require split second response times to avoid serious injury or death.

 

[CATransplant]

Re: Boating Safety this holiday weekend!

I absolutely never boat on holiday weekends. It's not me doing the drinking, it's all the twice a year boaters out there, many of whom are going to get drunk as skunks and drive their boats badly.

It's just not worth the risk to me.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Boating Safety this holiday weekend!

drive defensively, if you must.

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: Boating Safety this holiday weekend!

There's nothing wrong with having a few drinks while boating. Just as there is nothing wrong with having a few drinks at a restraunt before driving home. Drinking to many is the problem. I plan on having some beers in my cooler while on the water this weekend and I know most other boaters on the lake will also have some beer on their boats. Boating is supposed to be a relaxing, fun way to spend the day. I refuse to be made to feel like a criminal just because I want to have a beer.

Just remember one thing while you are drinking and operating your boat, if you are judged to have been impaired after causing an accident in which there is serious injury and/or death, you may well be determined to be just that - a criminal.

Is your personal freedom and financial well being worth "a few beers?"

Do yourself a favor, find yourself a designated driver while you enjoy a brew or two .... or three, or four ...

 

[wvit1001]

Re: Boating Safety this holiday weekend!

Some of you guys should go join the Temperance Union. If you don't want to drink then by all means don't drink. But if I or anyone else wants to legally have an adult beverage then get over it. Do your preaching in church.

 

[CATransplant]

Re: Boating Safety this holiday weekend!

There's nothing wrong with having a few drinks while boating. Just as there is nothing wrong with having a few drinks at a restraunt before driving home. Drinking to many is the problem. I plan on having some beers in my cooler while on the water this weekend and I know most other boaters on the lake will also have some beer on their boats. Boating is supposed to be a relaxing, fun way to spend the day. I refuse to be made to feel like a criminal just because I want to have a beer.

How many is a few? Two is a couple. A few is a pretty vague number. I saw a guy at the lake last week who had had a few. After he banged into the dock trying to come back in, he backed his trailer into some guy's new SUV, then fell face first into the water while trying to load his boat. I'm sure, if you asked him, that he'd just had a few out on the water...enjoying his day of boating, I'm sure.

So, the lake patrol guy, when he asks if you've been drinking...how's he supposed to take "a few?" My guess is that he'll pull out his toy and have you breathe into it. That's what he did to the guy at the dock. Then, he handcuffed him and put him in the nice sheriff's car that came. Someone had to help his wife get his boat on the trailer so she could tow it home. Some relaxing, fun time, eh?

 

[CATransplant]

Re: Boating Safety this holiday weekend!

Some of you guys should go join the Temperance Union. If you don't want to drink then by all means don't drink. But if I or anyone else wants to legally have an adult beverage then get over it. Do your preaching in church.

Nah. We've all just been boating for a long time and have encountered folks who have had a few too many while boating. Sometimes they kill other folks. Sometimes they run their boat too close to other boats and laugh like crazy. Sometimes, but not often enough, they get caught. Same rules on the water as in your car. .08'll get you a night in the pokey.

 

[5150abf]

Re: Boating Safety this holiday weekend!

I ride a motorcyle too so I am used to playing dodge the idiot.
Holiday or not just keep your head on a swivel and assume the other guy is about to do something stupid.

I am going fishing at the bottom of a dam Sat and then doing my float trip on Tue(too shallow to go up) so I really don't have to deal with anyone.

 

[DRIFTER_016]

Re: Boating Safety this holiday weekend!

Not sure about your locations, but in Canada it is illegal to drink in a boat unless it's anchored or docked for the night. If caught drinking even if not drunk you will recieve the same penalties as if you were driving your car. If you are deemed to be intoxicated you lose your drivers license for 1 year right off the bat. Your insurance will double or worse if you get in an accident you will go to jail just as if you were driving drunk in your car.
The good thing is I now live in a territory of 40,000 people instead of 8 million so there are way less drunks to run into.

 

[Expidia]

Re: Boating Safety this holiday weekend!

Not sure about your locations, but in Canada it is illegal to drink in a boat unless it's anchored or docked for the night. If caught drinking even if not drunk you will recieve the same penalties as if you were driving your car. If you are deemed to be intoxicated you lose your drivers license for 1 year right off the bat. Your insurance will double or worse if you get in an accident you will go to jail just as if you were driving drunk in your car.
The good thing is I now live in a territory of 40,000 people instead of 8 million so there are way less drunks to run into.

Sounds like a good law except what happens after the person drinking while at anchor. Pulls up anchor and drives off drunk?

 

[External Combustion]

Re: Boating Safety this holiday weekend!

I don't think Jay is playing the temperance union theme song here, just reminding us of how our litigous society has affected everything we do now.

Our local school now supends even grade school students for having a spork, calling them "dangerous weapons". Is it correct? No. Is it overrteacting? Yes. Will it affect the student caught? Definately.

Jay's comment was just a reminder of how most locals interpret drinking and boating.

 

[SnappingTurtle]

Re: Boating Safety this holiday weekend!

Pulled two bodies out of the river at the locks by our apartment last weekend, both fishermen, both with high alcohol blood levels, both boating alone, and both without a PFD.

Both just out relaxing, and having a good time.

I don't think I need to say more.

Sorry to those reading this twice but ...

 

[SnappingTurtle]

Re: Boating Safety this holiday weekend!

bump

 

[Kev144]

Re: Boating Safety this holiday weekend!

Wish you yanks a safe and fun week end on the water this july 4th week end.

Kev144 from Canada, eh!

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: Boating Safety this holiday weekend!

Since the weekend isn't over yet, I'll elaborate on why I hold the opinion that I do about this matter.

About 20+ years ago, I was driving my brand new vehicle on a Friday night after seeing a movie. I happened to be "stone cold sober" - hadn't had so much as one beer. I also wasn't tired, or impaired in any other way, As I drove, I entered an s-curve in the road and noticed a car coming the other way. In the split second between that time and when the driver lost control and crossed the road right in front of me, I felt that something was wrong, but my brain simply could not process what that was in such a short period of time. The abnormality, as I later found out, was that he was going about 70 in a 25mph speed zone.

This person lost control of his vehicle and swerved/slid in front of me so fast that I had nearly zero time to react. I actually didn't remember much about the accident right afterwards, but did have a distinct memory of the impact occuring at exactly the same time that my foot hit the brake pedal.

What resulted from this situation is that the other car presented its-self to me in the classic "t-bone" position and that is exactly what happened - I t-boned it at a combined speed of around 70 mph. Unfortunately, there was a 29 year old woman sitting in the passenger seat. Since my vehicle penetrated the other vehicle to the midpoint, you can imagine what happened to her.

So, what does this have to do with what we are talking about? The answer is very simple - liability and personal peace of mind. The driver of the other vehicle was determined to have a blood alcohol level of just a bit under .20. He also had no drivers license, due to multiple previous DWIs, and was cited with about 5 or 6 charges, including vehicular manslaughter. Remember the part where I said that I had not had anything to drink at all? Add to that the fact that the accident investigation said that I was not at fault at all. Next, add the fact that I was sued anyway. The family of the girl who was killed, sued me under the premise that I should have been able to avoid the accident.

The simple fact of the matter is that, as the saying goes, life just ain't fair sometimes. I happened to have a reason to have a great deal of liability insurance at the time, so I did. While I understand the emotions of a grieving family, one of two things was true of the girl's actions that night - she was either very stupid in getting into the car with this guy, or she was too drunk to understand the possible consequences of doing so. I actually don't know which because I had my attorney handle the whole thing. All of this said, my insurance company paid out several hundred thousand dollars pretty much, just because I was there.

Had I been drinking, however, things could have been worse. My attorney was successful in getting the thing settled at the limits of my liability policy, but he may not have been successful if it had been shown that I had been drinking - at all. Furthermore, in a climate where prosecutors are going further and further, in terms of criminal convictions in situations where an accident has happened, having my wages garnished to pay off a settlement in excess of my liability coverage, could have been the least of my worries. I could have gone to jail along with the chump who killed his friend and darn near killed me.

Even with all of that business being what it was, there is still one more issue that is most important to me. I know that I wasn't impaired in any way, not even a little bit. I also know that I did everything humanly possible to react to the situation, and I know that there wasn't a thing that I could have done about what happened. Because of that fact, I never had to go through the internal questioning that I might have if I had consumed "a few beers." Peace of mind is a wonderful thing and should never be taken for granted.

I suppose I might be fairly said to be preaching here but, if so, I'll take the "hit." As the saying goes, if I can prevent just one person from having their life forever changed by something like this, the label is worth it.

 

[marine4003]

Re: Boating Safety this holiday weekend!

As i am on Smith Lake in VA with my family + some, and not at home i thought it whould be fun to be boating these last few days....I'm Wrong. What a mess.this beautiful lake is totally overun with maniacs,its no different than at home in NC, this is the reason i dont go boating on the 4th - memorial day - labor day or i go offshore as much as possible,i haven't drank for 6 years,don't do drugs,BUT i dont fault others for having a pop or two while out, but this is wild,it seems everyone towards the end of the day is polluted.We rented a pontoon to supplement my boat for all the folks...im staying on shore....let the fools reign.