Alcohol and Sailboats

Don S/V ILLusion · May 18, 2009

The tools are just for effect.

Dave D · May 18, 2009

what kinda crabs you got there William? Not really the forum for such, but good luck. ;-)

sailaway78 · May 18, 2009

I rarely drink

I rarely drink, but do enjoy an occasional glass of wine in the evenings when on the hook. Never ever do I drink any kind of booze when sailing or during the day. Although there are a lot of comments and remarks about it, I think very few sailors drink when they are actually sailing their boats. Alcohol will dehydrate the body, and dull the mind. I see lots of boaters here, mostly stink potters, coming in barely able to walk, after a day on the water. I have a neighbor with a small power boat, and many times in the evening it is funny to watch him try to dock his boat, as he has consumed way too many adult beverages.

TimCup · May 18, 2009

I make jokes about drinking all the time-

but real life? I can state absolutely that I've never been "drunk" while sailing. I had 3 or 4 beers over a 4 hour time period, mixed with food and/or snacks. Alternately, 3 or 4 glasses of wine with friends over the same time period. At 240 lbs, I'm confident I'm within reason.

Am I impaired? While I might not do as well racing an Indy car or a fighter jet, I doubt it affects real life for me. My father-in-law swears he can't drive after 1/2 a beer, but he's only had 5 beers his whole life...I think it's in his head.

Frankly, I feel like I've lost more reaction time, and cognitive reaction response, THROUGH AGING THE LAST TEN YEARS, than with 3 beers (light beers at that!).

I'm not sure why I feel so defensive. Drunk is like pornography- I may not be able to define it, but I know it when I see it...

cup

TimCup · May 18, 2009

but do any of you mix boat projects with beer?

to answer your question directly, yes.

It gets mighty hot, and humid, working on the boat in Florida. I'm soaked in sweat in the first ten minutes. The first sip of an icy cold one in that heat is a little touch of heaven...

cup

Tim R. · May 18, 2009

I usually will not drink when sailing. Here are some exceptions:

- After crossing the finish line of our Wed. night series and on the way back to the mooring which does not allow enough time(10-15 min.) to become intoxicated before arriving.

- Out in the bay on a low traffic day with light winds with no guests. And I limit myself to 2 beers. We had a nice sail last night in the harbor which was largely deserted and the wind was no more than 12 knots at any given time.

An extreme example of boating related alcohol abuse my wife and I witnessed last fall was a group of 20 something couples doing a bar craw in October. The were in a new 28ft. powerboat and were hitting all the bars and resturants on the water. It was twilight when they got to their 2nd bar which is where we saw them. It is a popular place a few miles up a very tricky river in Yarmouth. And yes, the captain was right on pace with the shots.

butchrobbins · May 18, 2009

theres' a song that goes:

How do you handle a drunken sailor
How do you handle a drunken sailor, so ear li in the mornin'

to which my wife replies (to the same tune)

You throw him overboard.

Alcohol and water don't mix very well.

Rob Hessenius · May 18, 2009

On a nice lazy evening I will go out with some friends and have a few "adult beverages" and relax. By no means getting "wasted" and out of control. It is not against the law here to do this. I found that mother nature is who controls this. If it is too rough or windy it makes it tough to really relax and enjoy. Just being honest here.

Hermit Scott · May 18, 2009

I drink and drive my boat. Only 2 or 3 beers and bottles of water in between. I don't get drunk anymore. If I start feeling too tipsy I slow down. Usually while I am welding, grinding, wood working etc, I am drinking a corona. Honestly I would drink and drive my car if it wasn't illegal, I don't go to excess like I did when I was younger.

sailaway78 · May 18, 2009

LOL

Hermit,
I hear ya bout gettin older. I know how good an ice cold beer tastes on a hot day. Been there done that, often. But any alcohol dehydrates the body, and under those circumstances is by no means good for you. I have known guys who could drink a case a beer, and walk away, seemingly sober as a judge. It does dyhydrate you, and on a very hot day, can be more than a tad harmful.

Ctskip · May 18, 2009

Re: LOL

Making a cocktail is the first thing the wife does upon boarding. By the time I'm done opening the boat up and getting it ready to depart, she's got the drink in her hand and I'm behind the wheel starting the diesel. I don't drink to get drunk, nor do I drink because it's fun, I drink to make people interesting. Besides I'm old enough to know exactly what I'm doing.
I rarely drink to the point of inebriation. Whereas my Dad use to say he had to drive, he was to drunk to walk. Many times have I brought my Mother back to the boat in a grocery cart. It's was all down hill too. Sag Harbor was wild as a kid growing up. And I grew up on a stink pot Chris Craft during the 50's and 60's, with a whole bunch of drunks on our dock. I had some of the best times of my life during those raft-ups.
I still drink what I have always drank, the good stuff.

Keep it up,
Ctskip

jibes138 · May 18, 2009

Caution

As a licensed captain I refused to ever drink while sailing my boat regardless of whether I had charter customers on board, guests or just alone. The liability is too risky and losing a license like that is not something worth risking.
Otherwise I want to nominate Killepitsch on the rocks as the official drink of the O'dayOwners.com web site.

Hermit Scott · May 18, 2009

Nice N easy- I agree totally about the dehydration. I get pretty bad headaches if I don't drink enough water, especially on a hot day drinking beer.

Ian4781 · May 18, 2009

William I just want to ask what it was that you drank on your project....to change a cal 33-2 into such a great square rigger as you have,I would love to get some!!!OR maybe not!!

Bad Obsession · May 18, 2009

Drinking and sailing don't mix. Drinking and being on the hook do. One important thing is to always put the ladder down and leave it down for the evening (self explanitory).

Benny · May 18, 2009

I suspect it may have something to do with age. I find that one or two beers after starting a trip have a calming effect on me. Is like it marks the end of the hectic, loading and provisioning, getting the crew on board, preparing the boat for departure and casting off the lines and facilitates the transition and change of mind into the slow pace of navigation and planning. Perhaps my nerves do not recover as well from a small dose of anxiety as they used to. A couple of beers will settle them down and I can be more alert for the task at hand. Now I have no excuse for the other 6-7 beers I will consume in the next 10-12 hours.

Bad Obsession · May 18, 2009

Just something that may provoke some thoughts. This is to be considered seriously and believe me when I tell you that this is on the rise and enforcement is getting tougher. With this holiday weekend coming the police will be in full force so be very careful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Operating Under the Influence

State boating laws for Operating Under the Influence (OUI) are becoming more stringent and operating a boat under the influence of alcohol or other drugs is a criminal offense. As on the roadways, on-water enforcement officers may administer sobriety tests and/or conduct a chemical test to determine level of sobriety. Unreasonable refusal to submit to these tests constitutes grounds for the revocation of the operator's privilege to operate a watercraft on the waters of the Commonwealth.

In Virginia:

<LI class=style4>State boating laws for Operating Under the Influence (OUI) are becoming more stringent and operating a boat under the influence of alcohol or other drugs is a criminal offense. As on the roadways, on-water enforcement officers may administer sobriety tests and/or conduct a chemical test to determine level of sobriety. Unreasonable refusal to submit to these tests constitutes grounds for the revocation of the operator's privilege to operate a watercraft on the waters of the Commonwealth. <LI class=style4>Virginia's law states that boat operators with blood alcohol concentrations of 0.08 percent or more by weight, by volume, shall be presumed to be under the influence of alcohol intoxicants. <LI class=style4>Virginia law also prohibits persons under the age of 21 from consuming alcohol and operating a watercraft with any measurable alcohol level (established at 0.02 percent by weight by volume. This is referred to as zero tolerance. <LI class=style4>By operating a watercraft in Virginia, you have agreed to submit to a breath and or blood test to determine the amount of alcohol and/or drugs in your blood. This is referred to as implied consent.
Virginia law prescribes both fines and confinement in jail for those who violate state BUI laws.

Bad Obsession · May 18, 2009

http://www.boatingundertheinfluence.org/index.html

Alcohol and Sailboats

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