robyw1

As tragic as this accident was I don't think you can blame this one solely on alcohol. I mean I have been out on a moonless night and come close to striking an unlit buoy WHICH WAS WHERE IT WASN'T SUPPOSED TO BE according to BlueChart. I'm not about to defend drunk driving but I can't help to believe that in accidents involving fatalities the investigators tend go out of their way to pen it on alcohol. This way they don't have to put any brainwork on finding out the real cause. Should we perhaps put the unlit dock owner in jail for 5 years with 10 years probation? After all we can't argue that it was a contributing factor. If he is writing this letter then perhaps he knew that he was drunk but anyone could have struck an unlit pier. The fact that he stated memorial day and labor day perhaps his heart was not in his message. I have read about too many cases where a fatality was involved and the person was charged with intoxicated manslaughter WHEN THEIR BAC WAS UNDER THE LEGAL LIMIT. After reading about that I'm very very skeptical about the validity of many DUI, BUI cases.

Roby

X-Rated30

Yup.

Not a good idea to drink and boat, but it happens. I don't see the alcohol as a causing factor in the story. I guess you can always think of "what ifs": "What if he had been sober, would he have been going slower?" or "He wouldn't have been off course."

Instead of viewing things as an accident, people always look for someone to blame. I remember hearing about a fireworks plant that exploded, so people began trying to get fireworks banned in that state. If someone gets shot, there is a sudden movement to ban guns of that type.

Just my .02 -- now I'm going to Mardi Gras to get drunk and walk around.

X-Rated30

Oh yeah... I forgot the example of a high speed boat accident that results in people wanting to ban fast boats or license the operators. Anyone seen this happen???

Racegirl3

Im with offshoredrillin. Not sayin somethin like this cant happen but this story seems bogus to me. Im sure there are boating accidents all the time that do happen because of alcohol and NOBODY is immune to such things but how many people do you know that can see in the dark, sober or drunk? or are they blamin the drinkin for puttin them so far off course?

Doesnt really matter I guess. Bottom line, everybody knows you shouldnt drink and drive.

Harper220

I misread your question, I thought you asked "what is memorial day or labor day? My mistake...

JUSTONCE

QUESTION: Please don't take this wrong, because it is tragic to see anyone get hurt.But is it coincidence that alcohol was involved cause most poeple boating home at night are drinking? What I'm saying is even sober would this not have happened? no one saw the unlit dock. Yes my reactions are slower when drinking but I don't loose my vision. Driving faster than your visibility is way more dangerous than cruising off plane @ 10mph. drunk. my.02

robyw1

Regardless of what we think or say more accidents will happen and if there is a beer can floating near by then it will automaticly be attributed to alcohol. What it will eventually come down to is that someday no open containers will be allowed on a boat. Therefore the casual drinker (not the drunk) will have to pay for the actions of a few. I personally don't drink on the boat because I get sick if it is too hot but I don't mind others doing so as long as their careful.

Roby

hugetime1

come on people, were is your sence of adventure, I think everybody on the water should get blind drunk, everybody should speed around recklessly. sure there is going to be a few accidents but that is what makes life exciting!!!!

fund razor

I know that this is about drinking. But that issue is simple. Don't boat drunk.

Growing up on lake Erie, I can't imagine what it's like to boat on a lake without constant dangers and hazards. We have dredgers, dredging booms, docks, bouys (lit and unlit) logs, trees, idiots, jet skis, canoes, freighters, sand bars, rock piles, jetties, barges, pilings, shipping containers, 55 gallon drums, submerged vehicles, shipwrecks that stick up to a few feet from the water.
It must be nice for everyone to be required to have lights on their docks in your "neighborhood" inland lake. The great lakes are just a tad different.
We are expected to be expert and prudent mariners.
When we run at night it is deadly serious business. If you don't know exactly where you are on the western and the southern shore you are in big trouble.
You start getting ESP. I swear.
I can't imagine doing a U turn into an object.

On the drunk issue.... around here on the busy days we have the Coast Guard, The State of Ohio DNR, The sheriff's water patrol, the city police harbor patrol. There is sometimes more enforcement traffic than pleasure traffic. If you even raise a beer in this environment, you're going down. Don't need to be "drunk."

If the state DNR boys see it, they will scrape the registration sticker right off of your hull while you watch. I saw this happen to a guy downtown last year. He took a sip, they saw it. They waved him over to a seawall and one of the guys laid right down on the guys bow in full uniform and gunbelt, (scratch scratch) whipped out a pocket knife and started carving.

No thanks.

robyw1

What does removing a registration sticker do? Is there an actual law that you can't have a beer in the boat? I understand driver but what about passenger?

Roby