Safe at Sea: Alcohol and boats do not mix
Alcohol impairs one’s ability to operate a vessel safely in the same way that it impairs one’s ability to drive a car safely. However, other factors add to the intensity of impairment when on the water, including the motion of the boat and dehydration.
Balance is one of the first abilities that a person loses when he/she consumes alcohol and combining this with the rocking of a boat, the chances of falling – overboard or just within the vessel – increases dramatically.
Perspiration removes the water from the body but leaves the alcohol in. This can cause impairment to happen more quickly. In a study of boating fatalities in four states, 51 percent of the people who died had a blood alcohol content of .04 or higher. A blood alcohol content of .10 or higher was found in 30 percent of the fatalities.
There are several myths about alcohol that boaters should know:
n Beer is not less intoxicating than any other alcoholic beverage. One 12-ounce can of beer, one 5-ounce glass of wine or one shot of 80-proof alcohol all contain about the same alcohol and have the same effect.
n Only time will sober a person, not black coffee or a cold shower. One’s body will burn about one ounce of alcohol per hour. If you are legally drunk, it will take about seven hours to sober up.
n It is not easy to tell if someone is impaired. Many experienced drinkers have learned to compensate for visible effects and hide their intoxication.
Be safe – and always sober!
Pat Schmidt is a member of America’s Boating Club of Sanibel-Captiva. For more information, contact 239-985-9472 or Commander@SanibelCaptivaSPS.org or visit online at sancapboating.club.