What I cannot get over is the lack of the use of the radio.Originally Posted by Rodpal
To me that would have been very high up on the list of priorities on the 'to-do' list.
People use it to talk all sorts of rubbish over but when it comes to using it for it's intended use???
In this case it would have saved a lot of aggravation.
If something goes wrong then yes. Absolutely.
I intend on living for-ever....so far so good
Not sure if the rule has changed but it was definitely not an offence to operate a dinghy with no motor whilst drinking in Qld .
A few years ago I fished a barra comp in the Fitzroy with my brother and a mate. We almost filled the boat with empty tinnies, and when the water police came and tested every powerboat driver around us, just laughed when they saw what a mess we were in.
The key out of the ignition trick doesn't cut it with a boat and neither does being at anchor unless it's a marina situation. You anchor up, drink up, wind comes up, seas swing around and in the middle of the night you have to first wake up, get up and get out to a different anchorage.
There's no excuses, are some trying to justify more than the odd drink? Not justifiable.
What he said above, no defence
I don't condone or recommend having a few beers on a boat but I don't have a problem with it provided the boat is not driven under the influence, it is very close to shore and no children are on-board. As adults we should be able to make our own decisions and if a fella wants a few beers and an overnight kip on his boat, who is he putting at risk other than himself?
I hear those who will say laws are laws but from sore personal experiences, I can vouch that police are only too happy to ignore serious accidents when it suits them. When the police make public noises about how they 'have to apply the law', thats simply bollocks.
Well I consider myself to be fairly experienced at sea, in small craft up to 10m at least. And I also know that my judgement and good sense is somewhat diminished with a few beers these days, possibly not so much in my younger days but I wouldn't trust me and I would not want to be put in a position to give assistance to other lives without having my full wits about me. Nothing to do with living in a nanny state or any thing other than I am not prepared to make mistakes that I cant live with these days.
99% of the time better alternatives are available and I need clarity of mind to choose those better solutions when the shite hits the fan.
Would I forgive my self for not helping someone in dire need because I was drunk, NO
Would I forgive myself for offering help and consequently showed poor judgement and caused even more grief to someone, NO
It's just a recipe for disaster either way when grog is involved.
On the other hand if I was adrift at sea and near dead and found by a boat load of pissed fishermen, I would be real happy to see them no doubt. I would just be even happier if they were sober.
Sorry for ranting on this but years of being dragged out all times of night and day on VMR rescues of drunked skippers and crews has turned me off this sort of behaviour and part of the reason I left VMR several years ago now, it was very disturbing knowing what's out there.
Some only think about themselves, adult or not so lets see now, SES, water police, VMR/Coastguad Volunteers, helicopter rescue crews, paramedics and anybody else involved in assiting your "adult" attitude if you stuff up.
And before you say it won't happen to me (and of course you will) be assured it has happened and rescuers have actually lost their lives due to attitudes like yours.
Is that Mister as in...Mister 'I got out the bed the wrong side today'?
Perhaps I should have anticipated this type of overly aggresive response to what was no more than a simple question to gauge others feelings. I guess now we all know yours :-)
As for police..water or land....I would never trust them to ever do the right thing so they don't count.
I think we are getting a bit off topic here, the original question asked by the poster was:
"Posses the question do you watch a boat go down and people drown or go help them? Pretty sure everyone on here would have done the same. My mate never planned to take the boat out once they had started drinking but what do you do? "
So the question is not about whether you should be drinking or not, if you do or not, or if your responsible or not, just simply: if you were in that situation would you go and help whilst under the influence of alcohol?
To sum up, your sloshed and your boat is anchored, you see a boat within eye sight range displaying a distress V sheet and no other boats in range, that is the only info you have, would you up anchor and go to help in your condition?
Perhaps a poll should be started to measure the response!
Personally I would still go and just check the situation, if it was a simply breakdown and no danger to life I would just explain the situation, tell them to wait for the Water Police to arrive and go back to where I was (preferably out of sight). As the water police were on the way I would assume that they had already contacted them by radio.
No the question is why are you under the influence of alcohol when you are in charge of a boat? This is the basic question here and 2 wrongs don't make a right. How many times have we heard of people loosing their lives trying to save somebody who does survive? The first most basic principle of helping anybody is DANGER, danger to yourself and if you are intoxicated then you are more a danger to yourself. Some think they are bullet proof when affected by alcohol, big mistake.
NO you shouldn't as you are a danger to yourself as well as anybody you think you are trying to help! In any case being sloshed is something you need to explain first. Being sloshed is the first point to deal with in the issue.To sum up, your sloshed and your boat is anchored, you see a boat within eye sight range displaying a distress V sheet and no other boats in range, that is the only info you have, would you up anchor and go to help in your condition?
It's once out of bed that it doesn't take all that long to find a reason not to have got out of bed.
You want simple questionsSo then you condone drinking while in charge of a vessel with possibly putting the lives of others at risk? Yes or No?
Mate of mine was moored (multiple lines and anchors clearly not going anywhere) up at an island up here in Cairns and was heavily drinking with mates with an expectation to get off the boat and party that night on the island
old mates original post above.so by the post above, appears clear to me they went out with the intent to drink heavily then party further on the island. Note the words "was heavily drinking". No defence. How can you sit there and defend them. There is n oe xcuse whatsoever. The master of the vessel had the responsibility to stay sober at 0.0%, or desigante a sober driver of the vessel if the master himself wnated to drink. No this excuse or that excuse. You go out with the intent to "heavily drink" you cop it on the chin. I have no sympathy for him for being charged. sorry if that upsets anyone, but the BS trying to justify it just doesn't work IMHO.
Mike
I hope you noted the opening line of my initial postIt's once out of bed that it doesn't take all that long to find a reason not to have got out of bed.
You want simple questionsA few beers is not the same as being blind drunk....no-one on a boat should be blind drunk, whether skipper or passenger. Having 4 or 5 330ml beers on an overnight boat stay is not, in my opinion going to enhance a risk under the circumstances I've described whereas 10 beers would. It's all about proportionality and the skipper doesn't abdicate responsibility and does have to justify their actions at all times, with or without a few beers. Going to a rescue in a car or boat under the influence I'd never recommend it and I don't know how I'd react because I've never been in such a position. However, its easy to become moralistic (and I've been guilty of this myself at times) until you've walked in someones shoes.I don't condone or recommend having a few beers on a boat but I don't have a problem with it provided the boat is not driven under the influence, it is very close to shore and no children are on-board.
Correct me if I'm wrong, and believe me I have been at times, but that's another story, but, I haven't read anywhere that explains the situation the stricken vessel was in. Was it sinking, motor no go, out of fuel, lost anchor and drifting to Tahiti, seriously ill person on board, hook in finger, explosive diarrhea, missing his mum, was it close to mainland, way out to sea, where was the Island they where anchored at, how far away was the vessel in distress from the party goers, how far away was the rescue vessel in time and distance. I feel if some of these questions were answered, one could make a better judgement.
I will repeat myself, please read the originals poster question again and understand it. He wasn't asking if you should drink on the water or not, whether it was right or wrong, but it happened and he was asking just whether you would go to the aid of a boat in distress or not, if they were in eyesight distance and no one else around and you happen to be drunk. I am not implying that one should get drunk on a boat and just for the record I do not drink on a boat, actually I hardly ever drink at all. But if you didn't come to their rescue it would be like a boat nearby calling out for help as they were sinking and you yelling out, Sorry, call me in the morning after I wake up a bit more sober. In the meantime Glug, glug glug, the other boat has now sunk, someone died, hope you enjoyed your sleep.
Yes it is against the law to be drunk whilst in charge of a boat (happens all the time though, same as a drunk driving a car on the road) and yes it is risky for the drunk skipper to drive over to help, but in an emergency I think that person did the right thing. That skipper probably thought that he would be able to do it and obviously he was right, as he ended up towing the boat. He may have been over the limit but he could still function enough to tow that boat.
As they were anchored and drinking, I would think that the seas would have been pretty flat and calm and not 3mt choppy seas so that would minimise some of the risk. As far as I know it is also against the law to not come to the rescue of a boat signaling it is in distress.
If that boat just needed a tow as they were broken down then no I wouldn't have towed it but I would have checked on the situation first by going over. Legal thing to do.. No! right thing to do.. Yes!
Try to differentiate between the two.
If I was anchored in a safe anchorage and they were 10 mile out in rough seas then I wouldn't go in my condition, within eyesight distance then yes! just my 2 cents worth.
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