Safety: Alcohol and Being Prepared
By Eric V. Stanson C 1998
I would like to discuss safety and one's stance concerning drinking on a sail boat. If you have chosen not to drink on your boat, I feel you have made a mature decision. I, personally, have been known to have a sip of the grape on my boat from time to time. However, I have only done it at anchor or dock when I had no plans of going anyplace including a swim in the water. Also, I would make certain that there was no threat of bad weather. However, when I say I have been known to have a sip or two, I really mean a sip or two. I am a very slow drinker. Usually, it takes me a good half hour or even 45 minutes to drink my way through a can of beer. Often, I do not finish it. It seems that as soon as the alcohol comes out on a boat (A place most people think "Fun" and therefore think alcohol), some people just can not stop till they are sloshing drunk. And it is very hard to know where other peoples' limits are. So, in making the decision to say "No alcohol on my vessel" is a wise decision.
There was a man in the club that had to jump in a river off his South Coast 22. His girl friend went in for a swim and found that she could not keep up with the flow of water in the river. The Skipper jumped off his boat to save the female crew member. During this act, he was forced to leave two young children behind on his boat. Luckily, another boater came by and helped. I think about what I would have done in the same situation. And I am not sure if I could answer that. But most likely, I would have done the same thing. I would have jumped in instantly and swam to rescue the girl. I would have been so afraid of what could have happened. Luckily, nothing like this has happened to me thus far. But I do know that seemingly calm waters can actually have an undertow. And if you are not careful, you may find yourself far from your boat with no hope of getting back. I sail the Great Lakes and other inland lakes in Ohio. If I go out on Lake Erie, the drift is strong some times. one time I and three members of my family jumped over board after setting anchor 4 miles from land to go scuba diving. Within no time at all, we had all drifted about 50 feet or more from the boat. Luckily, we could swim back to the boat with little effort. But, if the wind and wave action were a bit more extreme, we could have gotten ourselves in trouble. Seriously, many things can go wrong on a boat in no time at all. One should be prepared. Practice man overboard drills. Have a first aid kit onboard at all times packed with everything you think you will need. And do not go cheap on the stuff you fill it with. Have a fire extinguisher that is properly charged. Make sure all children are wearing a life jacket especially if they can not swim. It is a very good idea to place a tether on them so that if they do fall in, you can retrieve them quickly. Here is another example of how things can go wrong on a boat. One time my wife and I were relaxing in a cove with our Three month old baby girl. We took out the food and began having a picnic. My daughter was only eating baby food at the time but I got this crazy idea to offer her some fruit. She started choking instantly and I just about panicked. I thought to myself instantly, "Oh my God, I have just killed my only daughter!" I instantly turned her around and practiced the Heimlich maneuver on her. I knew just how to do it because I took a CPR class. The food popped right out to my relief. And all was fine. I do not have to mention that it took me a while to calm down. If I had been drinking, my daughter might have died.
As Capt. of your vessel, no matter the size, you are responsible for your crew ultimately and must take all appropriate responsibilities and actions to prepare for danger to yourself, your vessel and most importantly, your crew!
When passengers visit you on to your boat, the very first line of business should be safety. You must tell them what is allowed on your boat and what is not allowed. And you must not feel uncomfortable about this. In other words, if you have found, for example, sandals are dangerous due to threat of slipping, you must tell your crew that you require tennis shoes or no shoes at all. etc etc etc.
