Drinking Alcohol while Boating is DangerousNov 01 '00 Write an essay on this topic.I don't mean to preach but for some reason there are a few people who think drinking alcohol while boating is okay. Drinking while boating is as dangerous as drinking while driving a vehicle. It is even against the law in most states if not all of them. The reason why I decided to write an editorial on this subject is because my husband and I have witnessed many drunk boaters on the water off of the coast of Alabama while fishing off shore. One night we even had one of them to pull a gun on my husband because my husband was fishing at a public area. My husband was also the first one there at the oil rig. Why did this man pull a gun? Well, he was having one too many beers and he decided that he owned the whole Gulf of Mexico. Luckily my husband and his friend got the you know what out of there and went to another oil rig. Then there was the time my husband and I were putting the boat on the trailer at the public ramp in Dauphin Island. A couple of young kids (probably about high school or college age) came speeding up to the ramp that we were at. First, when you come up to a ramp where there are other boats you should be traveling at idle speed. Very slow! They came in so fast that there wake almost put our 19 Wellcraft Openfishermen boat on the dock. At first I thought that maybe they were showing off but I soon discovered that they were indeed drunk as a skunk. Their boat was littered with beer bottles. I bet there was a hundred beer bottles in the boat. Then one of the young men, the driver of the boat, walked past me. I almost fell in the water because he smelled of beer and liquor. While growing up on the coast of Alabama for 22 years I heard a lot of horror stories about boats sinking or crashing. How many of these were the result of drinking while boating I am not exactly sure but there were quite a few caused from senseless drinking. I remember one accident that I doubt I will ever forget. It involved a family with two young children. The father had had one too many to drink but he still drove the boat. I don't know exactly what happen to the boat. It crashed or something. All I know is that the Coast Guard found the boat and its dead passengers. Reason why to drink Nonacoholic drinks while boating. * During the summer months it is very hot down south. If you are planning to be out in the sun fishing I highly recommend water and gatorade. I learned from experience that you can dehydrate without minutes if you are not careful. Caffiene drinks and alcohol makes the body dehydrate more. * Alcohol impairs ones ability to think straight. While on the water one must be able to think clearly because you never know when something is going to happen. It takes only a few minutes for problems to occur while on the water. Usually the problems are minor but need prompt attention. If you drinking your ability to think and react is slowed down dramatically. * Drinking while boating is as dangerous as drinking while driving. Why cause innocent people to die from your stupidity. I am sorry if I seem to be preaching but I felt like this is an important problem on the water. I am not against drinking alcohol but don't do it if you have to drive a boat or a vehicle.  |
| Read all comments (1)|Write your own comment |
|
Ads by Google
|
