More boaters on the booze

A new survey shows dangers of drinking on the water are increasingly ignored, reports ROBIN BAILEY.

Over the past three summers, the message to boaters has been: "Don't Go Overboard With The Booze".

Results of two studies show that people at risk are hearing the message, but fewer of them are heeding it.

The Alcohol Advisory Council (ALAC) and the Injury Prevention Research Centre (IPRC) at the University of Auckland have just released the results of the latest survey into drinking and boating.

What the survey discovered has researchers worried, especially with another America's Cup defence coming up that will once again get thousands of people on the water.

It shows boaters may have increased their alcohol consumption on the water and are drinking to levels where they could be putting themselves at risk of injury or even drowning.

A similar survey in 1999 showed that fewer than a quarter of respondents had consumed alcohol on the water. The new study showed half the respondents had been drinking.

Twelve per cent of boaters questioned reported having three or four drinks on their last trip and 10 per cent had consumed five or more.

The study also showed that males were much more likely to have consumed alcohol than females.

Boaters aged 40 to 59 were more likely to have heard safety messages about drinking than those in other age groups. They were also more likely to believe that alcohol increases the risk of drowning - and yet were more likely to have been drinking.

Also of concern to researchers was an increase in the number of people who believed it was safe for passengers to drink as long as the skipper stayed sober.

"A sober skipper cannot always protect intoxicated passengers," says Ron Tustin, northern regional manager of ALAC. "Many boating drownings occur regardless of the action of the skipper.

"These can be the result of falling overboard while fishing or retrieving the anchor, transferring from boat to boat or wharf, or swimming from boats.

"The risk of hypothermia when a drunk person falls into the water is also greater than for a sober person."

The results of the survey confirm the need to continue the efforts to address alcohol consumption afloat, says Tustin.

"The survey response was similar to the initial reaction to drink-driving messages and programmes to increase the awareness of the need to wear seat-belts.

"It shows we must pursue other avenues to change drink-boating behaviour. In particular, it may be appropriate to target the 10 per cent of boaters who drink heavily while boating.

He also emphasised another concern revealed by the survey. Far from making boaters aware of the dangers of drinking and boating, it seems that formal boating training was related to an increase in drinking - possibly because of increased confidence after having completed a boating course.

"The significant increase in boating training revealed by the survey is a positive result," says Tustin. "But it seems greater emphasis on safe alcohol behaviour is needed, along with greater publicity on the dangers associated with the unsafe use of alcohol."

Senior-Sergeant Martin Paget, officer in charge of the Police Maritime Unit, says the survey revealed several areas for concern, including boaters' misplaced confidence in their ability to perform after having used alcohol.

"Experience during the America's Cup defence showed the need for skipper responsibility for passengers who had been drinking," Paget says. "There were instances of people falling overboard after having had too much to drink during a long day at sea.

"The message for those planning to party afloat during the next regatta is to look at the charter option. And even then, the skipper is responsible for his passengers' safety."

The survey was conducted from February to April at boat ramps in Northland and Auckland.