We take great pride in our USCG documentation services. Our site covers all of the vessel documentation you’ll need. No matter which stage of vessel ownership you’re at, you can find the documentation you need for your vessel on our site. However, we’re always looking for ways to offer our customers more. Occasionally, we like to mentions ways that you can boat more safely. When you have a safe and secure experience on the water, it ultimately means that you’ll have that much more fun. Indeed, it certainly ensures that you can have fun on the water later. In this blog, we’ll go over some reasons that you shouldn’t “drink and boat,” or boat under the influence.
More than USCG Documentation Services
We definitely want all appropriate vessel owners to come to our USCG documentation site. Indeed, it has all of the necessary forms that a vessel owner needs to make sure that their vessel stays on the water legally. However, there’s more to legal boating than just having the documentation. We don’t just want you to be a customer once; we want to establish a business relationship with each of our customers. The customer who comes to us for an initial Certificate of Documentation is also the customer we want to come to us for their documentation when, years down the line, they sell their vessel to someone else. With these “boating under the influence” facts and tips, we aim to make safer, more informed boaters. That’s a good thing for everyone on the water.
Drink Responsibly
You wouldn’t drink and drive a car, so why would you do the same with a boat? The same rules apply: you can’t drink while operating a boat, either. Obviously, we’ve all enjoyed a party on a boat. Indeed, there are few gatherings more fun than getting together a bunch of friends or family members and going out on the water with an anchor and a cooler. Just sitting out in the sun and having a nice party can be a great way to make the sort of memories that will last a lifetime. That being said, be smart and responsible. Don’t drink and then be the person driving the boat. If you’re going to drink, don’t drive the boat. While too many of you these may seem like common sense ideas, they’re actually something that needs to be said again and again.
What Happens When You Drink on a Boat
Obviously, we all know that if you consume alcohol, your judgment and cognitive abilities rapidly decline. That can make it extremely difficult to make good decisions or even to take in information whatsoever. It can be essentially impossible to accurately assess situations when you’re drinking and behind the wheel of a boat. The same goes for your physical abilities as well: you can’t react as quickly or as competently as you could when you’re sober. So, it makes operating the boat, turning the wheel, docking it and all that kind of thing so much more difficult as to be unsafe. When you drink, you don’t want to be behind the wheel of a boat.
Drinking and the Water
Consuming alcohol and then going into the water can actually lead to more problems that people may not be aware of. If you’ve had an alcoholic drink, you’re aware of how it can make you to feel “warm.” Many talk about that “warm, buzzed” sensation when they have an alcoholic drink. For many, that’s the appeal of the alcohol itself. However, that can be a true danger should you then go swimming. You can take that “warm” feeling into the water with you. That’s dangerous, as the water may not actually be warm. Your body may not be able to process how cold the water is, so hypothermia could set in before you know it. Too many people die this way every year.
Beyond that, for many, the danger when they drink and go in the water is that they can’t separate up from down. If you’re reading this on the land, it may sound a bit silly. How can they not separate up from down? Isn’t the sun still out or even the moon? Yes, but alcohol can create disturbances in your inner ear which, when your cognitive abilities have been impaired due to the alcohol, make it impossible to tell which way is up and which is done. To be safe, don’t drink and swim, either.
Responsibility is a big part of boating. Vessel documentation is important, but being safe is important, too. By offering safety tips, it’s one more way we feel that we can help our boating customers. For more info about vessel documentation, or the kinds of forms your vessel needs, give us a call at (800) 535-8570 or go to our site.