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Alert--Ontario enforcement

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DanM
Captain

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USA
256 Posts

Initially Posted - 08/11/2006 : 20:37:57

Not to be a "downer', but here is a recent news alert:
(from H2ONotes.com):
Ontario is cracking down on boating and drinking.
"There's nothing like a cold swig of beer as you relax on your sailboat this weekend. But make sure your watercraft is docked or anchored at shore before you take a sip. While you can now lose your vehicle driving licence for drinking and boating, it's always been illegal to imbibe while on the water, even if you're not operating the watercraft.

"You can't consume alcohol if you're in a car on a road so you can't do it in a boat either," said Constable Gary Gibson of Toronto Police's Marine Unit, which patrols Lake Ontario from Mississauga to Pickering and out to the U.S. border. In addition to watching for drunk drivers this long weekend, police are continuing their seasonal crackdown on boozing boaters on Ontario lakes. Police boats now carry alcohol-screening devices.

"If we observe something wrong ... we'll pull the boat over and you're going to be tested if we smell alcohol on your breath," Gibson said. Few people have been charged with drinking and boating since legislation was passed on June 22 giving police the power to suspend motor vehicle licences.

The fine for drinking booze on the water is $250.

The only time you can legally consume alcohol on a boat is if it has permanent sleeping, cooking and sanitation facilities, and it's docked or anchored. "Has the new law scared people to be more aware (of the possibility of vehicle licence suspension)? Absolutely," said Constable Brian LaHie of the Hamilton-Halton Marine Unit. "Boaters know there's a pretty good chance they'll be spotted if they do something stupid.

The province's new law gives marine police the power to issue on-the-spot 12-hour licence suspensions to anyone with blood alcohol readings of .05. Drunk boaters also now face the same penalties as impaired drivers. The law also applies to operators of canoes, kayaks and pedal boats.

Boaters with a blood alcohol level of above .08 automatically have their driving licence suspended for 90 days while they wait their court appearance. A one-year loss of a driver's licence is imposed upon conviction for impaired driving.

DanM _/)
'85 C25 4870
Buffalo, NY-Pt.Abino, ON
www.buffalocanoeclub.com

Edited by - on

cat1951
Admiral

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USA
636 Posts

Response Posted - 08/11/2006 : 21:43:28

I will be careful and watch out for the Mounties. You never know how far south they might be patrolling.

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stampeder
Master Marine Consultant

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1608 Posts

Response Posted - 08/12/2006 : 21:34:57

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">"Boaters know there's a pretty good chance they'll be spotted if they do something stupid.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

They do the breathalyzer test to tell the stupid drunk ones from the just plain stupid ones.

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DaveC25
Navigator

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USA
152 Posts

Response Posted - 08/15/2006 : 08:13:16

SO you cannot drink on your boat unless it has a permanent cooking facility? That means a Catalina 25 doesn't qualify. I guess only large yacht owners are smart enough to drink responsibly.

And that pedal boat stipulation is ridiculous. I personally have ALWAYS had a fear of being run down by a drunk pedaller!

If someone wants to anchor off somewhere to sip wine while watching the sun set, I don't see any problem with that! I think they should severly punish people operating a boat in a dangerous manner while drunk, but they shouldn't forbid people who are reponsible from enjoying themselves.

-DaveC25

Edited by - DaveC25 on 08/15/2006 08:19:53

stampeder
Master Marine Consultant

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1608 Posts

Response Posted - 08/15/2006 : 11:52:42

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">SO you cannot drink on your boat unless it has a permanent cooking facility? That means a Catalina 25 doesn't qualify<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">DaveC25

I was of the understanding that my C25 with fixed permanent two burner stove and sink, head and sleeping berths for four, qualified as a boat I can drink on while at anchor.

Last week the Mounties made one of their rare appearances at my lake. They did not even come over to look at the sailboats at anchor. They were looking for moving violations.
I would be very suprised if the Mounties anywhere in Canada (or any of the other boating regulators such as Fisheries and Wildlife Officers or Coast Guard) were to take any interest in what was going on, on a sailboat. You would have to be blatantly waving liquor around while underway.
The only incident I've ever had on a sailboat in Canada was on the Westcoast when I motored into a Navy Shipyard and was within 100 Meters of a Navy demarcation zone. A Navy RHIB zoomed out at highspeed, politely showed me their guns (pointed up not at) and instructed me to respect the no-go zone.

Edited by - on

DaveC25
Navigator

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USA
152 Posts

Response Posted - 08/15/2006 : 16:41:21

Stampeder,

Well, that's good to know that they didn't give the sailboats a hard time. To be honest I've never been stopped by the marine patrol down here, although my friends with power boats say they're usually very aggressive. I guess they're just looking for the troublemakers, but it makes me nervous when the laws are written in a "everything's against the law and we'll enforce what we feel like" way.

I do not have a stove on my boat, although it has the head and berths like all C25s. I figured I could mount a stove on it, but it wouldn't be a "permanent" fixture since it could be unbolted, and didn't come with the boat in the first place.

By that token I suppose you could mount a stove, bed, and toilet on any watercraft over 12 feet or so and make it legal. :) Who knows.

Good to know I can bring a bottle of wine if I ever cruise to Ontario.

-DaveC25

Edited by - DaveC25 on 08/15/2006 16:42:08

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The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.