Connecticut Cracks Down on Drunken Boating

Brownsville Brooklyn · Jul 17, 2010

Posted: Saturday, 17 July 2010 10:25AM

Connecticut Cracks Down on Drunken Boating

HARTFORD, CT (AP) -- Connecticut is joining several other states to crack down on drunken boaters this weekend.

Gov. M. Jodi Rell says police officers will be increasing enforcement of the state's ``boating under the influence'' law on the Connecticut River, in the central part of the state, and at Candlewood Lake in western Connecticut. It's part of the multi-state ``Operation Dry Water.''

The governor says a similar effort in June led to four arrests for boating under the influence and nine citations for other safety violations.

Rell says alcohol is the major factor in fatal boating accidents.

Connecticut now has stricter ``boating under the influence'' laws that include penalties ranging from fines as high as $8,000 to three years in jail.

billski · Jul 17, 2010

I'm glad to see that. However, like any enforcement effort, it all depends on how long the legislature funds it. It's very frustrating to enforcement officials when the legislatures pass laws left and right but never properly fund them. Not just in boating. Poor cops have more laws than they every stand a chance of enforcing and new ones come on line every month.

NJ has a safe boating law that is very un-friendly towards visitors. The law mandates that any boat with a motor, even a sailboat with a trolling motor must be piloted by someone who has passed the safe boating course. While you can take a course online, you have to sit in NJ for the written exam. It is offered at impossible days and times for an out of stater to ever get to. It begs the question, once more about enforcement. Oh well, it helps the pols get re-elected.

Brownsville Brooklyn · Jul 17, 2010

hey billy boy id like to crack down on a few clowns that r on this site....i still say u have one of the sweetest smiles a person could have :snow:

u ever gonna come down to sundown??

Groundskeeper Willie · Jul 17, 2010

"Your Honor'?....

Brownsville Brooklyn said:
hey billy boy id like to crack down on a few clowns that r on this site....i still say u have one of the sweetest smiles a person could haveu ever gonna come down to sundown??

..." I believe the evidence before you speaks for itself "...

Brownsville Brooklyn · Jul 17, 2010

Groundskeeper Willie said:
..." I believe the evidence before you speaks for itself "...

take a look at the people in the pic in my signature....its 1935 before hitlerism got going....everyone in the pic was starved to death in the warsaw ghetto or escaped warsaw, poland & was killed in russia:sad::-

sad::-(

4aprice · Jul 19, 2010

billski said:
I'm glad to see that. However, like any enforcement effort, it all depends on how long the legislature funds it. It's very frustrating to enforcement officials when the legislatures pass laws left and right but never properly fund them. Not just in boating. Poor cops have more laws than they every stand a chance of enforcing and new ones come on line every month.

NJ has a safe boating law that is very un-friendly towards visitors. The law mandates that any boat with a motor, even a sailboat with a trolling motor must be piloted by someone who has passed the safe boating course. While you can take a course online, you have to sit in NJ for the written exam. It is offered at impossible days and times for an out of stater to ever get to. It begs the question, once more about enforcement. Oh well, it helps the pols get re-elected.

Bill:

I'm not sure NJ's law is that restrictive. If you have a certificate from another state it is acceptable just not from some run of the mill web site. (Boat US etc) Example: My certificate (NJ) is accepted on NH waters and I believe the reverse is true.

Here on Lake Hopatcong we have the State Police, Morris County Sheriff, (shared duties) and the Coast Guard Aux (Homeland Security and very little enforcement power). We've seen less of them this season. We have a speed limit of 30 mph on weekend days and 10 mph after dark, (no limit weekdays) and areas that are off limit to skiing/tubing at certain hours on the weekend. That is where one sees most of the police action. We also have a great cove where most of the boats go to raft up and party. (up to 200 boats on a hot weekend) The police will cruise through but unless there is a compliant from the shore (ie: loud music) they don't bother anybody. We always wave to them and offer food. We also feel bad for them because they have to wear long pants but I still think that duty would beat a squad car.

Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ

billski · Jul 19, 2010

4aprice said:
Bill:

I'm not sure NJ's law is that restrictive. If you have a certificate from another state it is acceptable just not from some run of the mill web site. (Boat US etc) Example: My certificate (NJ) is accepted on NH waters and I believe the reverse is true.

Alex, That is precisely what the NJ Marina owner told me last week. The bigger problem is that Massachusetts only requires training for minors, so there is no way an adult (well, maybe I don't act like one!) can get certified in this state.
On the reverse, Mass. will let any adult motor along here.

From a pragmatic point of view however, I am told nobody in NJ is running down skippers to check their papers. I suppose it becomes a bigger issue if you are involved in some sort of incident.

2knees · Jul 19, 2010

Brownsville Brooklyn said:
hey billy boy id like to crack down on a few clowns that r on this site

:lol:

campgottagopee · Jul 19, 2010

All we're doing is taking the word "fun" out of the dictionary.

ctenidae · Jul 19, 2010

CT has pretty strict rules on certification. The class is pretty much a joke, but it is a mandatory 8 hour chunk of your life.

4aprice · Jul 19, 2010

ctenidae said:
CT has pretty strict rules on certification. The class is pretty much a joke, but it is a mandatory 8 hour chunk of your life.

I was lucky. When they instituted the law they had a test out option for experienced boaters. I took that option and saved 7 of those hours and $ (got 100% on it too). They have since eliminated that option and require people to take the class.

Interesting that Mass is the "home of the free" boating wise. PA remains a holdout too (PA is relaxed about a lot of things unlike NJ).

Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ

bvibert · Jul 19, 2010

ctenidae said:
CT has pretty strict rules on certification. The class is pretty much a joke, but it is a mandatory 8 hour chunk of your life.

Yes, but don't they 'honor' some other state's certifications too? It's been a while since I took the course, or even piloted a boat for that matter, so I may be mistaken. IIRC you need to be certified to operate a PWC (personal water craft, jetskis and the like) as well.

bvibert · Jul 19, 2010

campgottagopee said:
All we're doing is taking the word "fun" out of the dictionary.

By cracking down on drunken boating, or by requiring certifications to operate vessels?

I see it as being no different than operating a car, except it's easier to get a boating license IMHO.

ctenidae · Jul 19, 2010

bvibert said:
Yes, but don't they 'honor' some other state's certifications too? It's been a while since I took the course, or even piloted a boat for that matter, so I may be mistaken. IIRC you need to be certified to operate a PWC (personal water craft, jetskis and the like) as well.

They do accept other state's certs- some they don't, but not sure who is on which list.
And there are 2 different certs- there's one that covers just boats, and not jet skis, and one that covers both.

The class and cert is, I think a good idea, just executed poorly. Things like sound signals are discussed and "tested," but the instructors said several times (CG Aux guys, too) that no one uses them, and if you do, you'll probably just "be number 1 all day." Doesn't exactly encourage the proper use of signals, I think.

Groundskeeper Willie · Jul 19, 2010

??????

Brownsville Brooklyn said:
hey billy boy id like to crack down on a few clowns that r on this site....i still say u have one of the sweetest smiles a person could hinsaveu ever gonna come down to sundown??

oooooooooooooo....

campgottagopee · Jul 19, 2010

bvibert said:
By cracking down on drunken boating, or by requiring certifications to operate vessels?

I see it as being no different than operating a car, except it's easier to get a boating license IMHO.

I'll explain, but I think you know what I mean.....what I mean is that common sense is GONE therefore we need "laws" to make we humans "behave". Sounds like the days of having a few beers on your boat with some pals is long gone. Haveing a few beers doing whatever is long gone........not talking about smashed drunk, but the social aspect of things....."fun stuff". Too many people have gone over the edge and have ruined it for many people. You have to remeber I'm from the era when the cops would follow you home to make sure you got home okay, and NOT to bust you. Not the cops fault, just change......fun is out of the dictionary.

bvibert · Jul 19, 2010

campgottagopee said:
I'll explain, but I think you know what I mean.....what I mean is that common sense is GONE therefore we need "laws" to make we humans "behave". Sounds like the days of having a few beers on your boat with some pals is long gone. Haveing a few beers doing whatever is long gone........not talking about smashed drunk, but the social aspect of things....."fun stuff". Too many people have gone over the edge and have ruined it for many people. You have to remeber I'm from the era when the cops would follow you home to make sure you got home okay, and NOT to bust you. Not the cops fault, just change......fun is out of the dictionary.

I understand better now, and I agree to an extent. Like you said, some people have ruined it and now there has to be a line somewhere...

On a similar note I recently heard of a cop in a CT town who pulled over an friend of a friend and gave her a sobriety test, at the end of the test he gave her a verbal warning and followed her home to make sure that she made it. Apparently it still happens sometimes, though I think her being a female probably had something to do with that.

campgottagopee · Jul 19, 2010

bvibert said:
I understand better now, and I agree to an extent. Like you said, some people have ruined it and now there has to be a line somewhere...

On a similar note I recently heard of a cop in a CT town who pulled over an friend of a friend and gave her a sobriety test, at the end of the test he gave her a verbal warning and followed her home to make sure that she made it. Apparently it still happens sometimes, though I think her being a female probably had something to do with that.

Right on---boobs help!!! :razz:

tjf67 · Jul 19, 2010

campgottagopee said:
I'll explain, but I think you know what I mean.....what I mean is that common sense is GONE therefore we need "laws" to make we humans "behave". Sounds like the days of having a few beers on your boat with some pals is long gone. Haveing a few beers doing whatever is long gone........not talking about smashed drunk, but the social aspect of things....."fun stuff". Too many people have gone over the edge and have ruined it for many people. You have to remeber I'm from the era when the cops would follow you home to make sure you got home okay, and NOT to bust you. Not the cops fault, just change......fun is out of the dictionary.

Boating with out beer is like cereal with out milk.

campgottagopee · Jul 19, 2010

tjf67 said:
Boating with out beer is like cereal with out milk.

NOW that's what I'm talkin' about---don't care what kinda boat, all I want to know is how many drink holders does it have---that's a boat

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