Alcohol at anchor

Social media sites and boating forums have lit up over the report that police boarded a recreational boat at anchor at popular Horseshoe Bay, Peel Island in Moreton Bay, and subsequently commanded the vessel with intoxicated crew last week.

It was reported that local water police boarded what looked like a sportscruisers with men onboard enjoying what seemed to be the " hair of dog." After about 15 minutes the "police boat" apparently proceeded to tow the sportscruiser and crew away, one witness recounted.

Can anyone shed a bit more light on this? Could this be a RBT? Such questions were posted online. Of course, online forums aren't always the greatest place for the facts. As this post has gone on to reveal...

But the maritime laws and how they apply to alcohol limits while at anchor in Queensland waters specifically are crystal clear. Here's what you need to know...

ALCOHOL AT ANCHOR
The skipper of a recreational boat must have a blood alcohol limit of less than 0.05.

The skipper is also responsible for the safety of passengers and their alcohol consumption.

Drinking alcohol and being under the influence of drugs reduces your ability to boat safely. Alcohol and drugs affect your judgement, vision, coordination and reflexes —increasing your risk of having a marine incident.

Sun, heat, wind, waves and constant motion can increase these effects of alcohol and drugs. Reflexes and response times in emergencies are slowed and swimming ability reduces a lot.

COMMERCIAL VESSELS
The alcohol rules for commercial vessels are different from those for recreational boats.

The master of a class 1 commercial ship must have a blood alcohol limit of 0.

The master of all other classes of commercial ships (class 2, 3 and 4) must have a blood alcohol limit of less than 0.05.

However, it is recommended that all commercial skippers have a blood alcohol limit of 0 as part of their general safety duty.

DRUGS AND BOATING
Police can also ask you to provide a saliva sample to detect the presence of:
>> Methylamphetamine—also known as speed and ice
>> MDMA—the active ingredient in ecstasy
>> THC—the active ingredient in cannabis.

There is zero tolerance for driving or boating under the influence of drugs.

LOSS OF LICENCE AND TICKET
If you have  a recreational marine licence and are convicted of any drink or drug driving offence involving operating a recreational vessel under section 79 of the Transport Operations (Road Use Management) Act 1995 (PDF, 1.2MB), your can be cancelled or suspended.

If you hold a commercial marine qualification and are convicted of a drink or drug driving offence, this information will be provided to the National Regulator, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA), who may consider whether the person is a fit and proper person to continue to hold that marine qualification.

Read more about the specific QLD boating alcohol and drug rules and play it safe. At the time of writing, we were awaiting an official statement on this subject by Queensland Police but had yet to receive a reply.