Campaign urges sober boating this weekend

Safety program now in sixth year

Going into the August long weekend, the Canadian Safe Boating Council is launching year six of an initiative called Operation Dry Water to stress the importance of boating sober.

A news release from the council says drinking and boating accounts for approximately 40 per cent of boating-related fatalities in Canada.

More than 16 million Canadians take to the water each year to fish, swim, ski, wakeboard, paddle or sail and a sizable number of those people believe alcohol is integral to the enjoyment of those activities, said the release.

“The council would like, through this and our other initiatives, to raise attention to the problem of boating under the influence and to remind boaters to boat sober,” said council chairman John Gullick in the news release.

Extended exposure to sun combined with wind and the rocking motion caused by waves are stressors that intensifies impairment, said the council.

“At minimum, these impairments affect one’s judgment often resulting in boaters taking risks that they wouldn’t normally take that can lead to severe injury and/ or death,” said the release.

The council also reminded the public that boating while impaired can result in a criminal charges and in some provinces, there is legislation where impaired boating can affect driving privileges.

“These penalties apply equally to alcohol or drug impairment,” said the release. “Impaired is impaired.”

The council and its enforcement and search and rescue partners also worry about the potential impact of marijuana legalization and the increase of prescription narcotics on boating incidents and fatalities.

Operation Dry Water is aimed at reducing the number of impairment-related accidents and fatalities on the water while fostering a “stronger and more visible deterrent to alcohol and drug use while boating.”