CLEVELAND — A Coast Guard law enforcement team issued a boating-under-the-influence ticket late Friday following a boarding when the vessel operator was found to be intoxicated.
At 9:21 p.m., a Coast Guard law enforcement team from Coast Guard Station Marblehead, Ohio, aboard a 25-foot Response Boat-Small, boarded a 29-foot pleasure craft with with six people aboard.
During the boarding, the operator appeared to be intoxicated. The boarding officer conducted five afloat field sobriety tests, which the boat operator failed. The boat operator was then administered a breath analysis test and had a blood alcohol content of 0.119. The legal limit while boating on Ohio state waters is .08.
The vessel was turned over to a sober person aboard. A Coast Guard-4100 report was issued to the operator for BUI and for expired registration.
The Coast Guard reminds mariners that it is illegal to operate a boat under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Alcohol affects judgment, vision, balance and coordination. These impairments increase the likelihood of accidents afloat, for both passengers and boat operators. Coast Guard data shows that, in boating deaths involving alcohol use, more than half the victims either capsized their boat or fell overboard.
When mariners boat under the influence, it puts all those around them at significant risk. The Coast Guard wants mariners to enjoy our nation’s waterways but to do it safely and responsibly.
The Coast Guard and every state have stringent penalties for boaters violating BUI laws. The federal statute can be found in Title 46, U.S. Code, Section 2302. Penalties can include large fines, suspension or revocation of boat operator privileges, and jail terms.
