Good day to you all. I’ve been sailing for over 40 years now and been charter
skipper for the last 18 fortunately for me 99% of my customers have been nice,well mannered, civilized people. BUT I will tell you that the few times things went wrong were alcohol related. “Alcohol” is your worst enemy onboard. I don't want to minimize your terrible experience you had onboard but my worst nightmare is a drunken
MOB if something tragic were to happen it’s all on you the
skipper (at least here in Europe)
So that 1%
.I was on a 41’
Beneteau, with 7 young Russians getting hammered, when a drunken girl jumped
overboard all of a sudden with all
sails up, 15kts of
wind, chopy 1.5mt waves and lots of traffic. The probabilities for disaster were way up there. When I finally picked her up after 15 minutes of hectic maneuvers, she was crying hysterically. I shouted at her why she jumped, she said “I was testing if my boyfriend loved me enough to jump after me to save me” I couldn’t believe it. He did try to jump after her but I told him “Do not even move” in a very authoritarian manner “I would have two drunks in the
water instead of one”. After that I told them “sorry guys trip finished we’re going back”
Years later, I was on the same
boat with a bachelors party of 10 from
Sweden. Usually there is someone in a group who is the clown, the one who needs attention, probably very insecure and for sure a Drunk. Fortunately I can detect them quickly and I keep a very close eye on them. So we went out and as usual they started drinking as if there were no tomorrow, but the clown was drinking twice as fast and getting drunk and out of control very quickly. I told the guy who chartered the
boat to control his friend or we would have to return. We went along with the clown annoying everyone and falling all over the boat. By the end of the trip we were coming into port and I was thinking that this one was over with. I’m in the middle of my
docking maneuver on reverse stern to, between two other
boats and the clown some how manages to jump between my stern and the
dock. So now I’m forced to put the
engine in neutral, the
wind is pushing us on to the other boat, I can’t tie the boat and the clown is in the
water trying to climb on to the duck but he is too drunk to do it. I seriously thought he might drown. Thank goodness a guy from
security was passing by on his motorbike saw the situation and quickly helped the idiot get out of the water.
All of these
events are near fatal, it only takes a little twist of fate and tragedy strikes. In the end like someone said before it’s better to lose those customers than risk your boat and others. It’s not worth it
So yes there should be some kind of booze control on a charter especially if you are responsible. Sailing and drunkenness are not compatible. If they object to that then is better not to do it. It just doesn’t make sense to give all the
safety briefing if you're gonna have drunk customers on board.
Thaks and be safe