Every year, Minnesotans take advantage of our 10,000+ lakes and short summers, by swimming, fishing, water skiing, canoeing and other boating activities. Many Minnesotans also enjoy drinking beer and other forms of alcohol on hot summer days and evenings. The combination of alcohol and boating is dangerous for all of us and tragic for some.

In Minnesota, there are 378,000 boat owners or one boat for every six residents. Sixty percent of Minnesota adults drink alcohol in a given month. It has been estimated that approximately 35% of boaters consume alcohol while in a boat.

Most people know that alcohol impairs the ability to drive an automobile and social norms about drinking and driving are continuing to shift toward a standard of safety about drinking and driving. Not as many people recognize the risks of driving or riding in a boat after consuming alcohol. Even in small amounts, alcohol begins to impair a boater's judgment, balance and reaction time. In 1996, there were 12 Minnesotans killed due to boating accidents; all involved either capsizings or falls overboard. Fifty-eight percent of those 12 involved alcohol. The DNR also recorded 127 reportable nonfatal boating accidents (injuries or property damage exceeding $500). The two most common types of nonfatal accidents were collisions between two boats, or a boat and a fixed object.

Kim Elverum, Minnesota DNR Boat and Water Safety Coordinator, believes that there is a change in attitude toward alcohol use and boating. "Since boating while intoxicated (BWI) laws and outreach programs began, we're seeing more and more boaters refrain from alcohol use. The DWI culture has helped change that. No one appreciates a drunk on the water any more than on the highways." DNR records indicate that there were 208 BWI arrests in 1996, an increase of 40% over 1995 arrests. In addition, public information campaigns are promoting safety and good judgment as important elements of a safe environment for all recreational waterway users. The DNR and the U.S. Coast Guard both offer boating safety programs to help boaters to learn required rules of safe waterway navigation, mandatory safety equipment and skills about proper handling of a boat.

While social norms are shifting and enforcement of BWI laws is increasing, we still have a long way to go to ensure safety on our waterways. In the metro area, statistics indicate that Lake Minnetonka has more reportable nonfatal boating crashes and BWI arrests than any other body of water in Minnesota. Paul Dyke, beverage manager of the Wharf Bar in Lord Fletchers on the Lake in Minnetonka, says that their employees are very aware of this fact and are required to attend a mandatory server training program. The training identifies types of situations to be alert to and teaches the employees ways of detecting over-consumption. Employees are instructed in strategies to keep track of drinks served and skills in handling patrons who are already intoxicated. "We try our utmost to recognize and act on situations of over-consumption," explained Dyke, "It doesn't do us any good to over-serve someone."

Dyke, who has been on the lake for 16 years, believes the trend toward drinking and boating has decreased on Lake Minnetonka due to more public awareness, particularly as a result of MADD's efforts to bring the issue into public attention. "The checkpoints set up and the BWI law has helped curtail over-indulgence." Dyke reports, "I've seen it at its worst and I definitely see it improving."

Casey Smith, an avid fisherman from Elk River, believes that "party animals out on metro lakes are giving all boaters a bad rap." Smith, who fishes statewide four or five times each week, says that he enjoys Minnesota's lakes and rivers as much as the next guy, but is concerned for the safety of himself and his three kids who often fish with him. Smith believes that drinking and boating patterns have changed over the years. "I remember fishing with my grandpa as a kid. He'd grab his gear, his lunch, a six pack and out we'd go. Two or three beers would last him all day. Now, I won't go near Lake Minnetonka anymore -driving 40 miles an hour on a crowded lake is like driving a car among a row of trees- you're bound to hit one."

Alcohol-related boating problems are not limited to metro lakes.

Regularly fishing on Big Lake, Lake Mille Lacs, Gull Lake, the St. Louis River and Lake Superior, the scenario Smith and others sees most often is boaters with their big inboards "buzzing" smaller boats. "They come in too close to other boats. If you're standing in the boat fishing, it's so easy to lose your balance. It's happened to me, and I've seen it happen to others."

Another fisherman recalled being on the St. Louis River a couple years back and watching a large boat come close to the shoreline near a couple canoeing. The canoe capsized and the boat continued on. "It makes you sick to see someone who's minding their own business get tipped with all their camping and fishing gear sinking to the bottom."

Resort owners John and Nan Thoele of the Good Ol' Days Resort on the Lower Cullen near Nisswa have chosen to avoid problems by being selective in who they reserve cabins to. "Because we're very selective, we don't see any drinking on the water or in the resort." They have also chosen not to allow jet skis on their stretch of shoreline.

Thoele explained, "In certain areas around here where the resorts are clumped together, bars are plentiful, and with active large lakes, there is a problem. Weve had our resort for 16 years, and we hear the stories from other resort owners. I guess they have the wrong notion of what it's about up here; they think just because we're not the Minneapolis area we have no boating or drinking laws."

"Leech Lake is more serious for fishing," believes Sherman Flackers, owner of Steamboat Bay Resort on Leech Lake, "although don't get me wrong, there is drinking going on up here. But for the most part, they seem to stay in their cabins and drink." He felt the DNR was out a lot last summer on his stretch of Leech Lake doing checks, but didn't recall any accidents being reported.

Roger Harning, who owns Mallard Point Resort on Prairie Lake, about six miles north of Grand Rapids, concurs with Flackers' report. Prairie Lake is also more fishing oriented rather than pleasure boat oriented. "In the spring we see more groups of guys coming up as opposed to the summer, which is mainly families with kids. Generally speaking, they all seem to do okay on the water. People seem to watch out for others on this lake. There's a combination of those who come up from the metro area and party and those owning cabins on the lake who host parties or let friends use their cabin for the weekend. But since there's no bars on the lake, we don't have much problem with drinking while on the water."

Whether on a crowded metro area lake or river, or in a quiet remote lake in greater Minnesota, the combination of alcohol and boating is risky. The risks are serious not only for the drinking boater, but those who ride with that person and for those who may be fishing, boating, water skiing or swimming in the same waterway as an impaired boater. There are also risks for the rider, skier, fisherperson or swimmer who is impaired by alcohol use. Even if the driver of a boat is sober, impaired passengers are at risk of falling overboard, which is reported to be a much more likely occurrence than being involved in a collision with another boat.

The following guidelines are suggested to reduce or eliminate the risk of experiencing an alcohol-related boating accident: