The man’s son and grandson returned to the boat that night to find him asleep, but when the son woke at 6.30am his father was missing. His body was discovered an hour later on rocks, and a post mortem found his blood-alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit to drive a car.
The Maritime NZ investigation found the man had fallen overboard early in the morning, after leaving his cabin either to urinate in the sea, or while he was sleep-walking which he was prone to do.
Maritime NZ Investigator Jim Lott says once overboard, his ability to raise an alarm would have been seriously reduced because of the amount of alcohol he’d drunk.
“There are certain risks on a boat and these are aggravated many times over if you combine a lot of alcohol with them. It can make you disoriented - which increases your chance of falling on a boat where keeping steady on your feet is essential - and it impairs your judgment and ability to make good decisions. It also contributes to rapid onset of hypothermia once you’re in the water,” he said.
This coming summer, Maritime NZ will be continuing to warn boaties about the risks of drinking too much alcohol while boating, as part of its safety campaign about wearing life jackets, checking the weather before going out, and having communications equipment on board.
For further information contact:
RCCNZ Media Line
Phone 04 499 7318
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