Alcohol and boating 

The RYA will continue to resist badly drafted legislation.

A rule to introduce drink driving laws for non- professional mariners was included in the Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003 but this provision has not yet been brought into force.

In 2009 the Department for Transport (DfT) launched a consultation on its proposals to implement the regulations on drink driving for recreational craft.

The RYA objected to the DfT's then proposals because we believed they were badly drafted, meaning that it would have been very difficult for many boaters to know whether they were required to comply with the rules. 

The RYA does not condone being drunk in charge of a vessel and we continually encourage boaters to act responsibly in this regard.

However, if the Government does implement drink driving laws then we believe that they must be clear, sensible and readily understandable.