After enjoying two beautiful days on the water at Rockville Regatta watching the sailing and partying, I felt very safe in the presence of a dozen or so DNR vessels cruising the spectator boats. The DNR patrol boats also did an excellent job of keeping the race course clear and were very courteous when hailed. Unfortunately at the conclusion of Saturday’s event the DNR vessels proceeded to cordon off all exits and swarm unsuspecting boat operators. Overzealous out of town DNR officers brought in for the event handed out violations and transported operators to the mobile paddy wagon at Cherry Point with the “we will fill it” mentality. Many boat operators were wrongly accused of operating under the influence just because the passengers in their boats had been drinking.In most instances these operators were only guilty of leaving at the wrong time. It appeared that DNR officers turned a blind eye to numerous violations throughut the day and then waited until a predetermined time to enforce boating regulations. Many safety checks turned into immediate accusations of boating under the influence. The safety of the event would have been better served if DNR interacted with the boaters to quell violations during the event, rather than wait to the conclusion of the event to execute a military style assault on boaters.
are you a guilty one whining?How in the hell could they interact amongst all the rafting.What do you expect law enforcement to do?Observe a large group of partiers drinking in the sun all day,then tell them to have a nice 45min ICW ride home,or a 5min ride to a truck w/ trailer.Give me a f>cking break.You let a boat load of drunk punks run over someone,and people would be screaming that DNR didn’t do their job blah,blah,blah…
I think the original poster’s concern was that DNR allowed the problem to develop all day and then swarmed all at once - this seems more like a desire to write tickets and increase revenue rather than a desire to protect.
They should have enforced the rules and addressed the problem uniformly throughout the day. This would have been more likely to prevent any accidents than swarming everyone at closing time.
BUI is just like DUI. You have to be “operating” the vessel to be in violation. Therefore nothing can really be done until the motor starts. What part of that didn’t you understand??
I think the original poster’s concern was that DNR allowed the problem to develop all day and then swarmed all at once - this seems more like a desire to write tickets and increase revenue rather than a desire to protect.
They should have enforced the rules and addressed the problem uniformly throughout the day. This would have been more likely to prevent any accidents than swarming everyone at closing time.
have you ever been to Rockvul?If you have not,look at some of the hundreds of pix.There are thousands of people on many boats rafted together.No way in HELL DNR can maneuver in the current and anchor lines.Get real dude.
I do not think DNR " allowed" these boat operators to drink to much, they each made there own decisions, and evidently thought it worthwhile to drink to much and still drive the boat. Noone forced them into this decision.
Yea I think highway patrol should hit all the bars and talk to the drivers first instead of just riding around a huge party and then settig up a road block and catching all the drunks leaving said party. Like marshgrass said its just like a DUI complete with a field sobriety test and having to blow once you get to county lockup.
Some days your the bug,Some days your the windshield
22’Champion bay f225 yami
BUI is just like DUI. You have to be “operating” the vessel to be in violation. Therefore nothing can really be done until the motor starts. What part of that didn’t you understand??
Marsha
35 Contender
Point and case right there…I’d listen to the lawyer on this one.
BUI is just like DUI. You have to be “operating” the vessel to be in violation. Therefore nothing can really be done until the motor starts. What part of that didn’t you understand??
Marsha
35 Contender
Point and case right there…I’d listen to the lawyer on this one.
Then you better get a better lawyer, because the engine does not have to be on to get a BUI.
This is a dumb thread… Have you ever been to rockville? Its like that every year. That is why the driver of each boat needs to be mature and say sober. The DNR guys are not out to be ********s. They are there to ensure safety. I know plenty of those guys and they are good down to earth people. I have been attending Rockville Regatta since I was old enough to walk and am a member of SIYC and have never had a problem with the law. I have a lot of respect for those guys out there and so should anyone who likes to feel safe on the water.
From reds to marlin you got it.
2001 210 Sea Fox
2009 Yamaha F150
BUI is just like DUI. You have to be “operating” the vessel to be in violation. Therefore nothing can really be done until the motor starts. What part of that didn’t you understand??
Marsha
35 Contender
Point and case right there…I’d listen to the lawyer on this one.
Then you better get a better lawyer, because the engine does not have to be on to get a BUI.
I think you have to be driving the boat to get a BUI other wise it would be called a FUI (floating under the influence) or a AUI(anchored under the influence)
From reds to marlin you got it.
2001 210 Sea Fox
2009 Yamaha F150
I wrote this as a letter to the post and courier, which may or may not be printed, and I had to alter it quite a bit in an effort to make it more printable. The reality is DNR brought in Douche Bag officers from the upstate who justified the expense of being at Rockville by handing out a quota of BUI. You did not have to be drunk to get a BUI, and no one would be or was stupid enough to blow in their BAT wagon at cherry point, thus incriminating themselves. DNR had a meeting earlier in the week where they formulated an attack plan and blocked all the exits out of Rockville. If you were idling out of Bohicket creek at 6:00 on Saturday you were a target, and assumed drunk and likely to be placed on the DNR boat and taken into custody. As far as violations during the event, 30 people on a 20ft boat should be grounds for a warning at least. The DNR shadowed the event, marked their targets and moved in when the crowds dispersed. I’ve been going to Rockville for 20 years and I’ve seen plenty of people that deserved BUI’s, the difference this year was you didn’t have to be drunk to get one, all you had to do was leave the Regatta at 6:00pm.
It would be easier to stake out boat landings any weekend and enforce the DUI when they leave. They should stop search and id people, just as they do to us when we are fishing. I’ve stopped going down there. Perhaps I’m old, perhaps I’m fired of the idiots. Had some buddies get run down in the waterway 2 years ago. Scary story- pioneer wedged between the motors and the hard top.
Thank the Morris island crowd for this years enforcement. All the bad press gave law enforcement a black eye. I expected to see a note in the paper about trash on the creekafter this weekend.
The storm starts stopping when the drops stop dropping.
-Theodore Geisel
