On Sun, 08 Jul 2007 08:47:28 -0700, Chuck Gould
wrote:

There's a difference between having a beer on a summer afternoon and
being a "drunk".

It's a little more complicated than that.

The combination of alcohol and sun can lead to dehydration - even one
can cause the effect if one hasn't taken precautions by drinking
non-caffinated beverages like water or a sports drink. Even one 12
ounce can of beer can do the trick - in particular if somebody hasn't
eaten or had some water along the way.

If you are just sitting on your house deck, drinking a beer and eating
a burger, that's not going to create a problem as such.

On a boat, that's a whole different story. Movement, wind, the
accelerated dual effect of direct sun and reflected sun can dehydrate
you in short order. Add 12 ounces of beer, it's possible that you can
have or be a problem in short order.

The sad thing is you won't even know it until it happens. All of a
sudden, exhaustion sets in. A cold beer sounds gppd and the effect in
compounded.

When I was active with the local Vollies, I've seen it happen a number
of times on local lakes - I only had one beer.

Never doubted it for a second. :)

I thought Carrie Nation and Temperance Unions were ancient history.
Good thing they didn't catch one of the canoeists or kayakers smokin a
doobie.....if beer warrants a ticket those uptight puritans would
probably lynch somebody found with a joint.

Not the issue and I'm surprised that you would make such a statement.

An open container law bans an open container of alcohol in the
passenger compartment of a vehicle and/or boat. The goal is to stop
people from drinking and driving, it almost goes without saying that
an open container law should stop people from drinking WHILE driving.

And that's really the issue - drinking while driving and boating.

No wonder the entire world seems to be moving to the west coast! :-)

You ought to check our own state's Open Container law then because
it's one of the more drastic ones in terms of fines and effects.