Are more boaters tying up to tie one on?

Bruce Bisping, Star Tribune

Boaters enjoyed a summer night in Excelsior Bay on Lake Minnetonka, one of the largest and busiest lakes in the state. High gas prices might also be the reason for fewer boating accidents this year. At $4 a gallon, boaters are going slower to conserve fuel.

High gas prices might have more people boating - and drinking - close to home, leading to an increase in arrests on Hennepin County lakes.

By MARY LYNN SMITH, Star Tribune

Last update: August 21, 2008 - 11:33 PM

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Wallet-draining gas prices may be enticing more boaters to drop their anchors and down more booze than they should -- leading to an increase in drunken boating arrests in Hennepin County. Most of those arrests are on Lake Minnetonka -- one of the largest and most popular lakes in the state and often "the place to be" each summer for boaters in the metro area.

The Hennepin County Water Patrol has made 63 arrests for drunken boating so far this year. That's up from 41 arrests last year, 45 in 2006, 29 in 2005 and 55 in 2004.

Law enforcement officials are concerned that number could rise even more as Minnesotans revel in the waning days of summer and as Labor Day's last hurrah fast approaches.

Statewide, officers with the Department of Natural Resources have made "more than 100" arrests of drunken boaters in 2008, a number about on pace with 2007 (125 arrests) and 2006 (126 arrests). Ramsey County has made one drunken boating arrest so far this year, down from three last year.

As summer began, Hennepin County Water Patrol Deputy Lt. Kip Carver said he and others didn't know how escalating gas prices would affect boat traffic. But from the looks of Lake Minnetonka and other metro lakes, "it's been a busy season," Carver said.

As he and other deputies patrol the waters, they speculate that the rise in gas prices is keeping more boaters closer to home and on metro lakes.

Those high gas prices also may be the reason there have been fewer accidents. People may be slowing down to conserve fuel, Carver said.

But it also may be why more boaters are anchoring and tying up with one another for longer periods of time. And when that happens, some people consume more alcohol, Carver said.

Brian Maginnis, who brings his runabout to Minnetonka about once a week, agreed he's seen more anchor parties this year. "At $4 a gallon, who's going to run from bay to bay like they used to?" he said.

"Drinking and boating, it's part of the culture for better or worse. Boating by definition is a leisure activity and when people are at leisure, they drink. You just hope the operator is not the one leading the charge.''

Although Maginnis endorsed the idea of designating a sober boat operator just as you would have a designated driver, Carver said people seem to think differently about drinking and boating compared with drinking and driving on the road.

But the same rules apply whether you are cruising Interstate 494 or skimming the waves on Grays Bay: It's against the law to operate a boat or motor vehicle with a blood alcohol level of 0.08 percent or higher.

Carver said boaters need to think twice before drinking and pulling up anchor. "It goes back to being responsible,'' he said. "There are families out on the lakes. If you consume alcohol, your awareness changes and reaction slows. ... You need a designated driver.''

Mary Lynn Smith • 612-673-4788

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