This week's announcement that the Hennepin County Water Patrol hit a high-water mark for drunken boating arrests -- with two summer weekends still to go -- got people speculating about the effect of high gas prices. With gas at up to $4 a gallon, were boaters anchoring up more often and drinking more?

It's a worthy question, but one that skirts the real issue: Why do people think differently about drinking and boating than they do drinking and driving?

Anyone who cruises Minnesota's lakes and rivers sees this cultural disconnect play out firsthand. There are plenty of responsible boaters, to be sure. But there are also plenty of captains who salute passing boats with a beer in hand or leave popular restaurants after drinking heavily at the dockside bar. On crowded waterways like Lake Minnetonka or the St. Croix River, there's no escaping shouts from alcohol-fueled boating parties or the whir of gas-powered blenders for beachside margaritas.

"You've got a very different culture with boaters. They're gonna get out there, have fun, relax and water-ski, and part of that is drinking. There's a false sense out there that if they're driving a boat, they're fine," said Lynne Goughler, a veteran Lake Minnetonka boater and vice chair of legislation for Mothers Against Drunk Drivers' Minnesota office.

The reality is that drunken driving is drunken driving -- whether it's in a car, a boat or a snowmobile.

Goughler's organization has significantly raised the profile of how dangerous it is hit the roads while under the influence. Thanks in large part to its work, the term "designated driver" has become part of the lexicon. There's less reluctance to call a cab for someone or to take away their keys. There's a real need among boaters for this same level of awareness and care.

The case for caution isn't hard to make to the public. Impaired judgment is never a good thing, but it's especially dangerous on the water. Unlike roads, there are no lane markers. Boats go a dizzying array of speeds. There are hard-to-see hazards -- rocks, logs, swimmers.

Unlike with cars, passengers can fall overboard, a situation that can quickly turn fatal if they're impaired, the water's cold or they can't swim. Most of Minnesota's annual boating fatalities occur when someone goes into the water unexpectedly.

One of the great joys of a Minnesota summer is a day on the water. Enjoy yourself but be responsible if you or someone else is drinking. Hennepin County, the Department of Natural Resources and other law enforcement agencies that patrol the waterways deserve thanks for protecting the public from drunken boaters. But they can't be everywhere. They shouldn't have to be.