Operation Dry Water - Law Enforcement

[artcarney_agr]

OK, as for the "dry county" thing...

Dry counties are not allowed to sell alcoholic beverages.

It IS legal to have alcoholic beverages for your personal consumption in a dry county.

It is NOT legal to consume alcohol in public view anywhere in KY, dry or wet. You cannot stand on a street corner drinking a can of beer anywhere in KY..... same with yout boat. Those places are considered "in public view". There is just simply no drinking in public allowed in the state, period... wet or dry county.

Staduims, private clubs, golf courses, wineries, are all considered "out of public view".

If you are inside your houseboat or cruiser cabin, out of public view, it is the same as if you were in your house. You can drink alcohol, but because it is a boat you can still not be over .08 BAC if you are the operator because it is considered a "vehicle" and has to potential to move again at any point.

The other thing is you should have a designated boat driver, capable of driving the boat safely who is not drinking. If all aboard are considered
"publicly drunk", the officer who is checking may decide no one is capable of safely driving the boat back to dock and he has the right to have it towed and impounded.

You are right on the money there. Always designate a driver, and be aware that you are in public.

[usmc_0311_hunter]

this is why i just stick to driving on lsd and musharooms!!! lol jk

[olgreenboat]

this is why i just stick to driving on lsd and musharooms!!! lol jk

Shroooooms yum yum. Horse stables here i come..

[Tom523]

Sorry folks, but the KDFWR is THE law enforcement body on the KY waterways. In the case of Lake Cumberland, the KDFWR has the jusrisdiction to carry out Federal law enforcement. This is handed to them by the Coast Guard every year and the KDFWR does recieve ~1.4 mil in Federal grant money to act in the Coast Guard's absence here on the lake for law enforcement, education and safety.

The KDFWR officers have every right, the same as the Coast Guard does, to board A N Y vessel on the water at A N Y time for the purpose of inspection. They can write State and Federal citations, depending on the severity of the issues found. It makes no difference whatsoever if the boat is registered in a state or if it is Federally documented. The only real reason to even document a boat is because the ownership record and any ship's mortgage is considered more secure than a state title or UCC filing. The documented vessel is still subject to KY property tax every year, but does not have to bear a KY state registration number or decal according to KY law.

The Coast Guard visits Lake Cumberland at least one week per year, sometimes more, per their guidelines for their AOR of a Federal waterway. The group from Sector Ohio Valley, Louisville Sector was here 2 weeks ago for one of their yearly visits. They will be here again in July sometime to do inspections on all of my towboats. I have not heard the date yet.

FYI, if you are a licensed Captain, you are "over the limit" at .04 BAC. The average Joe boat operator is over at .08 BAC.

The BAC limit don't matter. You could be sober for the last 5 years and if they want to arrest you and put you in jail they will no matter what your BAC is. You will spend a night in jail, lose a day of work to go to court, and if you hire an attorney, that will cost. Then the judge will see that your BAC is 0.0 and downgrade the charge to disorderly conduct and fine you $116.00 plus court costs. You can fight it further but it will just cost you more. You're guilty until proven innocent. Guilty of something!

[Drew07]

Im just gonna do as I please in a safe responsible manner and everything should be A ok! Just like everyone else should!