Last Sunday, on Schwerin’s Inner Lake, a 42-year-old boat driver who was travelling well above the speed limit was stopped by the police. A breathalyser test revealed a blood alcohol level of 1.3 per mille. Just one day earlier, officers had even recorded a level of 2.0 per mille in a 65-year-old motorboat skipper on Lake Malchow. He, too, had previously been spotted travelling at excessive speed.
As if that weren’t enough, a rowdy stand-up paddler with a blood alcohol level of 2.5 per mille was apprehended by the police on Lake Neumühle near Schwerin.
Alcohol checks across Germany
Similar incidents from the weekend have also been reported from other regions. On Lake Chiemsee, for example, administrative offence reports were filed against two skippers who were out on two hire boats with several friends. Both men were under the influence of alcohol: one had a blood alcohol level of 0.56 per mille, the other 0.8 per mille.
Last but not least, the police stopped a jet-ski rider on the ‘Altmain’ near Sommerach last Friday. A breathalyser test on the 41-year-old woman showed a reading of just under 1.2 per mille. Criminal proceedings have been brought against her for drink-driving.
Nationwide blood alcohol limits
As a general rule, the legal limit for amateur skippers in Germany is 0.5 per mille. This applies both on inland waterways and maritime shipping routes, as well as on all other inland or coastal waters.
It should also be noted that, as a boat operator, you are liable to prosecution from as little as 0.3 per mille if you display any signs of impairment due to alcohol. This includes, for example, driving in a zigzag pattern, failing to observe navigation marks or exceeding speed limits.
Furthermore, according to the Federal Police, a criminal offence is committed in all cases where the blood alcohol level is 1.1 per mille or above, regardless of whether the skipper shows signs of alcohol-induced impairment or not.
There is also a 0.0 per mille limit. However, this does not apply to recreational boating, but applies to skippers of passenger vessels or vessels carrying dangerous cargo.
Blood alcohol limits also apply to kayakers, canoeists and stand-up paddleboarders
What many people don’t realise is that operators of so-called small craft are also subject to the limits mentioned. It makes no difference whether these have an engine or sails, or neither. In addition to canoes and kayaks, these small craft also include simple paddle boats, such as the typical dinghy. Even SUPs are covered by the regulations.
Violations may result in fines and the withdrawal of your driving licence
Breaches of the blood alcohol limits can, in some cases, result in severe penalties. Anyone caught on inland waterways with a blood alcohol level of more than 0.5 per mille faces a fine of between 350 and 2,500 euros. At sea, the fine is between 750 and 2,500 euros.
From 1.1 per mille upwards, even higher fines or even custodial sentences may be imposed. There is also a risk that your boat licence – and your driving licence too – will be revoked and that you will be required to undergo an MPU.
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Pascal Schürmann
Editor YACHT
