Quote:
Originally Posted by Acres per Second
It may be legal, but it is definitely not "safe".
No amount of alcohol is safe on the water: the first sip of alcohol clouds Judgment—and Judgment isn't helped by additional alcohol. 
The actions of rough waters, wind, dehydration, exposure and sun—take a serious toll on a captain's physical resources—even without having alcohol in his system.
The on-board carry of an Intoxilyzer® is the only sure measure of a captain's reaction to alcohol's influence.
In other waters, authorities can board a vessel with very little "official cause": once aboard, a captain's own testimony can find himself arrested on the spot.  Lake Winnipesaukee has a LFOD attitude to alcohol-use aboard a boat. Lt. Dunleavey once spoke of 40% having alcohol on board.
Given Barber's Pole's curved and narrow shoreline, the slower the passage of a "40% boat", is best for the residents of that area. It's a shame that the "60% boats" are punished by the others, but some sub-sets of our population can have that effect on our regulations.
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I have asked this of you before, with no response. So I will ask again.
What is so unsafe about having alcohol aboard a boat? He stated plainly that the operator of the vessel is never under the influence. So are you saying that it is unsafe for a responsible adult to have an alcoholic beverage onboard a boat?