Cool, cloudy Seafair weather trims crowds, arrests

A daylong rain Saturday and cool, cloudy weather Sunday kept the crowds down for the final weekend of Seafair.

It also reduced the number of boaters on Lake Washington arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.

On hot, 80-degree days during past hydroplane-race weekends, as many as 148 boaters were arrested in cases of boating under the influence, a misdemeanor. Through midafternoon Sunday, only 54 had been cited.

"We're fortunate this year, there have been no medical emergencies, no boating emergencies and, knock-on-wood, no fatalities," said Cmdr. Leslie Burns of the Mercer Island Police Department.

Sunday, as the Blue Angels air show ended, pleasure boats filed into Lake Washington to crowd along the log boom where hydroplanes skimmed over the water and roostertails arced high into the air.

Police said the attendance was far below the estimated 350,000 who line the shore and lake for the final weekend of Seafair in sunny weather.

As many as four boating fatalities in past Seafair weekends led law enforcement to create in 2004 what's believed to be the largest marine-enforcement effort in the state, said Trooper Steve Luce with the State Patrol.

The State Patrol coordinates the boating-under-the-influence emphasis patrol, in partnership with the Mercer Island Police Department. Other agencies including the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, the U.S. Coast Guard and the King County Sheriff's Office contribute boats and officers.

The State Patrol set up its Mobile Impaired Driving Unit on Mercer Island's west shore. The big RV comes equipped with three Breathalyzers, two holding cells and a command center.

Despite the cool weather Sunday, there were plenty of party boats with music blaring and young adults dancing.

The legal drinking limit for boating is the same as for driving — 0.08 percent blood-alcohol level. But with the wind blowing and the boat rocking, not everyone realizes they're impaired, Luce said.

For the enforcement officers on the water, a speeding boat can be a sign of drunken or reckless driving.

One boat operator stopped by a Fish and Wildlife enforcement vessel Sunday said he'd only had one mixed drink: a shot of whiskey in a Red Bull. The onboard Breathalyzer backed up his story, registering just 0.01.

Visibly relieved, the boat's driver said, "I'm good?"

Trooper Richard Bjorkman, who usually enforces aggressive driving on land, nodded.

"You're good."

One trend noted by police this year: designated captains, in some cases paid by the boat owner, to operate the craft while everyone else drinks. Anyone under 30 is required to have a state boater-safety card to legally operate a motorboat. Next year, the age jumps to 35.

On Lake Washington, a speedboat driver, traveling twice as fast as surrounding boats, decided to argue with Bjorkman then demanded to talk to his lawyer.

Bjorkman told him he was under arrest, but when the man became more contrite and offered to use a Breathalyzer, which registered a .01, the trooper let him return to his boat.

"We don't want to arrest anyone we don't have to," Bjorkman said.

Lynn Thompson: 206-464-8305