So, What Exactly Are the Charter Crew's Rules for Drinking? Malia White Explains

Malia White always plays by the rules, but it's not a totally foreign sight to see the bosun with a flute of champagne in her hand. Remember The Wellington crew's outing to a cliffside beach club in Spain? (See the clip above.) 

So, for any fans who aren't clear on when crew members are allowed to get a little tipsy— and when they're most definitely not — the aspiring captain laid it all out in Instagram.

Sharing a snap of the crew about to partake in a toast while wearing their uniforms, Malia wrote: "There have been a lot of questions as to why crew can drink onboard or have crazy nights out ... and rightfully so! Some of us can put down a lot. So here is a little clarity for those actually interested in how yachting & maritime law work!"  

The caption continued: "There is a big difference between being ‘at sea’ (meaning open water not tied to the dock) and being on the dock’ (literally tied to the dock). If an emergency happens at the dock it requires a lot less effort to get to safety (dry land)- we can just get off the boat. Versus if an emergency takes place out at sea- depending on what it is... we as crew have to be ready at ALL times to fight a fire, rescue a man overboard, deploy life rafts, launch rescue tenders, administer aid, etc. because we may be a long way from help and be each other’s only chance for survival. Meaning when we are at sea- everyone must be sober. You’ll also notice whenever going ‘underway’ on a passage crew are not allowed to drink 24 hours before departure (much like pilots & air crew). When in port- when we go out drinking the engineer & mate (not shown) are left onboard to hold sober watches. So if there was an emergency there are always sober people to assist us make our way off the boat safely!"

And if you want a little extra credit, here are some more general rules in the land of yachting.

"Fun Facts," Malia continued: "There are massive boats that have so many crew they can have ‘on duty’ and ‘off duty’ crew and you can have some drinks when ‘off duty’. But There are some boats that are ‘dry’ and don’t allow drinking at any times! And many have curfews or limits. No one can be under the influence while on duty but regulations change depending on size, crew, captains preference, etc. It’s all for crew safety & safety of everyone at sea!"

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