Jonathon Peter Moses, 50, of Lovett Bay caught drunk at the tiller of his tinny on Pittwater

What does a court do with a “drunken” sailor caught well over the limit while in command of his tinny after a big day on the turps on the northern beaches? See how he fared.

Jonathon Peter Moses, 50, of Lovett Bay, outside Manly Local Court on Wednesday, where he was convicted of being intoxicated while in charge of a boat. He was caught four times over the limit while piloting his tinny across Pittwater. Picture: Manly Daily

What does a court do with a “drunken” sailor caught well over the limit while in command of his tinny during a late night voyage across Pittwater?

Strip him of his right to a boat licence and fine him $1000 — that’s what.

Jonathon Peter Moses, 50, of Lovett Bay, pleaded guilty in Manly Local Court on Wednesday to operating a vessel while with a high range prescribed concentration of alcohol in his blood.

Moses, a garbo, had been on a big Friday night out, drinking beer and bourbon near the Church Point wharf, and couldn’t rustle up a water taxi, or catch the public ferry, to his home on the western side of Pittwater that can only reached by boat.

Jonathon Moses told police he had eight drinks — beer and whiskey — before jumping into his tinny to head to Lovett Bay (above). Picture: Supplied

So he boarded his 3.8m aluminium run-a-bout, which he said had a top speed of just 7 knots — about 11km/h — produced by its 15 horsepower outboard engine, and set off.

But as Moses motored northwest across Pittwater at 9.30pm on June 2, the tinny was spotted by the patrolling Broken Bay Water Police.

Officers on the launch spotted a white stern light on Moses’ boat flickering, and ordered him to stop.

Broken Bay Water Police spotted the tinny, similar to the one above, at 9.30pm on a Friday night. Picture: Brad Fleet

In a facts sheet tendered to court, police stated that Moses appeared intoxicated because he was slurring his words, smelled of alcohol and could not maintain his balance.

He was taken aboard the police launch and taken back to the Broken Bay base before being driven to Mona Vale police station to be breath tested.

Moses blew 0.198.

Jonathan Peter Moses, 50, of Lovett Bay, blew 0.198. Picture: Manly Daily

He told officers he had started drinking that day at 4.30pm and knocked back a total of eight drinks — Pure Blonde beers and Jack Daniels whiskey — before boarding the tinny.

The police also discovered the boat was not registered and Moses did not hold a boat licence.

They also found that he had been convicted of bring drunk in charge of a vessel before, in 2017.

Moses was trying to get home from Church Point to Lovett Bay, on the western side of Pittwater. Picture: Google maps

Moses told magistrate Robyn Denes that he wasn’t “thinking clearly” that night, due to the amount of alcohol he’d downed.

“I wasn’t thinking, I should have just slept in my car”.

Ms Denes told him that the voyage was “reckless and irresponsible”.

“It’ not the first time you’ve been here (in court),” she said. “Clearly you don’t care.”

Moses was fined $1000 and given a maritime disqualification of 12 months.