A day out on the water might be a refreshing way to beat the heat, but Montreal police are warning boaters to avoid sailing while drunk.

“In order for us to see if someone is under the influence of alcohol, we have to pull the boat over,” said SPVM officer Yannick Ouimet.

Ouimet said boaters often get mad when they’re pulled over, but stressed that lives can be saved by making sure enough lifejackets are on board and by staying sober. Though on larger watercraft, lifejackets aren’t obligatory by law, they still are highly recommended.

“(On) Friday, we picked up four people where it happened in three second. Nobody had life vests on,” said Ouimet. “Those four people that we picked up, they thought they were going to drown and die on the spot.”

Quebec averages around 70 drownings per year, with 80 per cent of those being men. According to Quebec’s Lifesaving Society, that’s because men tend to overestimate their swimming abilities.

“Forty per cent of drowning victims, there was alcohol in their blood,” said Lifesaving Society spokesperson Raynald Hawkins.

On Tuesday, 40-year-old Pierre Lajeunesse was reported missing after jumping into Lac-St-Louis from his sailboat. He wasn’t wearing a lifejacket and police said alcohol may have been a factor. Police said they suspect a body found on Friday might be that of Lajeunesse, but an autopsy is needed to confirm its identity.