The Shasta County Sheriff’s Office Boating Safety Unit (BSU) is pleased to report that Memorial Day weekend passed without any major incidents on Shasta County waterways.
More than 130 houseboats with students from the University of Oregon and UC Davis converged on Slaughterhouse Island during the holiday weekend. A “safe boat” staffed by personnel from CommonSpirit/ Dignity Health provided medical assistance to the students on the island and was instrumental in making sure the students were able to vacation safely. Medical staff treated a total of 35 students mainly for minor injuries and assisted in transporting four students to local hospitals for treatment of more serious conditions (injury, drug overdose, alcohol-related issues). We want to thank the medical staff for their assistance with the students.
Over the weekend on Lake Shasta, one person was arrested for Boating Under the Influence (BUI), there were 4 non-injury boating accidents, and 7 citations were written.
BSU Deputies performed three water rescues on the Sacramento River over the holiday weekend. In the first incident, on Saturday, May 25, at approximately 12:47 PM, 3 people were spotted stranded on an island west of the Sundial Bridge after becoming separated from their kayaks and paddle boat. Deputies responded and were able to reunite them with their vessels.
On Monday, May 27, at approximately 10 AM, Deputies with the Boating Safety Unit responded to the Sacramento River in the area of the JGW Mobile Home Park to reports of two kayakers who needed assistance after falling into the water. Deputies located one adult kayaker near shore hanging onto foliage and another adult kayaker clinging to a kayak. Both were safely rescued without incident. The two were part of a group of 6 kayakers who had been enjoying the river. All members of the group were accounted for and transported to the Bonnyview Boat Ramp by Deputies.
A third water rescue was performed Monday afternoon at approximately 1:43 PM. An adult female climbed up an embankment to the backyard of a home in the 2000 block of Felstet Lane in Redding and told the homeowner she had lost her sister on the river after her kayak capsized. Deputies and Redding Police Park Rangers responded and were able to locate the adult female holding onto a rock in the river. She was safely rescued and transported to dry land.
BSU Deputies also assisted the occupants of a boat that became grounded on rocks west of the Sundial Bridge in Redding at approximately 3:32 PM Monday afternoon. In that incident, all parties were accounted for and transported to a nearby boat ramp.
The Shasta County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank CALFIRE and the Redding Police Department for staffing their boats on Shasta Lake over the weekend, and CHP Northern Division Air Operations for their assistance in the water rescue incidents.
With the boating season now upon us the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office would like to remind the public to always wear an approved life jacket when swimming or boating.
