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Sheriff steps up patrols with new supercharged boat
Officials stress safety as river flows high, swift
Sheriff boat 1
In their new boat, Stanislaus County Sheriff Deputies Mike Ghimenti and Randon Kirkbride roar up the Stanislaus River between Oakdale and Knights Ferry on Friday morning (SAMANTHA SCHMIDT/The Journal).

ORANGE BLOSSOM RECREATION AREA — We’re traveling east Friday morning on the wonderfully swollen Stanislaus River.

As we make our way upstream, the wind and mist tickle our faces, while the sun hangs low in the bright blue sky, just beginning its workday.

After this winter’s storms, the water is deep, cold, and moving rapidly.

Freelance photographer Samantha Schmidt and I have been invited by Stanislaus County Sheriff Jeff Dirkse to ride along with Deputies Randon Kirkbride and Mike Ghimenti as they patrol the river in the department’s new MotoJet 16.5-foot patrol boat, designed specifically to handle the rugged Stanislaus and Tuolumne rivers, as well as the Modesto and Woodward reservoirs — the bodies of water patrolled by the department’s Special Vehicle Operations Unit.

The boat is ripping through the water at a white-knuckle 30 mph, deftly swerving to avoid rocks, logs, and low-hanging tree branches. It feels like we’re going twice as fast, and we could if Ghimenti so desired. The welded-aluminum boat is equipped with a 250-horsepower, 1,800-cubic centimeter, supercharged Yamaha jet-ski engine. 

When Ghimenti asks … it answers.

In just about two hours on the water, starting from the Orange Blossom Recreation Area (off Highway 120 between Oakdale and Knights Ferry), past the Honolulu Bar and Horseshoe Road recreation areas and toward a spot known as The Bluffs, we encounter not one other soul. 

But that wasn’t the case last weekend, when the deputies made three water rescues over the Memorial Day holiday. And it certainly won’t be the case in the coming months, as more and more locals will be looking to beat the heat in the county’s favorite tributary.

“Other counties, both Merced and San Joaquin, have actually closed their rivers,” said Dirkse. “I have not done that and I don’t want to do that. Coming out of COVID, I’m just a little opposed to doing so, because it makes life a little difficult.

“We have messaging and social media and signage up at all the rivers, indicating that river flows are extremely high and dangerous. And if you don’t have the correct equipment, or training, or experience — don’t get in the water.”

Let’s face it: the Central Valley is essentially a desert and some people are going to get in the water to stay cool, no matter what the signs say. This is especially the case with neighboring counties having shut down river access due to dangerous conditions.

WATER SAFETY TIPS

 

Always wear a life jacket — “The biggest factor between a safe trip and an unsafe trip is wearing a life jacket. … It’s the one thing that can drastically increase your odds of having a safe trip. I can’t stress that enough.” — Shiloh Foust, Sunshine River Adventures

 

“Most people think they can swim much farther than they actually can, and they quickly get themselves into trouble. The water is way colder than most people realize. And there are lots of hazards under the water that you can get caught in. Combine that with the current and you can’t get out of it. People need to be careful.” — Stanislaus County Sheriff Jeff Dirkse

 

Pay attention to signs — From current river-condition warnings to “no trespassing” signs, they’re there for a reason.

 

Carry your California Boater Card — What’s a California Boater Card?  It’s basically a driver’s license for boaters, available for $10 and by taking an online boating safety test. By Jan. 1, all boaters — who operate any watercraft with a motor — will be required to carry a card. By Jan. 1, 2025, all boaters, regardless of age, will be required to do so.

 

Steady, eddy — If you find yourself caught in the current, search for, and attempt to reach, an eddy near the bank. An eddy is a small, circular movement of water that runs counter to the main current.

“If you’re going downstream and you’re caught in that swift-moving water, look for those calm areas — you’ll actually see the water changing direction — and you’re not going to have to fight the force of the water. That’s a safe place to be and the best bet to get to safety.” — Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Dep. Randon Kirkbride

 

Canals are never an option — Turlock Irrigation District is reminding that canals are not ever intended for recreation.

“Canals will also be full and moving quickly and are not safe places for anyone to swim in or play around — no matter how good a swimmer you are.” — Brandon McMillan, TID communications specialist 

 

Don’t forget to have fun — Deputies Kirkbride and Ghimenti last week found themselves in a water-balloon fight with a group of youngsters. The kids attacked from a distance and only afterward did they realize they’d bombarded a sheriff’s patrol boat. “I told them, ‘You better get ready, because it’s our turn now,’” said Ghimenti. With that, the deputies tilted their engine and doused the young revelers with a rooster’s tail of water spray.

 

The deputies point out that with so many entry points along the river, it’s impossible to fully restrict access.

That’s where the patrol boat comes into play. With its speed — the deputies responded to one call last weekend before other emergency personnel could even launch their rigid inflatable boat — and nimbleness, the MotoJet allows the department to cover more area, very quickly. The center-console model also is equipped with special pads to protect the bottom of the boat and allow it operate in about 2 inches of water.

“It’s food-grade cutting-board material,” said Patrick Riddle, a sales rep for the Lewiston, Idaho-based MotoJet. “Essentially, it’s like a Kevlar vest for the boat, absorbing a lot of the impact and protecting the hull.

“This is the first boat we’ve ever built for a law-enforcement agency. Hopefully, we’ll be getting more law-enforcement bids.”

According to Shiloh Foust, owner of Sunshine Rafting Adventures in Knights Ferry, the Stanislaus River is moving at 1,500 cubic feet per second.

“Fifteen hundred CFS isn’t even abnormal for this time of year,” said Foust. “A high spring flow would be 2,000 to 2,500.”

But Foust warned that safety should never be ignored.

“The biggest factor between a safe trip and an unsafe trip is wearing a life jacket,” Foust said. “I know it’s not sexy, but it’s the one thing that can drastically increase your odds of having a safe trip. I can’t stress that enough.”

“We have messaging and social media and signage up at all the rivers, indicating that river flows are extremely high and dangerous. And if you don’t have the correct equipment, or training, or experience — don’t get in the water.”
Sheriff Jeff Dirkse

Kirkbride, a 21-year veteran of the Sheriff’s department, and Ghimenti, a seven-year veteran, back up that assertion.

Of the three rescues they made last weekend, one was a response to a radio call, another happened when they were waved down by someone in distress, and the third involved a person not wearing a life jacket — a scenario that unfolded right before their eyes.

The deputies were watching a group of revelers who’d been jumping into the river from the bluffs, all wearing life jackets. Later, while relaxing, the life jackets came off. When one fellow dropped his bag of gummy worms into the water, he dove in to retrieve the treats.

“He got caught up in the current,” said Kirkbride. “After a while, he called out to us and said, ‘I think I’m going to need your help.’”

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Trees, branches, and bushes in the water form a potentially deadly hazard known as a "strainer" where a person in the water could easily become trapped (SAMANTHA SCHMIDT/The Journal).

After telling us that story, Ghimenti drives us to the same location so we can see the conditions for ourselves.

“Is this the exact spot where you had to rescue the guy who dove in after his gummy worms?” I ask. Both deputies indicate that it was.

I look around and quickly realize that I would have made the same mistake. The water is moving briskly, but it’s inviting, too. There is no white water. It appears manageable.

“Most people think they can swim much farther than they actually can, and they quickly get themselves into trouble,” said Dirkse. “The water is way colder than most people realize. And there are lots of hazards under the water that you can get caught in. Combine that with the current and you can’t get out of it. People need to be careful.”

Turlock Irrigation District is also reminding people to be careful, and that canals are not ever intended for recreation.

“While the river is running quickly, canals are not a good alternative to cool off,” said Brandon McMillan, TID communications specialist. “Canals will also be full and moving quickly and are not safe places for anyone to swim in or play around — no matter how good a swimmer you are.”

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The Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department have signs up at all local river access points alerting the public of that flows are extremely high and dangerous (JOE CORTEZ/The Journal).

As of June 1, TID released water to the Tuolumne River in coordination with other San Joaquin River tributaries, according to McMillan. It’s expected that the Tuolumne and other rivers will remain high throughout the summer.

“TID urges the public to use extreme caution around the Tuolumne River this summer,” said McMillan. “Due to historic rain and snowfall, the river is moving much quicker and is colder than normal at this time of year.”

To encourage the public to swim only in safe places, TID has partnered with local community pools to provide “Swim for Free with TID” events. TID will pay the entry fee for swimmers of all ages at participating public pools on specific dates and at specific times. For more information, visit tid.org/swim4free.

Kirkbride and Ghimenti both are avid outdoorsmen. 

“I’ve been on boats my whole life,” said Ghimenti. “Wakeboarding, wakesurfing, all that good stuff.”

They’re well aware that their assignment isn’t without some perks.

“It’s a nice change of pace from normal patrol,” said Kirkbride. “You look around at the scenery and you go, ‘I can’t believe I’m getting paid to do this.’ But then it goes from that to jumping into the water and having to grab somebody.”

 

Life Jacket Loaner program

Life Jacket Loaner Programs

Families planning on taking their kids to enjoy local lakes and rivers can borrow life jackets to ensure a safe return from their outing.

As part of its ongoing efforts to prevent childhood injuries, Safe Kids Stanislaus has partnered with area agencies and organizations to launch a year-round life jacket loan program for local families.

Safe Kids Stanislaus, led by Doctors Medical Center and the Stanislaus County Police Activities League (PAL), is a coalition consisting of more than 20 community agencies that have the common goal of preventing unintentional injuries in children 0-19. The coalition has a strong focus on water safety and the program expands yearly with the goal of preventing all childhood drownings.

The Modesto Fire Department has been instrumental in creating the distribution centers at fire stations around Stanislaus County for the hundreds of life jackets provided by Modesto Irrigation District (MID) and Century 21 as part of the new life jacket loan program.

Participating fire stations include Station 31 in Turlock, 540 E. Marshall St., along with fire stations in Modesto, Empire, Riverbank, Waterford, Oakdale and Knights Ferry.

Anyone can borrow a life jacket. There is no cost for the program. Each location has sizes available in infant, child, youth and adult.

Life jackets must be returned where they were picked up, any day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.