MAY 27, 2022
TH E PRESS
&Yachting
Boating
O N T H E D E LTA
Keeping boaters safe on the Delta DAWNMARIE FEHR
T
he Contra Costa County’s Sheriff’s Marine Patrol Unit not only keeps the waterways of the Delta safe, but also must enforce a new law.
The men and women of the unit patrol 80 square miles of water from Richmond to Discovery Bay and protect lives and property through education and enforcement, according to its website. The unit now must also ensure that anyone 45 years of age and younger has obtained a California Boater Card. “That’s a new law we want to let everyone know about,” said Sgt. Erik Steele. “This year, anyone 45 years of age and down operating a vessel propelled by an engine, regardless of the size of the engine, needs a boater card. You can get that online, you can come to our office and we can give you the book.You can do it either way.” Steele has been with the marine unit since 2019. As part see Delta page 3B