Catch A Wave
story: Jon Lewisphotos: Miguel Cruz
SUNDIAL JETBOAT EXCURSIONS
As part of his 70th birthday celebration, family members had blindfolded David Gasman and were leading him along a path behind the Redding Convention Center when he got a whiff of the horses corralled near the Redding Rodeo arena.
“He said, ‘Oh, no, are we going to go horseback riding?’” recalls his wife, Kay. There were no horses involved in the party, but plenty of horsepower—the Gasman birthday party was on its way to a jetboat ride on the Sacramento River. “He was so relieved,” Kay says.
“Exciting, exhilarating and great fun” was how Gasman, a retired psychiatrist, describes the day. His reaction is pretty typical of the folks who have joined Sundial Jetboat Excursions for a ride over the river’s shimmering green waves.
For many, including lifelong Redding residents, it’s their first time on the river and their first time aboard a jetboat.
“We live on the river and we don’t have a boat, so we never get out unless we get on an innertube and float down. That’s why we wanted to get on the river. The grandkids came down, some from out of state, and we had a wonderful time.
“These guys were so good with those boats. It was so hot. They would go swooshing by, and we’d get sprayed by these boats. They made it a very special day and I’d recommend it to anybody,” Kay Gasman says.
Those guys are Richard Johnston and Dave Sifers, a pair of avid fishermen and boaters who decided one day that other people might enjoy the river as much as they do. In 2006, they started Sundial Jetboat Excursions to offer evening and weekend trips between Redding and Anderson.
Both men have day jobs—Johnston owns an upholstery shop on Bechelli Lane and Sifers is the branch manager at Airgas on North Market Street—and they both have jetboats. Jetboats are so named because, instead of a spinning propeller, they’re powered by a jet of water that is forced through a nozzle. A jetboat’s ability to work in as little as eight inches of water makes them ideal for use on rivers.
They’re also ideal for having a blast on the river. Johnston’s boat, a 20-foot Jetcraft, is powered by a 350-cubic-inch V8 that gives it more than enough oomph to charge upstream and literally fly over rapids, providing passengers with splashy airborne thrills.
Johnston’s brother-in-law, Sifers, has a 19-foot Alumaweld jetboat that’s also powered by a big V8. Both men and their customers delight in spinning high-speed “donuts” that send up a glittery spiral of water spray. On a 100-degree day, that cool mist is more than welcome.
The excursions, which cover approximately 28 miles between the Posse Grounds boat ramp and Anderson, shouldn’t be confused with a couple of guys hot-rodding around in their boats. Prior to starting the business, both men underwent Coast Guard training and successfully demonstrated the knowledge and skills required by the California Department of Boating and Waterways to receive for-hire vessel operator’s licenses.
“I’ve taken great-grandmothers and little kids. It’s nice and safe,” says Sifers.
Sightseeing is as big a part of the excursions as the thrills and chills. “Most people don’t expect to see so much wildlife,” Sifers says. “We see ducks, geese, bald eagles, osprey, beaver, otters, deer, salmon, cormorants and other shorebirds.”
On a recent excursion, a wood duck hen was spotted shepherding her large brood of fuzzy little ducklings along the river’s shore. Farther downstream, a Canada goose had her fluffy yellow goslings out for a swim, to the delight of two children on board.
Johnston likes to play the role of tour guide and point out features of the river and the surrounding area, including Shasta Bally, Whiskeytown Lake, Churn Creek and, of course, the Sundial Bridge. “I just tell them stories all along the river. A lot of people don’t realize how beautiful it is on the river. I’ve taken some couples on numerous trips and a lot of customers become friends.”
“It’s definitely a great way to see the bridge,” Sifers says. “Our customers take a lot of pictures and they’ll send them to us and say how much fun they had.” •
Sundial Jetboat Excursions
Evenings and weekends from May through September
$40 per person, $140 for a family of four
(530) 222-3750 or (530) 524-9395
