Please select your home edition
Edition
Selden 2020 - LEADERBOARD

On-water towing service grows on the bay: TowBoatUS Alameda opens

by Scott Croft 20 May 2019 15:27 PDT
TowBoatUS Alameda's 28-foot response vessels, ready to assist Bay and Delta boaters any time of the day or night © Scott Croft

A 29-year-old family-owned business that helps boaters get safely home after their boat has broken down, run aground, or run out of fuel, has added a third location to the company's waterborne footprint.

TowBoatUS Alameda is the newest location for TowBoatUS San Francisco Bay and Delta, which also has on-water assistance ports at San Francisco's Gashouse Cove and Bethel Island. The company provides routine around-the-clock assistance for dead batteries, soft ungroundings, fuel drops, or tows back to the launch ramp or marina.

The company's service area is unique among the 300-plus TowBoatUS fleet locations nationwide. From the open ocean swells in the Pacific Ocean, 50-miles off the Golden Gate Bridge, to the hot upper reaches of the Sacramento River Deep Water Ship Channel nearly 70 miles inland, TowBoatUS Bay and Delta has helped all types of mariners. Stormy seas, strong currents, high winds, fog, ship traffic and summertime Delta temperatures north of 100 F are all operational challenges for the company.

Company owner Capt. Phil Delano said, "We've assisted everyone from oceangoing yachts to 16-foot bass boats. The unexpected can happen to anyone."

While TowBoatUS Alameda is just 8 miles from Gashouse Cove, Delano says "the new port will help us shorten response times on the bay." Stationed at the location are two new, rugged all-weather 28-foot RAIV Almar/North River response vessels with twin 225-hp outboards, fully rigged for towing, jump-starts, fuel delivery and soft ungroundings. They're easily recognizable by their red hulls and the TowBoatUS name and logo emblazoned in bright white letters along their sides. All company captains are U.S. Coast Guard-licensed.

Separate from BoatUS on-water towing services, the company also refloats sunken boats, provides salvage services, and is hazmat-certified.

Boaters can reach TowBoatUS San Francisco Bay and Delta by hailing on VHF channel 16, by calling the company directly at 925-684-2183, by phoning the BoatUS toll-free 24/7 Dispatch Center at 800-391-4869, or via smartphone using the BoatUS Towing App.

More information can be found at BoatUS.com/Membership.

Related Articles

New Online BoatUS Foundation Course
Taking on Biggest Cause of Accidents: Distracted Boating A quick look at the annual U.S. Coast Guard recreational boating accident statistics shows “operator inattention” and “improper lookout” to be perennial placeholders in the top five primary contributing factors in boating accidents. Posted on 8 Jul
TowBoatUS Sacramento opens in Delta Region
Provides 24/7 on-water assistance to recreational boaters California's Delta region, an incredible boating paradise and home to more than 700 miles of navigable waterways and thousands of recreational vessels, now has professional on-water assistance available with the opening of TowBoatUS Sacramento. Posted on 3 Jul
Capt. Doug & Melanie open TowBoatUS Rocky Point
Capt. Doug & Melanie Nelson open TowBoatUS Rocky Point, Minnesota Straddling the U.S.-Canada border, Lake of the Woods is a vast expanse of pristine waters more than 70 miles wide with an incredible 65,000 miles of shoreline and nearly 15,000 islands. Posted on 12 Jun
Kathy Sinnett honored with Women's Sailing Award
Continuing the tradition in epitomizing the leadership to promote chances for women Since 1999, the BoatUS/NWSA Leadership in Women's Sailing Award has recognized extraordinary women who have inspired, educated and enriched the lives of women through sailing. Posted on 11 Jun
All the hurricane preparation info boaters need
Atlantic hurricane season starts June 1 Recreational boaters whose vessels have been impacted by a hurricane and came out relatively unscathed know it all starts with a plan. Posted on 29 May
Capt. Anthony new owner of TowBoatUS Santa Cruz
Capt. Anthony Capriccio is the new owner of the company that provides 24/7 on-water towing A former employee and captain for TowBoatUS Santa Cruz, an on-water towing and assistance company for boaters, has stepped up into the ownership role at the company. Posted on 25 May
Douglass Marine expands on East End
With the opening of TowBoatUS Orient, New York A long-standing East End family business providing boat service, repair and storage on the tip of Long Island's North Fork is growing. Posted on 16 May
TowBoatUS Pittsburgh ready to assist boaters
New owners for TowBoatUS Lake Anna, VA The 24/7 on-water towing and assistance service for recreational boaters with ties to nationwide fleet of more than 600 towboats has come to Pittsburgh's Three Rivers. Posted on 8 May
TowBoatUS adds port in the Big Apple
Miller's launch opens its second TowBoatUS on-water towing port on Staten Island Miller's Launch, a commercial marine service provider on Staten Island's northeastern Stapleton waterfront has opened it's second on-water towing and assistance port for recreational boaters, TowBoatUS Staten Island. Posted on 3 May
Three TowBoatUS Ports under new ownership
Assisting boaters from Sandusky River to Fairport, Ohio On Lake Erie's West/Central Basin, TowBoatUS Sandusky owners Capts. Jimmer Kennedy, D.J. Huntley and Jason Majoy are new owners of TowBoatUS locations in Vermillion, Lorain, and Cleveland. Posted on 1 May
Selden 2020 - FOOTERMaritimo M50Cyclops Marine 2023 November - FOOTER