Latest news with #TowBoatUS
The Independent
17-06-2025
- General
- The Independent
Missing teen rescued a mile off the Florida coast clinging to his body board
A teenager in Florida whose family feared he'd drowned in the ocean was found nearly a mile from shore clinging to a body board, according to a local report. Over the weekend, a family in Martin County reported that their son was missing. The family told investigators they were at the beach and, at some point, lost sight of the 15-year-old after he went under water. A large search effort was organized that included Ocean Rescue lifeguards, a dive team, the Martin County Sheriff's Office, Martin County Fire Rescue, Jupiter Island Public Safety and the U.S. Coast Guard. The searchers looked for more than an hour before a private captain from TowBoat U.S. happened to spot the teen, according to CBS 12 News. "Oh my God, I found him. I was just scanning the water. I looked directly north and all I saw was the top of his hand waving over the waves," Captain Ryan Foster said, recalling the moment he located the teen to reporters. He said he found the teen hanging onto his boogie board and still wearing his goggles and snorkeling fins. "He was resting his arms up on the boogie board. He was trying to tread water best he could. He had to have been out there, probably well over an hour at that point. So he was definitely getting a little winded, a little tired treading the water," Foster said. The captain said the teenager had a reasonable request. "The only thing he said to me was 'I would like a ride back to shore, please,'" Foster said. After the rescue, the teenager was medically cleared and was reunited with his family. First responders said that he was pulled unusually far away by the ocean currents and called the fact that he was able to be found a miracle. 'We're actually calling this a miracle recovery, because usually when someone gets pulled away, they kinda stay in the general area depending on the wind and the currents. But he unfortunately got pulled very far away and by the grace of God, he was able to stay afloat,' Martin County Fire Rescue District Chief Joshua Shell told reporters.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
TowBoatUS expands to Rocky Point area of Lake of the Woods
Jun. 14—ROOSEVELT, Minn. — Boaters on the U.S. side of Lake of the Woods now have one more option if they have boat trouble on the big lake. TowBoat US 24/7 just added its second on-the-water towing and assistance service on Lake of the Woods, this one in the Rocky Point area on the west side of the lake. Opened by Capt. Doug and Melanie Nelson of Baudette, Minnesota, TowBoatUS Rocky Point provides professional on-the-water towing, soft ungrounding, battery jump and fuel drop-off services. The new service at Rocky Point is part of a network of more than 300 TowBoatUS ports nationwide. The Nelsons opened their first Lake of the Woods port, TowBoatUS Lake of the Woods, two years ago in Baudette. In a news release, Doug Nelson said it's all about going where their services are needed, providing faster response times. "We have a lot of possibilities," Nelson said. "Being able to service the west side of the lake efficiently from our new west-side port means shorter response times to requests for assistance. We hope to grow BoatUS membership over here by providing great service." TowBoatUS Rocky Point has a 21-foot red response vessel fully rigged for towing and salvage homeported at Arnesen's Rocky Point Resort north of Roosevelt. All of the company's captains are U.S. Coast Guard-licensed. The Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) offers on-water unlimited towing memberships for freshwater boaters and anglers — much like an auto club for recreational boat owners — for just $109 per year. Membership comes with more than 25 BoatUS benefits , including discounts at local fuel docks and transient slips at marinas. Also included are a subscription to BoatUS Magazine, free DSC-VHF radio registration and more. Separate from BoatUS on-water towing, the company also offers boat salvage services. In an interview with the Herald, Nelson said the rate for an on-the-water service call is $250 an hour for boaters who don't have the $109 BoatUS towing membership. "If you're up by Garden Island, that's going to be an expensive tow," Nelson said. "If you're at Long Point and we come out of Arnesens, it's not going to be too bad. It does vary widely on the expense, but it can get up to $1,000 to $1,200, depending on the length of the tow. So, the $109 membership makes a ton of sense. "We want to be able to take care of people, and then at the end of the tow, I would rather just wave and wish them a great day and not have to take their money because they're a member." The Baudette location, now in its third season, is at the Lake of the Woods Campground marina on the Rainy River, Nelson says. Calls vary, he says, all the way from someone miscalculating and running out of gas coming back from the north end of the lake, to dead batteries, engine trouble or grounding on sandbars near Lighthouse Gap, Morris Point or Buffalo Point. For BoatUS members who run out of gas, the only fee they have to pay is the cost of the fuel, Nelson says. "We'll deliver fuel as a member," he said. "We'll do that for free." Based on tows to date, the company is on pace to respond to about 60 calls this summer on Lake of the Woods, Nelson said. "Obviously, our weekends are the busiest," he said. "We'll do several tows in a day on a nice weekend. ... And it keeps growing every year as more people know about us and memberships increase." The company also has worked with the Lake of the Woods County Sheriff's Department to assist with boaters who need help, he said. "We're not search and rescue — that is not our job," Nelson said "Because we're here on the lake, we can get out to a swamped boat a whole lot faster than they can." Nelson and his wife, who also manage the marina at Lake of the Woods Campground and offer boat rentals, own their rescue boats but have a licensing agreement with TowBoatUS, which in turn provides branding, marketing and dispatching support, he said. "They are the largest marine assist company in the United States, but we are locally owned," Nelson said. "We own the boats and we provide the captains." To request on-the-water assistance, boaters can call the BoatUS toll-free 24/7 Dispatch Center at (800) 391-4869, call TowBoatUS Rocky Point or TowBoatUS Lake of the Woods directly at (218) 434-0087, or hail on VHF radio Channel 16. The company also is certified through ACAPT, the Accredited for Commercial Assistance and Professional Towing organization, Nelson said. "I think the biggest thing that we provide is the peace of mind that when you leave the dock, there's someone there, 24 hours a day, seven days a week," he said. "We've got your back if anything goes wrong."
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
3 rescued after fishing boat runs aground near Ventura Harbor
Three people were rescued May 25 after the 40-foot commercial fishing vessel they were aboard ran aground outside Ventura Harbor near the mouth of the Santa Clara River. The Ventura Harbor Patrol was among the group responding to the water rescue shortly after 12:30 p.m. Harbor Patrol Officer Tim Burrows the agency left the scene by 2:20 p.m., at which point the trawler was considered a salvage operation. Crews with TowBoatUS Ventura were handed the work to recover the vessel, he said. It was not immediately clear if any fluids had leaked from the vessel, Burrows said. "They're working on it right now," he said. He also could not be sure of the boat's home port. "I know they've been up here a little bit," Burrows said. Ventura Fire Battalion Chief Jeremy Henderson said they fire crews also responded via Surfers Knoll in Ventura Harbor. By their arrival, lifeguards with the California State Parks, which patrol the area, had attended to the three from the boat. None needed to be transported to the hospital, he said. The National Weather Service's forecast discussion for May 25 said the region would experience a long-period south swell that would bring elevated surf conditions of up to 6 feet. The agency also warned of high risk for hazardous rip currents for south-facing beaches through the rest of Memorial Day Weekend. The weather service also gave a 60-80% chance of a small-craft advisory because of expected winds through the Santa Barbara Channel through May 26. The afternoon lowtide was at 2:18 p.m. Stacie N. Galang is news director of the Ventura County Star. She can be reached at or 805-437-0222. This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: 3 rescued after fishing boat runs aground near Ventura Harbor
