On Florida's Panhandle, Port St. Joe, St. George Island Boaters have TowBoatUS On-Water Assistance

TowBoatUS provides on-water assistance, including towing, ungrounding, battery jump and fuel drop-off services to boaters © BoatUS

(R to L) Capt. Daimin Barth and wife, Amber Zigadlo, of TowBoatUS Apalachicola/Carrabelle/St. Marks, Florida © BoatUS

Capt. Daimin Barth and wife, Amber Zigaldo, are on a roll. The young couple in their 30s first became owners of their two on-water towing and assistance locations, TowBoatUS Carrabelle and TowBoatUS St. Marks, just a year ago.

Now they've opened TowBoatUS Apalachicola, extending their small company's footprint on the center of Florida's panhandle. The new location is part of a nationwide fleet of more than 300 TowBoatUS locations and 600 towboats, and services the waters surrounding Port St. Joe and St. George Island, able to assist boaters and anglers 24/7 with towing, soft ungrounding, battery jump and fuel drop-off services.

"I'm really excited about our new location, which means reduced response times for Apalachicola region boaters seeking routing on-water assistance," said Capt. Barth. "We also have the area's only shallow draft response vessel, a 24-foot Carolina Skiff, able to get into some thin waters where running aground is pretty common." Both the skiff and a second response vessel, a 27-foot World Cat, which is able to service the company's 50-mile offshore service area, homeport at Ten Foot Hole and Battery Park Marina. The company has four additional response vessels to help on the busiest days, including one kept on a trailer that can be easily launched from nearby launch ramps, reducing response times.

Much like an auto club for recreational boat owners, Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) offers on-water Unlimited Towing Memberships for saltwater boaters and anglers for just $175 per year. Membership comes with more than 25 valuable 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.

All the company's captains are U.S. Coast Guard-licensed. Separate from BoatUS on-water towing, the company also offers boat salvage and environmental remediation services.

The fastest way to request assistance from TowBoatUS Apalachicola is to download the free BoatUS App, which connects boaters to the closest local towing captain. Additionally, the company can be reached at 860-617-2126 or by phoning the BoatUS toll-free 24/7 Dispatch Center at 800-391-4869.

For more go to BoatUS.com/Towing or call 800-888-4869.