Please select your home edition
Edition
Cyclops Marine 2023 November - LEADERBOARD

On Lake Erie's West/Central Basin, three TowBoatUS Ports under new ownership

by BoatUS 1 May 19:12 BST
(l-r) Capts. D.J. Huntley, Jason Majoy, and James “Jimmer” Kennedy new owners of TowBoatUS Vermillion, TowBoatUS Lorain and TowBoatUS Cleveland, Ohio © BoatUS

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. Combined, the four locations provide 24/7 on-water towing and assistance to recreational boaters over a 100 mile stretch of Lake Erie coastline from the Sandusky River to Fairport. The towing ports are part of a nationwide network of more than 300 TowBoatUS locations, 44 of which are in the Great Lakes.

TowBoatUS Sandusky's roots go back to 1999 when Capt. Kennedy began towing recreational boats part-time. Today's on-water services include professional towing, soft ungrounding, battery jump and fuel drops, all just a phone call or hail away. All the company's captains are U.S. Coast Guard-licensed.

More than 113,000 boaters requested on-water assistance from the TowBoatUS fleet last year. BoatUS reports the No. 1 reason is due to mechanical breakdowns (e.g., engine, transmission, drives), followed by running aground, battery/electrical and fuel issues, and lastly, engine overheats.

Much like an auto club for recreational boat owners, Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) offers on-water Unlimited Towing Memberships for freshwater boaters and anglers for just $109 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.

Separate from BoatUS on-water towing, the company also offers boat salvage and environmental remediation services.

To request on-water assistance, boaters can call the BoatUS toll-free 24/7 Dispatch Center at 800-391-4869, download the free BoatUS App, which connects boaters to the closest local towing captain, call any of the four ports directly at 419-627-8643, or hail on VHF radio Ch. 16.

Related Articles

Hyde Sails Job Vacancies
Yacht Sales Representative and Sales & Marketing Assistant required Hyde Sails are pleased to be hiring for two positions based in our Hamble Sales Office. Established in 1964, Hyde Sails manufacture around 40,000 sails per year from our modern factory in the far east. Posted today at 3:00 pm
National Family Island Regatta of the Bahamas
Observations from the outside of the 69th running of the event I have much experience racing sailboats of many sizes in many settings, and much experience as a race organizer for national and international sailing events. This year I attended a Bahamian Wooden Sloop Regatta for the first time. Posted today at 2:38 pm
Team Race World Championship returns
In a month's time when the New York Yacht Club Harbour Court The past decade for team racing has featured the emergence of a new, spectator-friendly format and the continued spread of the discipline around the globe. Posted today at 1:38 pm
Streakers set for Golden Jubilee Nationals
Set to smash their attendance record at Rutland in July The Streaker Class is set to smash their Nationals attendance record when they gather at Rutland Water in July for the Noble Marine Streaker Golden Jubilee National Championships. Posted today at 1:18 pm
D-Zero Open at Bough Beech
Greeted by a light breeze twirling all over the place Saturday 12th April saw the 2nd event of the D-Zero national traveller series held at Bough Beech SC in sunny Kent. 4 visitors & 2 home D-Zeros were greeted by a light breeze twirling all over the place. Posted today at 1:13 pm
Musto Skiffs at the Ullswater Daffodil Regatta
Definitely making up for last year's challenging conditions Ullswater definitely made up for last year's challenging conditions and delivered an absolute classic weekend of Musto Skiff racing at the 2025 Daffodil Regatta, with plenty of smiles and swims thrown in throughout all seven races. Posted today at 12:35 pm
Tamesis Firefly Elizabeth Cup and Junior Cup 2025
Bacon rolls on arrival, tasty lunches, delicious cake and glorious spring weather A round dozen Fireflys congregated at Tamesis Club on Saturday 26th April for the annual Elizabeth Cup and even-more-coveted Junior Cup. Posted today at 12:26 pm
ILCA Eastern GP Open at Waldringfield
A fleet of 35 sailors for the opening event of the circuit A fleet of 35 sailors descended on Waldringfield on 27th April for our ILCA Open, the opening event on the new ILCA Eastern GP circuit. Posted today at 7:57 am
D-Zero Open at Emsworth Slipper
Some locals put off by the breeze and maybe the lack of heat A bright and breezy day met the four visitors and eight locals for the early Open meet, some locals put off by the breeze and maybe the lack of heat in the sun, however the rest persevered and were quickly delivered to the race area. Posted today at 7:41 am
60th Anniversary Congressional Day 2
Monnin in the hunt for semi-final spot Switzerland's Eric Monnin and his Capvis Swiss Match Racing Team delivered a faultless performance today, the second day of the 60th Long Beach Yacht Club Congressional Cup. Posted today at 4:26 am