Please select your home edition
Edition
GOAT Marine

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

CIC Normandy Channel Race fleet have assembled
32 Class 40 yachts are in Caen for 16th edition They've arrived! The 32 expected Class40s were on time in Caen on Wednesday evening; a fleet that therefore sets a record for the 16th edition of the event but also the record for an exclusive Class40 event since the creation of this class 20 years ago. Posted today at 7:23 am
Hansa UK Travellers at Notts County
Entries from all over the UK and Ireland The HANSA Travellers Trophy (TT) took place at Notts County Sailing Club on Wednesday 21st May 2025. There were entries from all over the UK and Ireland in both the Liberty class and 303 one and two person boats. Posted today at 6:55 am
RS200 Northern Tour at Staunton Harold
Home sailors sweep the podium Staunton Harold Sailing Club hosted the third event in the Sailing Chandlery RS200 Northern Tour, delivering close, tactical racing and a home club clean sweep of the podium. Posted today at 6:11 am
IMA Maxi Europeans overall
Bella Mente successfully defends her IMA European Championship title The 20 remaining yachts competing in the IMA Maxi European Championship, organised by the Circolo del Remo e della Vela Italia in conjunction with the International Maxi Association, took part in a final coastal race today in a 8-14 knot southwesterly. Posted on 22 May
Cape Horn Hall of Fame nominations close by 30 May
Public nominations open for just a little longer The International Association of Cape Horners (IACH) is calling for nominations for new inductees to the Cape Horn Hall of Fame. Posted on 22 May
America's Cup: Emirates Team NZ respond
Emirates Team New Zealand has responded to the statements sent overnight (NZT) Emirates Team New Zealand has responded to the statements sent overnight by two Challenger teams calling for more transparency in the negotiations over the Protocol and venue for the 38th Match. Posted on 22 May
World Foiling Congress 2025 concludes
Event attracted top industry leaders, experts, and stakeholders The second edition of the World Foiling Congress took place this week at Palazzo della Borsa in Genova (Italy), attracting top industry leaders, experts, and stakeholders from across the global Foiling Community. Posted on 22 May
J/70 UK Grand Slam 2 at Royal Southern Yacht Club
7 races for the North Sails May Regatta Having suffered through some tough conditions in Grand Slam 1, the forecasts were looking hopeful for the second event of the UK J/70 Season. As we got closer to the event it was anyone's guess as to how the racing would pan out. Posted on 22 May
6mR Worlds return to Seawanhaka Corinthian YC
Oyster Bay and Long Island Sound are renowned as some of the best sailing waters in the world Founded in 1871 and located on Oyster Bay, New York, SCYC is America's oldest yacht club and its association with the Sixes goes right back to the class's foundation in 1907. Posted on 22 May
Steering the Course kicks off to #AccelerateAction
World Sailing's global women's sailing festival gets under way soon The 2025 edition of Steering the Course, World Sailing's global women's sailing festival, gets under way on 23 May with a week-long focus on #AccelerateAction in support of this year's International Women's Day theme. Posted on 22 May