Okay, you’ve run out of fuel or encountered some serious engine trouble, and you just called one of those towing-assistance companies to help get you back to your slip. What can you do to make your towing experience less stressful? Better yet, how can you keep it from turning into a nightmare? Depending on a series of factors—from the weather and sea state to the kind of boat you have and where you break down—what seems like a simple tow home can go perfectly smoothly or can be fraught with problems. Not all of the downsides may be the towing company’s fault. Boaters themselves often bring on many snafus.
Here are 13 things you can do before you need help and after you’ve called for a tow to make your dealings with the towing-assistance company run more smoothly. This list is based on conversations with towboat captains and recreational boaters. Many are common-sense items, but they’ll serve you well no matter what.
Before you get underway again, consider buying towing insurance—preferably from companies such as TowBoatUS or SeaTow, which license or franchise their own towing operators and provide large discounts to customers who are “members.” While membership in such organizations isn’t free (the fees typically run from about $160 to $190), it’s still a relative bargain compared to the several hundreds of dollars it can cost non-members for a seemingly routine tow. Other insurance companies offer towing policies, but they want you to lay out the money first, and then they’ll reimburse you. And non-members often end up shocked at the fees that towing companies charge. If you call one of the major towboat companies and you aren’t a member, you’re likely to be pushed to the back of the line behind members who may have called after you did. Both SeaTow and TowBoatUS offer you a spate of other discounts on everything from slip space to other marine services, and their captains often can provide you with knowledgeable suggestions on which harbors to choose or where to tie up. Whether you buy towing insurance from one of these companies or from a conventional marine insurance firm, know in advance what your policy will cover. Depending upon the details, it could cost you dearly if you don’t adhere to the insurer’s terms.
Buy a VHF-FM radio to use in calling a towing service and learn how to operate it. The bulkhead-mounted variety is best because it has a far greater range, but even a hand-held model is better than nothing, particularly if you’re going to have to be in communication with the towboat captain after he or she arrives on the scene. Relying on a cellphone means you have to know the number of the towing company, and you won’t be able to alert any nearby Good Samaritan boaters. Using a radio will make your plight known to many boaters in the area, one of whom might be able to help. If you use a radio, call the towing company on channel 16 and then switch to a working channel as directed. Once the towboat captain takes your boat in tow, it will be a lot easier for him or her to communicate with you via VHF-FM radio than by cellphone.
Don’t boat outside your ability—by going out in bad weather or on trips that you or your boat aren’t prepared (or equipped) to handle. Boating carries enough risks as it is. If you have to tempt fate, take along a more experienced boater who has the knowledge and ability to handle more difficult challenges.
If you want to use a cellphone as well as a VHF-FM radio, be sure the one you have is fully charged, leave it on after you’ve called for a tow, and answer the phone when the towboat operator calls you back. Towboat captains say too often they can’t reach the boater who called because his cellphone battery has run out or he has turned off the phone and doesn’t answer it.
Know your position—and be prepared to tell the towing company precisely where you are. Especially in fog or at night, it doesn’t help to tell the towboat dispatcher you’re “just east” of the mouth of a particular river when you’re actually five miles south-southeast and drifting steadily away. For your own good, you’re best off if you can provide an exact latitude and longitude expressed in degrees, minutes, and seconds rather than in the decimal lat/long format commonly used by some GPS receivers, chartplotters, and cellphone apps. It may not seem that difficult for towboat operators to convert from one to the other, but to them it’s a distraction.
If you own a small runabout, be sure your boat has a bow eye—a small fitting on the stem of the boat to which the towboat crew can attach the towline’s shackle. It’s a lot easier and safer than trying to cleat the end of the towline to your bow cleats. You’ll also want to keep a couple of extra docklines on board, in case you need them to get back into your slip.
Carry an anchor and know how to use it. If the towing company is busy, it could be hours before the towboat crew can arrive, and if you don’t know how to anchor properly, the wind and current could push your boat onto a shoal or on the rocks. Too many boaters haven’t a clue how to anchor. It’s worth learning. Anchors aren’t just for fishing or a lunch break. They’re pieces of safety equipment as well. Remember that anchors can drag, so you have to watch yours continually to make sure it stays put.
Be sure to have everyone on your boat put on a lifejacket as soon as you get into trouble. Once your engine has failed or you’ve run out of fuel, your vessel, crew, and passengers are more vulnerable than they would be if everything had been working. If you get hit by a large wake or rogue wave, or if your boat capsizes, it may be too late to pass out life vests. Also make sure you have enough water, flares, and extra clothing to last several hours if you should break down.
Don’t expect the towboat to arrive immediately. There may be other, more urgent calls ahead of yours. The seas may be rough. Or the towboat captain may have trouble finding you either because of bad weather or inadequate information about your position. Keep in touch with him by radio periodically.
When the towboat captain arrives, follow his or her instructions carefully—don’t try to argue with the towboat crewmembers about how they should do their jobs. They may not be infallible, but they do know how to set up a towing rig properly and pull you safely back to port. Following instructions is especially important when the towboat captain is trying to get your boat back into your slip. You also may want to be sure that the dockhands, or other boaters, at your marina don’t try to help by pulling or cleating your mooring lines. No matter how well-intentioned they may be, they could easily mess up the entire docking effort.
Be aware of “salvage” rules. If your boat suffers a mechanical failure—or if you run aground on soft mud or sand—your insurance should cover you. But it may not if you capsize, damage the hull, or encounter a problem that puts your boat in “peril” or requires the towing company to deploy more equipment, such as a pump or a second towboat. In such instances, your problem becomes a “salvage” case, your insurance probably won’t cover it, and the cost will be substantially more than for a simple tow. A good rule: When you call, tell the towing company exactly how extensive the damage is, and make sure you get some idea of how much its service call is likely to cost. If you’ve run your boat up onto the rocks, expect a huge bill whether you’re a member of a towing insurance program or not.
If you find you no longer need a tow, don’t just motor off without telling the towboat company. Be sure you notify the dispatcher immediately so the towboat captain doesn’t end up spending hours searching for you. If you aren’t sure that the call has been canceled, wait for the towboat to arrive and tell the captain. If you don’t report the cancellation, you’ll force the towboat to spend hours looking for you, delay service for other boaters, and possibly prompt the Coast Guard to launch a costly search-and-rescue effort.
Keep cool. Don’t blame the towboat captain—or yourself, for that matter—for your having had to call for assistance. If you’re in trouble, or if you could be if you don’t get back to port soon, it’s better to have called before the situation becomes dangerous than after it’s too late.
About the author: Art Pine is a USCG-licensed captain and a longtime sailor and powerboater on the Chesapeake Bay.