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Special Feature

ABoat Floats

The need for vessel assistance services

By Tom Brinkley

ith The Landings being almost an all-waterfront • Sea Tow offers similar memberships and also provides
neighborhood, boating is a major component coverage in the Bahamas. Sea Tow does not have any
Wof our neighborhood lifestyle enjoyed by many specific offshore distance limits. How far they will go is only
of us who live here. But things can and do occasionally go limited by the sea conditions, fuel capacity and ability to
wrong with our boats that can endanger our safety or create a communicate with the vessel in need.
nuisance for the boat owner. And when they do, you need to Towing services are obviously one of the most important
know who to turn to for help.
benefits these firms offer. Towing situations are typically due
Companies such as Tow Boat US and Sea Tow offer numerous to breakdowns at sea or at a restricted use dock. However,
‘vessel assist’ services to pleasure-vessel operators and others if your boat will not start while you are at your home dock,
through membership plans that include some, or all, of the rental dock, or a non-restricted use slip, most, if not all of the
following services for an annual fee: towing expenses are covered under membership plans.
• On-call service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and Sea Tow “Vessel Assist Services” also include prop
365 days a year.. disentanglements. Both companies include a limited amount
of fuel delivery to a vessel in need and soft ungrounding,
• Free towing, battery jumps, fuel delivery and
soft ungrounding. within the defined framework of their respective membership
programs.
• Nationwide, and in Broward County, Tow-Boat U.S. offers
memberships that provide coverage up to 130 miles Salvage is another key issue if things go disastrously wrong
offshore, which services Bimini and Grand Bahama. either dockside or at sea and may or may not be covered
by one of these ‘vessel assist’ memberships. Salvage may

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