Five On-the-Water Towboat Captains Honored for Heroism

With over 600 tow boats spread across North America, the law of averages dictates that, eventually, BoatUS towing captains will be thrust into the middle of life-threatening emergencies. BoatUS Towing Services recently honored five of its captains - four with Meritorious Service Awards and one with the BoatUS "Woody Pollack Lifesaving Award" - at a ceremony that recently capped off the group's annual conference held in Clearwater Beach, FL. The Woody Pollack award is named after the well-respected towboat captain in the fleet who died at an early age. 

"Sometimes the routine of a normal day is interrupted by a life-threatening mayday call or an incident that unfolds in front of them, and our captains step in without hesitation," said BoatUS Vice President and Director of Towing Adam Wheeler. "They are not in the rescue business, but their actions save others. We are very proud of them." US Coast Guard Chief of Search and Rescue, Captain Peter Martin, presented the awards on behalf of Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS). Here are the details on the incidents: 

1. Woody Pollack Lifesaving Award: Captain Sean McKinney of Vessel Assist Lake Havasu, AZ 

One Saturday afternoon last summer, Capt. Sean McKinney was providing a routine tow to a BoatUS member in Havasu Springs Marina until piercing screams shot through the field of boat slips. McKinney quickly dropped the tow and found the source of the sound a few slips way - it was the mother of a seven-year-old boy who had jumped off the stern of the family's powerboat as the boy's father was backing into the slip.

Carrying his first aid kit, just like the one he had in the US Army as a combat lifesaver, McKinney raced into action. The boy had two deep prop cuts to the bone on the calf, and was bleeding badly. Captain McKinney quickly applied a tourniquet, advised Vessel Assist Lake Havasu Base to summon help, and continued to care and comfort the boy and his family for 20 minutes before emergency responders could arrive to the remote location. The boy was medevac'd to a Phoenix hospital and survived. McKinney's quick actions, and his ability to keep the boy and his father calm during the emergency, saved the life of the young man. 

2. Meritorious Service Award #1, Capt. Joe Burkett, TowBoatUS Fernandina, FL: 

On a midday fall afternoon last year, four ladies were boating on Florida's St. Mary's River in Fernandina Beach, when the BoatUS 24-hour dispatch center indicated a boat was disabled near the mouth of the river's entrance channel. During the call, it became clear that one aboard the vessel had gone for a swim, was caught in the unexpectedly swift current and swept away from the boat - without a life jacket. Capt. Joe Burkett was requested to respond immediately and dispatch notified US Coast Guard sector Jacksonville, FL. 

Arriving on scene within 15 minutes, Captain Burkett started a search pattern down current. Burkett strained his eyes to locate the woman and was only able to see her when he noticed her arms occasionally break the water like a dolphin, as she attempted to swim to a nearby jetty. The woman, shaken, was safely brought aboard. 

3. Meritorious Service Award #2: Capt. Mitch Kramer, TowBoatUS Oyster Bay, NY: 

The sky over New York's Long Island Sound had been ignited moments earlier by an extravagant 4th of July fireworks display - and was suddenly bright again with the light of a signal flare illuminating a marine disaster unfolding just moments after the show. A 34-foot cruiser with an unimaginable 27 persons aboard had capsized in the maelstrom of hundreds of vessels all departing the show at the same time, and people were trapped. Captain Mitch Kramer of TowBoatUS Oyster Bay was soon on scene, strapped on his fins and mask, stuck an air hose in his mouth, and plunged in among the dozens of boats that had responded. Adult passengers were frantically trying to free three children, from ages 8 to 12, from inside the boat's cabin.

A hot summer night rainstorm swept in, knocking the half-submerged boat around making it impossible for Kramer to push past the debris and canvas covers, squeeze through a hatch, or open the cabin door. After many futile attempts with the boat upside down and submerged, Kramer was finally forced to retreat. The body of one girl was found before the boat sank. Two other children who were trapped aboard lost their lives as well. 

4. Meritorious Service Award #3: Capt. Harold "Smitty" Smith, TowBoatUS Sandy Hook, NJ:
Shortly after lunch one early fall afternoon last year, Captain Smitty of TowBoatUS Sandy Hook heard a distress call on the VHF advising of a collision in the Shrewsbury Channel near a cove popular with boaters and known for its sandy beach. Captain Smitty responded to the scene where he found a capsized boat and two persons in the water. Smith quickly brought accident victims aboard, one with severe internal injuries. 

As he sped to shore, he notified the Coast Guard who arranged for EMS to meet them at the dock. The more seriously injured boater had to be medevac'd to a local trauma center, and both survived. 

5. Meritorious Service Award #4: Capt. Robert Estrada, TowBoatUS Lake Lanier, GA: 

Last June, with the boating season in full swing, 13-year-old Griffin Prince was with his 9-year-old brother, Jake, aboard the family's pontoon boat when it was struck by a fishing boat helmed by a drunk driver. Both Griffin and his brother were killed. In the mayhem and carnage of the collision, Griffin's body fell overboard and along with debris from the mangled boat, descended to the depths of the lake.

They were lost to recovery divers and grieving parents for nine days before a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) with a camera was able to locate the boat debris field, ultimately allowing the divers to recover the child's body at 113 feet below the surface. The ROV camera, borrowed from a friend, was volunteered to law enforcement authorities by Captain Robert Estrada of TowBoatUS Lake Lanier, GA. Estrada paid for its rush shipping to the lake and also remained part of the search and perimeter operation throughout the entire recovery operation.

National Park Service Keeping Staten Island Marina Open

Boat Owners Association of The United States Applauds
National Park Service for Keeping Staten Island Marina Open

After Damage by Sandy and Closure Decree, Agency Reverses Course

STATEN ISLAND, NY, January 23, 2013 - In a stunning reversal of a decision made shortly after Hurricane Sandy devastated Nichols Great Kills Park Marina on New York's Staten Island, the National Park Service has agreed to extend the marina operator's permit for three years, the maximum allowable under the law. The 350-slip marina, located on the grounds of the Gateway National Recreation Area, lost all of its docks in the storm and was to be shuttered by April 15, 2013, with the Park Service formerly maintaining that services for 2013 were "not possible." 

However, today's decision by National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis allows the marina operator to invest in the facilities and rebuild docks. The marina is also likely to receive some funding made available to the Park Service by the recently passed Sandy Relief Bill, according to Senator Charles Schumer, who along with Representative Michael Grimm, the grassroots group Committee to Save Great Kills Park Marina Community, BoatU.S. and the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce, worked together to keep the marina open.

Fred DiLise with The Committee to Save Great Kills Park Marina Community, stated "The boaters of Staten Island and Great Kills Marina knew their community must be preserved. Many thanks to BoatU.S. for helping to carry that message to Washington and the leadership of the National Park Service." 

Boat Owners Association of The United States lobbied the Park Service and met with Cong. Grimm's staff in the quest to keep the marina open for the 2013 summer boating season.
The Park Service had initially chosen to deny the renewal of the marina operator concessionaire lease, which expired on Dec. 31, 2012. 

"We thank all of those who spoke up loudly to ensure another valuable boating access point was not lost forever," said BoatUS President Margaret Podlich. "The loss of the marina, the largest in Great Kills Harbor, would have meant a substantial economic loss for the community as well as the generations of boaters who have called Nichols home for decades. We believe the National Park Service ultimately recognized the value and seafaring tradition that Nichols provided. And we appreciate that the Service recognized that recreational boating should remain part of the mix of recreational opportunities our parks can offer." 


Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) is the nation's leading advocate for recreational boaters providing its over half-million members with government representation, services such as 24-hour on-the-water boat towing as well as roadside assistance for boat trailers and tow vehicles, feature-rich boat insurance programs, money-saving benefits that include marina and West Marine shopping discounts, and vital information that improves the boating, fishing and sailing lifestyle. Its member-funded BoatUS Foundation is a national leader promoting safe, clean and responsible boating.

US Coast Guard 2012 Video of the Year

This video is from the crews of Coast Guard Station Coos Bay, Ore. The compilation of first person footage was put together by crews at Station Coos Bay and features the extreme environment of the Pacific Northwest as boat crews battle waves and weather off the Oregon Coast.

Planning on Boating This Winter? Know the New Life Jacket Laws

Did you know that five states in the U.S. have created new mandatory life jacket wear laws in cold-weather months? Here’s a quick Go-To Guide (provided by each state agency’s web site):

Connecticut: Life jackets must be worn by anyone in a manually propelled vessel from October 1 through May 31 (must be Type I, II, III, V or V-hybrid).

Maine: All persons canoeing or kayaking on the Saco River between Hiram Dam and the Atlantic Ocean between January 1st and June 1st must be wearing a life jacket.

Massachusetts: Lifejackets must be worn from September 15 - May 15 when operating a canoe or kayak.

New York: No owner or operator of a pleasure vessel less than twenty-one feet, including rowboats, canoes, and kayaks shall permit its operation, between November 1st and May 1st, unless each person on board such vessel is wearing a securely fastened United States Coast Guard approved wearable personal flotation device of an appropriate size when such vessel is underway.

Pennsylvania: Beginning November 1 and lasting through April 30, boaters are required to wear a life jacket while underway or at anchor on boats less than 16 feet in length or any canoe or kayak.

Accidents on the water can happen much too fast to reach and put on a stowed life jacket. It’s important that everyone wears a life jacket while on the water. In 2011, drowning was the reported cause of death in almost three-fourths of all boating fatalities. Of those, 84 percent were reported as not wearing their life jackets. Life jacket wear is one of the most effective and simple life-saving strategies for safe recreational boating. No matter what time of year, “Wear It!”

Boat Sales Increase 10% in 2012

Tide Turning for U.S. Boating Industry

Recreational boating industry reports ten percent increase in new power boat sales in 2012, sees first signs of healthy growth since recession; Small, versatile boats leading the recovery

CHICAGO – January 3, 2013 – The U.S. recreational boating industry began to see the tide turn for new power boat sales with an estimated ten percent increase in 2012, according to the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA). Early projections indicate the industry will see additional increases in 2013 by as much as 5-10 percent. This level of growth in 2013 will depend on a number of factors including continued improvement in economic conditions that impact recreational boating—namely consumer confidence and the housing market—and sustained increases in Americans’ participation in outdoor recreation.   “Improving economic conditions and what seems to be a resurgence in Americans’ love for the outdoors, helped fuel steady growth in new power boat sales in 2012,” notes Thom Dammrich, president of NMMA. “A ten percent boost at retail in 2012 is significant as this is the first time since the recession we saw healthy growth across the powerboat market, which will create momentum in 2013.”   Another factor, and new trend, that’s contributing to new boat sales is the creation of innovative, more versatile and accessible boats that appeal to a variety of interests and budgets and fall within the 15-26 foot range.   It’s these smaller boats, those less than 27 feet, which make up 96 percent of the 12.4 million registered boats in the U.S. and are leading the industry out of the recession. Boats that fall into this category include aluminum all-purpose boats and pontoons, fiberglass bowriders, fish and ski boats, and jet boats.   “One of the most significant trends we’re seeing in boat manufacturing is the versatile boat—one that can pull tubers or wakeboarders, can be used for fishing outings, relaxing with family or entertaining friends,” said Dammrich. “After a decade of decline, Americans are participating in outdoor recreation in growing numbers, and as they look for ways to spend time outdoors, boat manufacturers are taking cue, producing innovative boats that offer an all-encompassing entry to the boating lifestyle at a variety of price points.”   In 2011, boating participation increased ten percent to 83 million – the largest proportion of adults (34.8 percent) who went boating since 1997(35.8 percent).   It’s not just boating participation that is growing. The Outdoor Industry Association reports that more than 140 million Americans make outdoor recreation a priority in their daily lives – and they prove it with their wallets. The outdoor recreation economy generates $646 billion in direct consumer spending  annually. What’s more, a recent study  by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service reports that participation in fishing is up eleven percent in the past five years, and hunting participation is up nine percent in the past five years. To further attract this growing number of outdoor recreation enthusiasts and showcase what the boating lifestyle has to offer, the recreational boating industry will unveil its latest innovations at annual boat shows across the country in January and February, starting today, January 3, with the Progressive Insurance New York Boat Show. Boat shows, which attract more than one million people annually, are where manufacturers launch new boats and marine gear for purchase, unlike auto shows which are for viewing.  The shows are a primary sales venue for the industry and barometer for things to come for recreational boating, as they provide a glimpse of buyer sentiment and sales for the year ahead. A complete list of boat shows around the U.S. can be found at boatshows.com.