Capt. Chris Justice becomes new owner of TowBoatUS Anacortes, Washington
by Scott Croft 15 Jul 09:12 PDT
Capt. Chris Justice, a former hired on-water towing captain with TowBoatUS Tacoma, has chosen to strike out on his own and is the new owner of TowBoatUS Anacortes.
The company provides professional on-water towing assistance 24/7 to recreational boaters whose vessels have broken down, run out of fuel, or run aground. It is part of a nationwide network or more than 300 TowBoatUS locations, including 13 in the Pacific Northwest from Tacoma, Washington, to Canada's Northern Georgia Strait.
"I knew I wanted to go out on my own, so when I heard about the opportunity, I immediately jumped on it, packed up my bags, and moved to Anacortes," said Justice.
Asked about the region's waters Justice said, "There are shallow bays and lots of channels where, if you aren't watching, you can get into trouble. The weather can be a little rougher here as well." Remaining with the company is Capt. Richard Rodriguez, a familiar face to local boaters who have requested TowBoatUS on-water assistance over the years.
Many of the requests for on-water assistance are for the routine: a tow back to marina or launch ramp, battery jump or soft ungrounding. "I want boaters to know the benefits of having an Unlimited Towing Membership," added Justice.
BoatUS offers on-water Unlimited Towing Memberships for saltwater boaters and anglers for just $165 per year. Boaters without BoatUS towing services face costs averaging $800 per towing incident, with some paying more. Included with Unlimited Towing Membership are more than 25 Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) benefits and discounts, a subscription to BoatUS Magazine, free DSC-VHF radio registration, and more.
TowBoatUS Anacortes's red 24-hour response vessel is homeported at Cap Sante Marina and fully rigged for towing, jump-starts, fuel delivery and soft ungroundings. All of the company's towing captains are U.S. Coast Guard-licensed. Separate from BoatUS towing services, the company offers boat salvage, dive and environmental services.
The fastest way to summon assistance from TowBoatUS Anacortes is to download the free BoatUS App, which connects boaters to the closest local towing captain in under a minute. Additionally, the company can be reached at 239-389-1177, by hailing on VHF channel 16, or by phoning the BoatUS toll-free 24/7 Dispatch Center at 800-391-4869.