New Towing Service Ready to Help Boaters in East Tennessee Lakes TowBoatUS Fort Loudon/Tellico Lake Opens
FORT
LOUDON/TELLICO LAKE, Tenn., April 3, 2012 — Capt. Jeff Walters
has spent most of his life boating and fishing in the lakes of the
Tennessee River system. “Boating has always been my pleasure
activity,” the 69-year-old mechanical engineer said, “so
when I retired from industry, I decided to make boating my second
career.”
Walters, a US Coast Guard-licensed captain who started Tennessee River
Towing and Salvage as a part-time enterprise several years ago, joined
the nationwide TowBoatUS towing program last fall, with the opening
of TowBoatUS Fort Loudon/Tellico Lake. Now he and his towboat are
available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to help boaters, sailors and
anglers get safely home whenever they have trouble on the water. “Joining
up with BoatUS means I can offer boaters on Tellico and Fort Loudon
Lakes better and more affordable service,” Walters said.
Much like an auto club for boaters, TowBoatUS offers on-the-water
towing plans for freshwater boaters and anglers for just $58
a year, which includes BoatUS
or BoatUS ANGLER membership. “It’s really
a bargain,” Walters said. “Without a membership, boaters
pay $200 per hour for a towboat when their boats break down around
here.” The national average for out-of-pocket costs is $600
per incident.
When it comes to helping other boaters, Walters is a pro. He joined
the Coast Guard right after college and spent six years as a small
boat captain doing harbor patrols and search-and-rescue work, plus
one tour of duty on an icebreaker. While he doesn’t expect to
see any ice on the Tennessee lakes and is not an emergency rescue
service, his other Coast Guard experiences will come in handy when
he heads out for an assist.
His boat, a 21-foot Stratos with a 225-horsepower Mercury outboard,
is fully equipped for most any kind of boater assistance, with a big
aluminum towing bit, state-of-the-art electronics, dewatering pumps,
extra fuel and two “jump packs” to handle dead batteries.
It is easy to recognize with its distinctive red hull, white bow stripes,
and “TowBoatUS” lettering along its side. Home base is
at mile marker 603 on the Tennessee River at Fort Loudon Marina in
Lenoir City.
This new TowBoatUS port will provide service to boaters on Fort Loudon
Lake from Knoxville to Fort Loudon Dam, all of Tellico Lake and the
northernmost 20 miles of Watts Bar Lake south of Fort Loudon Dam.
These lakes are popular bass fishing and recreational boating waters,
filled with all kinds of boats from personal watercraft, to fishing
boats, sailboats, 35-foot cruisers and even a few houseboats.
Boaters can contact TowBoatUS Fort Loudon/Tellico Lake by calling
865-399-2290, calling the BoatUS toll-free Dispatch Service at 800-391-4869,
or hailing on VHF 16. To see the location on a map, go to www.BoatUS.com/ftloudontellicolake.
TowBoatUS Fort Loudon/Tellico Lake is part of the world’s largest
boat towing program with over 600 towboats servicing hundreds of ports
and waterways. Towing is just one service offered by BoatUS - Boat
Owners Association of The United States - the nation's leading advocate
for recreational boaters providing its half-million members with government
representation, consumer programs and money-saving services. For more
information go to www.BoatUS.com/towing
or call 800-888-4869.
