Third Location for Local Businessman Who Helps Boaters

TowBoatUS, part of the nation’s largest on-the-water towing service for recreational boaters, has come to Connecticut’s Stonington Harbor with the opening of TowBoatU.S. Watch Hill located at Dodson’s Boat Yard. The new port is the third for Capt. Don Rich, who also owns TowBoatUS Mystic, CT, located at Spicer's Marina and TowBoatUS New London, CT, located at Pine Island Marina. The three ports cover Block Island Sound, the eastern end of Long Island Sound, Fishers Island Sound and Montauk Point, NY.

Capt. Rich, a former Connecticut State Police officer, opened his first towing location in Mystic 15 years ago and added the New London port just last year. The new Watch Hill port is equipped with a 27-foot Almar rigid hull inflatable aluminum commercial towing vessel that can be identified by its distinctive red hull and “TowBoatU.S.” lettering along the side. The vessel has a full complement of towing and salvage equipment including extra fuel, pumps and airbags to handle every breakdown from running out of fuel to running aground.

Capt. Rich said the new location will help him reach boaters transiting the Watch Hill Passage as well as those bound for Stonington Harbor, a popular weekend destination. The area’s open ocean reefs can cause problems for inexperienced boaters, but routine problems such as dead batteries, engine breakdowns or running out of fuel are common. “You can call us 24-hours a day and we’ll help you get back safely in your slip, to the launch ramp or repair facility,” he said.

Boaters in need of towing assistance can reach TowBoatUS Watch Hill 24-hours a day, seven days a week by VHF radio on channel 16; by calling the company directly at 860-536-3128; or through the BoatUS toll-free Dispatch Service at 800-391-4869.

Like an auto club, BoatUS offers on-the-water assistance plans starting at around $37 a year. Without a towing plan, boaters face costs that nationally average about $600 per incident. Boaters can call 800-888-4869 or http://www.visit BoatUS.com/Towing for more information.

Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) is the nation's leading advocate for recreational boaters providing its 670,000 members with a wide array of consumer services, including on-the-water towing assistance provided by TowBoatUS and Vessel Assist. These two towing fleets combined offer North American boaters the largest network of US, Canadian and Bahamian towing ports with over 270 locations and nearly 500 towing assistance vessels - twice that of any other service provider.