BoatUS Towing, the nation’s largest on-the-water towing service for recreational boaters, has announced that TowBoatUS Detroit/ Lake St. Clair is under new ownership with the purchase of the operation by Capt. Brian Williams, a Detroit native and local tugboat captain. Capt. Williams has also expanded the operation to include a third location in Port Huron , MI. TowBoatUS Lake St. Clair/Detroit /Lake St. Clair, with locations on the Detroit River at Pier 500 and Lake St. Clair /Detroit at Michigan Harbor Marina respectively, was formerly owned by Capt. Terry Becker, who recently retired.

Williams, a USCG licensed Captain, is known in the community for the highly popular, annual “Detroit Tugboat Race” as well as the Detroit-Windsor Tug-o-war. The 30-year-old single father of a six-year-old son, Williams purchased and captained his first commercial tug when he was just 18 years old. He currently owns “The Acushnet,” a 1943, 65-foot commercial tug which he uses for public events. He was formerly the Captain of the Marine Division of Inland Waters Pollution, a local environmental services company.

The company has a 23-foot rigid-hull inflatable boat (RIB) at the Detroit River location and three RIBs stationed on Lake St. Clair ranging from 26 to 30 feet. The new Port Huron location is on the St. Clair River with a 26-foot RIB. All of the vessels can be identified by their distinctive red and black hulls with white bow stripes and “TowBoatUS” lettering along their sides. Each vessel has a full complement of towing and salvage equipment including extra fuel, pumps, airbags and battery “jump packs” to handle every breakdown from running out of fuel to running aground.

Capt. Williams said he can assist boaters on the Detroit River , Lake St. Clair , and the Lake St. Clair River . “I’m a boater myself and I got into this business because I love the water and enjoy helping other boaters,” said Capt. Williams. “Most of the issues we see with breakdowns are maintenance related,” he added.

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 in need of towing assistance can reach TowBoatUS Lake St. Clair/D Detroit /Lake St. Clair/Port Huron by calling the company directly at 586-447-0180; by VHF radio on channel 16; or through the BoatUS toll-free Dispatch Service at 800-391-4869 or visit http://www.BoatUS.com/Towing for more information.