TowBoatUS Au Gres, MI is 40th Port on the Great Lakes

AU GRES, MI, June 18, 2008 -- Capt. Gary Poirier has opened TowBoatUS Au Gres, his third on-the-water towing port on Michigan’s inner Saginaw Bay. The new port is located at Au Gres Yacht Club at the mouth of the Au Gres River and provides tows back to a marina or launch ramp, fuel deliveries, battery jump-starts, or ungrounding services for recreational boaters. Capt. Poirier hopes the new port will reduce response times to area boaters and also grow his services with boaters cruising to the Eagle Bay Casino Marina Development. The USCG licensed Poirier also owns TowBoatUS Bay City and TowBoatUS Sand Point. Au Gres becomes the 40th TowBoatUS port on the Great Lakes.

Capt. Poirier has stationed a 28-foot Pacemaker response boat at the port that can be identified by its distinctive red hull, white bow stripes and “TowBoatU.S.” lettering along its side. Onboard is a full complement of towing and salvage equipment including extra fuel, engine fluids, pumps, and a battery “jump pack” to handle dead batteries.

A Saginaw Bay native, Poirier returned to the region in 2004 after a 30-year corporate career and purchased the Bay City and Sand Point TowBoatUS ports just three short years ago after working for the former owners as a hired captain. He’s currently a member of the Bay City Yacht Club and the Saginaw Bay Power Squadron. Gary and his wife, Jeanne, who is Secretary of the Power Squadron, recently donated much needed supplies to the Boy Scouts for construction of a new dock on the Saginaw River. Gary also donates his services to local fishing tournaments in a region known for its great Walleye fishery.

Poirier says he’s often responded to boaters and anglers grounded on the many sand bars that dot the bottom of the bay. “The Rifle Bar, Saganing Bar, and Pinconning Bars are notorious for trapping unsuspecting anglers,” said Poirier, but he also frequently responds to boats with mechanical breakdowns as well as some capsizings. Nationwide, BoatUS 24-hour Dispatch Centers received over 60,000 requests for assistance from boaters last year.

BoatUS offers “Unlimited” on-the-water towing plans for freshwater boaters at just $53 a year, which includes BoatUS membership - a 70% discount off last year’s pricing. Without a towing plan, boaters face costs that nationally average about $600 per incident. Boaters in need of towing assistance can reach TowBoatUS Au Gres as well as Poirier’s other two locations by calling the company directly at 989-315-1233; 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.

Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) is the nation's leading advocate for recreational boaters providing its 650,000 members with a wide array of consumer services, including on-the-water towing assistance provided by TowBoatUS and Vessel Assist Pacific. Combined, these two towing fleets offer North American boaters the largest network of US, Canadian and Bahamian towing ports with over 280 locations and nearly 500 towing assistance vessels - twice that of any other service provider.