Vessel Assist, part of the nation’s largest on-the-water towing service for recreational boaters, has added a new location on Oregon’s Pacific coast with the opening of Vessel Assist Winchester Bay. The new port is the second for Capt. Thomas Kramer, who also operates a Vessel Assist Coos Bay, Oregon, which opened in 2003. Both Vessel Assist ports provide assistance to recreational boaters in Oregon’s mid-coast region and bring the total number of Pacific Northwest Vessel Assist locations to 16, ranging from Kramer’s Coos Bay port north to Nanaimo, British Columbia.

Capt. Kramer has equipped Vessel Assist Winchester Bay with a 28-foot former commercial fishing vessel that can be identified by its distinctive red hull with white bow stripe and “Vessel Assist” lettering along the side. The boat carries extra fuel and battery “jump packs” to handle every breakdown from running out of fuel to running aground.

“We have a large sport fishing fleet that has to pass over a treacherous bar to get out to the fishing grounds,” said Capt. Kramer. “You won’t have to guess when help will arrive if you break down at sea, and we’ll get you safely back to port for repairs,” he added. Most of the breakdown problems, says Capt. Kramer, are due to poor maintenance and fuel issues.

Capt. Kramer also said that vacationers who may be unfamiliar with the local fishing grounds, Umpqua River bar crossing, weather patterns or other boating questions can call him anytime. “I’d be happy to share my knowledge with anyone traveling through the area,” he added.

Boaters in need of towing assistance can reach Vessel Assist Winchester Bay 24-hours a day, seven days a week by VHF radio on channel 16; by calling the company directly at 541-297-8099 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 visit http://www.BoatUS.com/Towing for more information.

Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatU.S.) 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 TowBoatU.S. and Vessel Assist. These two towing fleets combined offer North American boaters the largest network of U.S., Canadian and Bahamian towing ports with over 270 locations and nearly 500 towing assistance vessels - twice that of any other service provider.