From left to right, TowBoatUS Captain Ryan Foster, TowBoatUS Captain Axson Smith III, TowBoatUS Captain Rick Boone and TowBoatUS Captain Michael Tucker
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SPRINGFIELD, Va. – February 3, 2026 – When recreational boats run out of fuel, have an engine breakdown, or run aground, the nation’s largest on-water towing and assistance fleet, TowBoatUS, responds 24/7 to get them home safely. In moments that demanded more than their everyday responsibilities, some of these towboat captains and crews helped save boaters’ lives. 

At the annual gathering of the TowBoatUS fleet at the TowBoatUS Conference held in Orlando, Florida, company owners, captains and BoatUS staff honored four captains who selflessly acted to provide lifesaving assistance in 2025. Of the awards, the highest honor is the Woody Pollak Award, named after the late Capt. Woody Pollak who died on duty and was known for his unselfish acts.  

This year, TowBoatUS awarded one Woody Pollak Award and three Meritorious Service Awards to deserving captains who went above and beyond the call of duty:  

• Woody Pollak Award: Capt. Rick Boone, TowBoatUS Lake Allatoona 

On a June afternoon, Capt. Rick Boone received a call for assistance from the on-duty manager at one of TowBoatUS Lake Allatoona’s home marinas on the Georgia reservoir. The manager was returning to the marina after servicing a boat club member when he came across a man treading water, far from shore and with no personal floatation device. The man was speaking belligerently and not heeding commands or warnings. Once Capt. Rick arrived, he observed the man was showing signs of extreme fatigue and speaking incoherently, threatening to kill himself. Rick spent time carefully talking with him and, kindly but firmly, conveying the dangers of being in the middle of the lake with surrounding boat traffic. Rick spoke to him about the importance of life and reasoned that his safety was of utmost importance. After what seemed like forever, the man finally agreed to get in the boat. Rick pulled him aboard, sat him on the deck, and had him put on a life jacket. The two returned to the marina where the man was turned over to the manager on duty to receive necessary assistance. When asked about the event, Rick shared, “I feel if I had not gotten out there when I did and was able to talk him into getting into the boat with me that he would have let himself drown in the lake that day.” 

• Meritorious Service Award: Captain Ryan Foster, TowBoatUS Palm Beach 

In June, Capt. Ryan Foster of TowBoatUS Palm Beach was on patrol in Jupiter, Florida, when he heard a Pan-Pan alert from the U.S. Coast Guard over the VHF radio. A missing swimmer was reported off Blowing Rocks Preserve, approximately 2 miles north of Jupiter Inlet. Capt. Ryan immediately drove toward the inlet, where he found U.S. Coast Guard, Florida Fish & Wildlife and Martin County Sheriff officials searching for the swimmer. Taking the weather conditions and current into consideration, Capt. Ryan made a judgment call to search north of the beach where the swimmer was last seen. When he arrived 1.5 miles north of the search area, Ryan began scanning the water and soon located the swimmer 50 yards north of his towboat. He drove to the swimmer, helped get him aboard his vessel, then safely transferred him to the Coast Guard boat on scene. 

• Meritorious Service Award: Captain Michael Tucker, TowBoatUS Lake Texoma 

On what seemed to be a normal Tuesday afternoon in July, a sudden storm struck Lake Texoma on the Texas-Oklahoma border. Chaos ensued as four children between 8 and 16 years old along with an adult male were tossed overboard, none of them wearing life jackets. The one teenager who remained on the boat attempted to throw a rope to the others, but it inadvertently got tangled in the propeller, leaving the vessel incapacitated. Faced with this dire situation, the teenager immediately called 911, leading to the dispatch of TowBoatUS Lake Texoma. Recognizing the urgency of the situation, Capt. Michael Tucker departed from the nearest marina, enlisting assistance from Elie Karam, a representative of Lighthouse Resort & Marina where the TowBoatUS port is based. Faced with strong winds exceeding 20 miles per hour, Michael and Elie tracked down and rescued each of the struggling passengers, who were scattered across hundreds of yards in choppy waters. Their quick response and courageous actions not only preserved lives but also demonstrated the essence of bravery and preparedness in the face of adversity.  

• Meritorious Service Award: Captain Axson Smith III, TowBoatUS River Forest 

On a Friday afternoon in May, a 69-year-old man fell off his dinghy in the Pungo River near Belhaven, North Carolina. Someone had spotted an unmanned boat headed toward shore and called 911, which initiated rescue procedures with the U.S. Coast Guard. Capt. Axson Smith III of TowBoatUS River Forest heard the request for assistance on VHF and jumped into action. He drove his towboat 10 miles down the Pungo River where he eventually spotted a man treading water. With help from a nearby crab fisherman, Capt. Axson was able to assist the man, who had likely been treading water for around 45 minutes. Aside from being exhausted, the man had no physical injuries. 

These four captains not only showed heroism, but quick instincts, smart decision-making and the ability to react calmly in times of emergencies. As the largest network of towing ports, TowBoatUS provides 24-hour on-water assistance for recreational boaters. To learn more about BoatUS Towing Memberships, visit BoatUS.com/Towing. To find a TowBoatUS location near you, visit BoatUS.com/ServiceLocator. 

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About TowBoatUS:  

Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) is the nation's leading advocacy, services and safety group for recreational boaters. We provide more than 740,000 members with a wide array of helpful services, including 24-hour on-water towing that gets boaters safely home when their boat won’t, jump-starts, fuel delivery, and soft ungroundings. The TowBoatUS towing fleet is North America’s largest network of towing ports with more than 330 locations and over 660 red towboats, responding to more than 110,000 requests for assistance each year. To learn more about becoming a TowBoatUS member, visit BoatUS.com/Towing and to find a TowBoatUS location closest to you, visit BoatUS.com/ServiceLocator.