May 22, 2025
NEWS from BoatUS
Boat Owners Association of The United States
5323 Port Royal Rd, Springfield, VA 22151
BoatUS News Room at
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Contact: D. Scott Croft, Vice President Public Affairs, 703-461-2864, SCroft@boatus.com
SANTA CRUZ, Calif., May 22, 2025 – A former employee and captain for TowBoatUS Santa Cruz, an on-water towing and assistance company for boaters, has stepped up into the ownership role at the company. Capt. Anthony Capriccio, who has been working for the former owner, Capt. Monte Ash, for the past six years, is the new owner of the company that provides 24/7 on-water towing, soft ungrounding, battery jump and fuel drop-off services to boaters. In a reversal of roles, Capt. Ash remains with the company as well, helping to respond to boaters in need of routine on-water assistance.
“Monte and his wife, Jeylene, have taught me well in how to run a successful on-water towing and assistance company, and I’m excited to step up,” said Capriccio. “It’s a combination of opportunity and timing that was right for us, and I’m ready to have more responsibility.” TowBoatUS Santa Cruz is Capriccio’s second company. He also owns PAC Captain Services, a SAMS-accredited marine survey, boat delivery and on-water boat handling training company.
TowBoatUS Santa Cruz is part of nationwide network of more than 300 TowBoatUS locations – with 17 in the Golden State alone. The company has two red 28-foot response vessels with “TowBoatUS” in big white letters on their sides stationed at Santa Cruz Harbor. The port is ACAPT-certified, which recognizes professionalism and high standards of service, training and equipment. All of the company’s captains are U.S. Coast Guard-licensed. Separate from BoatUS on-water towing, the company also offers boat salvage services.
Much like an auto club for recreational boat owners, Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) offers on-water Unlimited Towing Memberships for saltwater boaters and anglers for just $175 per year. Membership comes with more than 25 valuable BoatUS benefits, including a subscription to BoatUS Magazine, free DSC-VHF radio registration and more.
To request on-water assistance, boaters can call the BoatUS toll-free 24/7 Dispatch Center at 800-391-4869, call the port directly at 831-359-0702, or hail on VHF radio Ch. 16.
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Suggested social media post:
Capt. Anthony Capriccio is the new owner of TowBoatUS Santa Cruz 24/7 on-water towing and assistance service, ready to help boaters with professional 24/7 towing, soft ungrounding, battery jump and fuel drop services this summer boating season https://bit.ly/4mtI2Vg @BoatUS #santacruzca #santacruzcalifornia #californiaboating #redisready #boattow #marinetowing #boattowing
About TowBoatUS:
Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) is the nation's leading advocacy, services and safety group for recreational boaters. We are the Boat Owners Auto Club™ and provide our more than 725,000 members with a wide array of helpful services, including 24-hour on-water towing that gets you safely home when your 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 300 locations and over 600 red towboats, responding to more than 110,000 requests for assistance each year. The BoatUS App makes it easy to summon water and road assistance 24/7 and can speed response times (BoatUS.com/App). For more information go to BoatUS.com/Towing.