Capt. Thomas Cunningham, owner and operator of four TowBoatUS ports serving the greater Raleigh area

RALEIGH, N.C. – August 13, 2026 – TowBoatUS, North America’s largest network of towing ports, today announced the opening of a new port, TowBoatUS Shearon Harris Lake, owned and operated by Capt. Thomas Cunningham. This new port joins Cunningham’s existing ports, including TowBoatUS Jordan Lake, TowBoatUS Kerr Lake, and TowBoatUS Falls Lake.  

After more than four years assisting boaters on North Carolina's waterways, Cunningham has now come full circle as the owner and operator of four TowBoatUS ports that will provide on-water services to recreational boaters and anglers throughout North Carolina’s Triangle region. 

Estimated to span more than 76,000 acres of water and frequented by an estimated 4- to 6 million boaters annually, the four strategically located ports are situated within a 75-mile radius of each other and will provide routine services for recreational boaters, including on-water towing, fuel delivery, battery jumps, and soft ungroundings.  

“The boating community throughout the Triangle Region continues to grow, and we’re excited to provide dependable assistance to meet that demand,” said Cunningham. “By establishing ports conveniently located on the North Carolina waterway, we’re able to provide faster response times and reliable towing and recovery services across some of the state's most heavily used waterways, providing boaters with greater confidence each time they leave the dock.” 

A former Merchant Mariner, Cunningham’s career on the water spans more than a decade. He has operated vessels up to 1,000 feet in length and served in the maritime industry before relocating to the Raleigh area. It was there he discovered an opportunity to join TowBoatUS as a captain, combining his professional expertise with a lifelong passion for boating.  

Currently, Cunningham operates a fleet of five response vessels, staffed by a team of eight captains stationed at all four lakes. An additional vessel is strategically based in Apex and can be trailered to support emergency response operations as needed. Separate from routine on-water towing services covered under a BoatUS Towing Membership, the port also offers diving, salvage, and recovery services. 

Much like an auto club for recreational boat owners, Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) offers on-water towing memberships for $130/year for freshwater. In addition to a BoatUS Towing Membership, members also receive more than 25 valuable BoatUS benefits including a subscription to award-winning 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, download the free BoatUS App, which connects boaters to the closest local towing captain, call Capt. Thomas Cunningham directly at 919-303-1669 or hail on VHF radio Ch. 16. 

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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, as well as 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 630 red towboats, responding to more than 110,000 requests for assistance each year. To learn more about becoming a BoatUS member, visit BoatUS.com/Towing and to find a TowBoatUS location closest to you, visit BoatUS.com/ServiceLocator.