Jack and Phyllis Black New Owners of TowBoatUS Ports at Sarasota, Cortez, and Manatee River, FL

Thomas “Jack” Black and his wife, Phyllis, have purchased three towing ports in Florida from former owners Mike and Susan Ammons. The Blacks now own TowBoatUS Sarasota, TowBoatUS Cortez, and TowBoatUS Manatee River that are located at Marina Jack in Sarasota, Cortez Cove Marina in Cortez, and the Manatee River in downtown Bradenton, respectively.

Two on-the-water response vessels are stationed at each location and all six boats can be identified by their distinctive red hulls with white bow stripes and “TowBoatU.S.” lettering along their sides. A 37-foot Uniflight serves as a back up vessel. Onboard each is a full complement of towing and salvage equipment including extra fuel, dewatering pump, and battery “jump pack” to handle every breakdown from running out of fuel to running aground. All three ports are part of the nation’s largest on-the-water towing service for recreational boaters, TowBoatUS.

With shifting shoals and tricky tides at the passes, boaters sometimes call for a tow after they’ve run aground. The towboats can provide a gentle pull off the bottom, a tow back to port, or drop off fuel, among other services.

A recreational boater his entire adult life, Jack retired from the restaurant business in 2000 and the couple moved to Florida, taking a year off to cruise aboard their 45-foot Bayliner, finally settling in Longboat Key. The Blacks are members of the Sarasota Yacht Club and Phyllis is active in the community, having chaired several local events including Longboat Key’s 50 th Birthday Celebration.

Similar to a roadside 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 in need of towing assistance can reach any of the three TowBoatUS ports by calling the company directly at 941-374-5745; by VHF radio on channel 16; 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.