BoatUS Towing, part of the nation’s largest on-the-water towing service for recreational boaters, has announced that TowBoatUS Brunswick, GA, TowBoatUS Valona, GA, and TowBoatUS Jekyll Island, GA, are now under new ownership with the purchase of the operation by Capt. Douglas Schultz. Four towing captains and port manager Capt. Patrick Hogan who were with the previous operator will continue with Capt. Schultz’s new company, also known locally as Southeastern Marine.

Capt. Schultz, a Jekyll Island resident, has three towing vessels which can be identified by their distinctive red and black hulls with white bow stripes and “TowBoatU.S.” lettering along their sides. They are a 2 8-foot Boston Whaler based at TowBoatUS Brunswick at Golden Isles Marina in St. Simons; a 25-foot Parker based at TowBoatUS Valona; and at TowBoatUS Jekyll Island a 25-foot Boston Whaler is home ported at Jekyll Harbor Marina.

All of the vessels carry a full complement of towing and salvage equipment including extra fuel, pumps, airbags and battery “jump packs” to handle every breakdown from running out of fuel to running aground, which sometimes occurs to vessels transiting the Intracoastal Waterway.

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 in need of towing assistance can reach TowBoatUS Brunswick /Valona /Jekyll Island by calling the company directly at 912-638-7751; by VHF radio on channel 16; or through the BoatUS toll-free Dispatch Service at 800-391-4869 or visit http://www.BoatUS.com/Towing for more information.