An image of the TowBoatUS Sointula team

SOINTULA, British Columbia – June 22, 2026 – TowBoatUS, North America’s largest on-water towing fleet, continues its expansion in British Columbia with the opening of a fourth location in the province. TowBoatUS Sointula is now on the water, assisting recreational boaters around Malcolm Island, including the community of Sointula off the British Columbia coast.  

The port is led by Capt. Pasha Barlak, a Sointula native with roots in the Malcolm Island fishing community. His maritime career began at age 13 as a deckhand on a commercial fishing vessel and has since spanned oil reserve surveying, carbon capture projects, and more recently, providing commercial assistance to boaters throughout coastal British Columbia.  

“Working on the water has been a constant throughout my life, from building and maintaining boats to gaining hands-on experience across the industry. Today, being able to put that knowledge into action to help boaters is deeply gratifying. It’s especially meaningful to serve the Sointula community I call home,” said Pasha. 

TowBoatUS Sointula will operate from Rough Bay on Malcolm Island with one red response vessel crewed by five Transport Canada-certified captains ready to assist boaters on the water. 

In addition to standard towing services, fuel delivery, jump-starts, and soft ungroundings, the port offers salvage services.   

Much like an auto club for recreational boat owners, Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) offers saltwater towing memberships for $215/year. In addition to a BoatUS Towing Membership, members 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 TowBoatUS Sointula directly at (855) 374-1918, 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 TowBoatUS member, visit BoatUS.com/Towing and to find a TowBoatUS location closest to you, visit BoatUS.com/ServiceLocator.