TIPS TO PREPARE YOUR BOAT You won’t have to make that non-emergency call if you: • Have a pre-departure checklist reviewing critical systems and have all safety equipment onboard including proper size and number of life jackets, VHF radio, emergency signal flares/devices, proper number of fire extinguishers, and an anchor. • Check working navigation lights for nighttime assistance. • Review your charts/navigation programs and plan where you are going. • Confirm favorable weather, wind and tide conditions. • Designate a person to spot for traffic, crab pots or other debris in the water. Although not a piece of safety gear by itself, completing a boating safety course will better prepare you to handle onboard emergencies.
Q: Does my traditional boat insurance cover on the water vessel assistance and towing? A: Maybe. Most boat insurances are designed for catastrophic accidents such as fire, collision or sinking but may include emergency towing services as an additional rider. Vessel assist memberships specialize in helping recreational boaters in nonemergency situations that obviously include towing but also answer the call for many of the on-the-water mishaps we may encounter. Q: Doesn’t the U.S. Coast Guard provide towing if my boat is disabled? A: The Coast Guard will assist if the emergency is a case of “distress,” which is said to exist when grave or imminent danger, requiring immediate response, threatens a craft or person. For non-emergency boating incidents, the Coast Guard will refer you to a local vessel tow company for assistance.
Q: To help me understand in what situations I can use my tow boat membership, I inquired about their most common calls for services. A: Assistance requests include towing request due to boat system or mechanical failure, boat grounded and request assistance refloating, battery jump starts, fuel delivery, and surprisingly many service calls are resolved over the phone by trouble- shooting with the captain first and towing only if necessary. Q: What is a typical cost of a vessel tow without a membership versus a tow with a membership? A: Towing a boat without a vessel assist membership can get very pricy. The average tow for a non-member is $850 to $1,000, not including additional surcharges for going to work in rough conditions or in the dark. Towing a boat with a vessel assist membership means the boater pays zero. There are no deductibles or copays. The fee of the yearly
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SUMMER 2022
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