TowBoatUS Sacramento opens in California's Delta Region
by BoatUS 3 Jul 12:42 PDT
TowBoatUS Sacramento provides on-water towing, soft ungrounding, battery jump and fuel drop-off services © BoatUS
California's Delta region, an incredible boating paradise and home to more than 700 miles of navigable waterways and thousands of recreational vessels, now has professional on-water assistance available with the opening of TowBoatUS Sacramento. Owned by Capt. Robert Fassett, it's the second Delta region TowBoatUS port (after TowBoatUS Bethel Island) and one of 31 across the U.S./Canadian West Coast.
This is Fassett's third boating business. In addition to his TowBoatUS ports, he owns Delta Marine Sales, a yacht brokerage with three locations in Southern and Northern California, and four Freedom Boat Club locations on the Bay and Delta, a membership-based boating club that provides access to boats without the traditional ownership challenges.
When asked why he chose to open a TowBoatUS location now on the northern end of the Delta, Fassett says, "We need TowBoatUS up here. There was previously no service, and it's a nice addition to further integrate ourselves into the local boating community. Our customers tell us they could use the 24/7 professional on-water assistance TowBoatUS offers." The company provides on-water towing, soft ungrounding, battery jump and fuel drop-off services 24/7.
Capt. Mark Kidman, former captain of Ventura Harbor Patrol, is TowBoatUS Sacramento's full time-port captain. "I'm very excited to be working on the water again, helping boaters," said Kidman. All of the company's captains are U.S. Coast Guard-licensed. The company homeports a 23-foot, bright red TowBoatUS response vessel fully rigged for towing and salvage at Sacramento Marina.
Much like an auto club for recreational boat owners, Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) offers on-water Unlimited Towing Memberships for freshwater boaters and anglers starting a just $109 per year, with top-of-the-line Unlimited Gold Membership at an affordable $215. "Towing service without a membership is billed at $350 an hour, which really shows the value of having an annual towing membership," says Fassett, Membership also comes with more than 25 valuable BoatUS benefits, including a subscription to BoatUS Magazine, free DSC-VHF radio registration and more.
Separate from BoatUS on-water towing, the company also offers boat salvage and spill clean-up services.
To request on-water assistance, boaters can call the BoatUS toll-free 24/7 Dispatch Center at 800-391-4869, call the port directly at 209-644-9114, or hail on VHF radio Ch. 16.