What happens if you run out of fuel or have an engine problem near Oceanside, California, and need a tow home? Until last week, you could call the harbor police and they’d help you out for free. But no longer. Now, you can call Tow Boat US. Here’s the full story from The San Diego Union Tribune:
Boaters who find themselves dead in the water can no longer count on a free tow back to the Oceanside harbor.
The city has turned its non-emergency assists over to the private company Tow Boat US, said Lt. Aaron Doyle of the Oceanside Harbor Police. The company will help anyone, but charges an annual membership fee or an hourly rate for nonmembers.
Until recently, the Oceanside harbor police would respond to any stranded vessel, sometimes traveling as far as 10 miles or more, and bring them back to a slip at no charge, Doyle said.
“It’s just not a fiscally responsible practice,” he said in an explanation of the policy change this week at a meeting of the city’s Harbor and Beaches Advisory Committee.
Also, assisting a stranded vessel miles away can tie up two or more harbor police officers and their boat at sea for hours at a tie, and back-up officers must be called in to protect the harbor. Read more:
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/communities/north-county/sd-no-boat-tows-20181019-story.html
