Hey Sea Tow Members!
Follow us on Facebook and Share Your Sea Tow Story
Sea Tow Member FAQ
Christmas in July
More Boaters Asked for Help Over July 4th Weekend
Hurricane Preparedness Tips from Sea Tow
Will LightSquared Interfere with GPS?
America's Cup Embraces High-Tech TV Technology

Hey Sea Tow Members!
Have you activated your MarineMax Rewards membership yet? Don't miss out on the savings when purchasing supplies via the MarineMax Boating Gear Center and more. The MarineMax Rewards Base Level is included with your Sea Tow membership. Activate it today!

Follow us on Facebook and Share Your Sea Tow Story
Were you pulled off a sandbar or towed safely back to your marina? Did your local Sea Tow Captain go above and beyond? Take a moment to share your Sea Tow story on our new Testimonials page on Facebook. We'd love to hear about your Sea Tow captain and what he/she did to make your day.

Sea Tow Member FAQ
Q: I've heard that if two calls for assistance come in at the same time where one person is a Sea Tow member and other is a non-member, Sea Tow will respond to the non-member first because they get paid by the hour. Is that true?
A: Absolutely not! As a Sea Tow member, you've paid for the privilege of being served first. We are dedicated to helping all boaters on the water, but the non-member will have to wait his turn. In fact, select Sea Tow franchises serve only members on particularly busy summer weekends because business demands it.

The only caveat you'll find about members receiving priority service is during emergency situations where a Sea Tow captain is in a position to respond. When lives are at stake, we'll do all we can to ensure the boaters in trouble get the immediate help they need.

Have a question you would like answered? Just e-mail us at editors@seatow.com.

Christmas in July
A Sea Tow membership makes a great summertime gift!

Buy one for the fellow boater in your life.

More Boaters Asked for Help Over July 4th Weekend
Sea Tow's nationwide 24-hour dispatch center received 32 percent more calls requesting on-water help during the recent July 4th weekend than in 2010. The number of assistance calls dispatched for Trailer Care, the company's roadside assistance program, increased by 58 percent over 2010. It was the fourth consecutive year Sea Tow has reported an increase in activity during the nation's most popular boating weekend.

Most boaters who requested help needed a tow due to mechanical failure. Other common problems boaters experienced were fuel outages and ungroundings. Sea Tow members who received help from our captains saved more than $400,000 over the holiday weekend thanks to their membership privileges.

In addition to the typical requests for on-water assistance, Sea Tow captains also responded to emergency situations, including: Sea Tow captain John Gridley, co-owner of Sea Tow Clarks Hill Lake (a.k.a. Strom Thurman Lake), located near Augusta, Ga., saved the lives of three boaters. A severe thunderstorm blew across the area on Monday, July 4, catching a 98-foot houseboat in "horrid conditions." A 12-year-old boy was blown overboard. Two adults jumped into the water to help, one without a life jacket. Capt. Gridley pulled all three from the water, transporting them to shore, where the captain and another individual (Jim Masiongale) conducted rescue breathing on the victim who wasn't wearing a life jacket until medical personnel arrived. Local news reports indicate that all three boaters will recover.

Sea Tow Hampton Roads (Va.) responded to a call for assistance from local authorities in freeing a sailboat from the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel on Sunday, July 3. The mast of the boat became entangled between the bridge girders and high power lines that were secured to the bridge about a foot away. Sea Tow captains steadied the boat between the bridge and the lines while crews from the Bridge-Tunnel authority cut the mast to free the vessel. The boat was then transported to a local marina.

Sea Tow U.S. Virgin Islands worked with the U.S. Coast Guard in responding to the grounding of the Miss Royal Belmar, an 89-foot ferry that ran aground July 4. Ultimately, 98 passengers (including an infant) and four crew were successfully transported to Red Hook Harbor, St. Thomas. The U.S. Coast Guard is continuing its investigation of the incident.

Hurricane Preparedness Tips from Sea Tow
The first part of this year's hurricane season has passed without a serious threat. But the National Hurricane Center's prediction of 12 to 18 named storms, including three to six major hurricanes, for 2011 is in the back of everyone's mind. For that reason, Sea Tow advises boaters in coastal and inland areas where hurricanes and tropical storms are a threat to be prepared.

Most marine insurance providers require a formal written Storm Plan detailing where and how your boat must be secured during a hurricane. Make sure you know what actions your insurance policy requires you to take in the event of a storm.

It's also important to check the lease or dockage agreement with your marina, storage facility or private dock owner where your boat is moored to be sure the vessel can remain there during a hurricane. If it can stay, be sure you know the procedure for securing not only your vessel, but those docked around it, as well. A boat that breaks loose in a hurricane can wreak havoc on neighboring vessels.

Some facilities demand that boats be removed from the water when a major storm is forecast. Owners who must move their boats should decide where to have it hauled before the hurricane season begins. Don't wait until a storm is imminent. Charges for storm haul-outs may be covered by your insurance policy. Also, check with your local Sea Tow franchise to see what pre-storm haul-out services it offers.

For more Hurricane Preparedness tips from Sea Tow, see our Media Center.

Will LightSquared Interfere with GPS?
Global Positioning System (GPS) users are concerned over a recent business initiative by LightSquared Subsidiary LLC. LightSquared plans to build a nationwide wireless broadband communications network by combining mobile satellite services with a ground-based wireless system utilizing the same L-band radio spectrum as the satellites. On January 26, 2011, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted LightSquared conditional approval to move forward with its plan.

The issue lies in the fact that the LightSquared network's signals are transmitted in a radio band that is immediately adjacent to GPS frequencies. Testing has showed that LightSquared's ground-based transmissions can overpower weaker GPS signals from satellites in space. Some boaters (as well as pilots, hikers and drivers) fear that that their GPS devices may be jammed by the stronger LightSquared signals and stop providing critical navigation information.

The FCC currently is holding a 30-day public comment period on LightSquared's plan and its potential impact on the GPS system, which ends on July 30, 2011. To submit a comment, visit www.fcc.gov. For more information on the LightSquared/GPS issue, click on http://www.pnt.gov/interference/lightsquared/.

America's Cup Embraces High-Tech TV Technology
The New York Times reports that the America's Cup will launch new on-screen technology during a two-year series of regattas that will help television and Webcast viewers to better understand the sport. The technology allows for graphics to be superimposed over live footage, similar to those used during televised NFL football games and NASCAR races, letting the nuances of racing be illustrated and explained to layman viewers. While on-screen graphics have been used to show boats, wave states and the leaders of yacht races for years, they could not be used without cutting away from the live action. The new system is currently being tested and TV networks have yet to express interest in the racing series, but it's possible that the technology could attract a new generation of viewers – and sailors – to the sport.