Just in case any of you try to pile 8 people aboard, one for each rod
holder, and wind up swamping yer vessel. Aaargh, mateys.....:-)


LOCAL TUG CAPTAIN AND MARINA OPERATOR ARE NEW
OWNERS OF TOWBOATU.S. VIRGINIA BEACH

Capt. Allen Owen and Wife, Paula, Help Boaters Get Home Safely

Tug Captain Allen Owen and his wife, Paula, a marina operator and
prominent local fishing tournament organizer, have purchased
TowBoatU.S. Virginia Beach, VA, located at Marina Shores Marina in
Lynnhaven Inlet, from Capt. Owen's niece, Amy, and her husband Eli
Hopkins.

Allen Owen, a Virginia native and USCG licensed captain, has worked on
the water for the past 31 years, most recently spending the last 13 as
a local tug captain. Paula Owen, who originally hails from Maryland,
was a marina manager in the Tidewater area. She is currently with
Fishermen's Wharf Marina, but many local boaters know her from her
work in organizing two popular fishing tournaments, the Virginia Beach
Invitational Marlin Tournament and Virginia Beach Billfish Tournament.

TowBoatU.S. Virginia Beach is equipped with two response vessels: a 24-
foot Privateer and 28-foot Mako. Both vessels can be identified by
their distinctive red hulls with white bow stripes and "TowBoatU.S."
lettering along their sides. Onboard each is a full complement of
towing and salvage equipment including extra fuel, engine fluids,
pumps, and battery "jump packs" to handle every breakdown from running
out of fuel to running aground. The TowBoatU.S. towing port is part of
the nation's largest on-the-water towing service for recreational
boaters.

According to Paula, until recently most boaters needing on-the-water
help were locals from the area, but there are now more vacationers in
the summer and rockfish anglers in the winter. "We're becoming more
well known for our great fishing," said Paula. Some typical reasons
why boaters call for assistance are for engine failures or running out
of fuel, but ethanol-laden gasoline seems to be the greatest cause of
problems. "Change your fuel filters regularly, keep your tank full and
never rely on your gas gauge," advises Capt. Owen.