The Superyacht Online Resource for Captains – Captain's Directory

Southold, N.Y., May 26, 2010 – The non-emergency marine assistance industry was still in its infancy when Capt. Dave DuVall became a part of the Sea Tow network, now the world’s leading marine assistance provider. After working on the water from the age of 12 and spending 16 years as a commercial diver, DuVall signed up to form Sea Tow Maryland Central Chesapeake upon meeting Sea Tow’s dynamic founder, Capt. Joe Frohnhoefer, a quarter of a century ago at the 1985 Annapolis Boat Show.

“Over the course of 25 years, we’ve assisted more than 7,500 boaters,” said Capt. DuVall.

DuVall is one of four Sea Tow franchisees being recognized this year for reaching significant milestones involving 20 or more years of continuous operation and ownership. Sea Tow Maryland Central Chesapeake is joined by Sea Tow Palm Beach, owned by Capt. Will Beck, which also celebrates its 25^th anniversary in June; Sea Tow Southern Connecticut, which was established in November 1988 and is owned by Capt. Neal McQuone, and Sea Tow Central Connecticut, owned by Capt. Tom Kehlenbach, which was launched in December, 1990.

Years of dedication and loyalty

“These longtime Sea Tow franchisees have helped us to define and develop the private marine assistance industry,” said Capt. Frohnhoefer. “We thank them for their years of dedication and loyalty, not only to the Sea Tow brand, but also to helping thousands of boaters in need and enhancing boating safety in their respective areas. “

Sea Tow Maryland Central Chesapeake operates out of two locations, in Annapolis and Kent Narrows, covering a boating area extending 13 miles to the north of Annapolis and 20 miles to the south, including the Severn and other local rivers. The franchise currently has four Sea Tow boats and 10 full- and part-time employees.

Sea Tow Palm Beach is a family-run operation. With a territory that extends from Hobe Sound south to Boca Raton, Fla., it boasts more than 5,000 members and has seven boats, 13 full- and part-time employees, 11 of whom are licensed captains. “We’ve been setting standards for the marine assistance industry since 1985,” said Capt. Beck. “Today, we serve our area with vessels standing by and located strategically at four inlets throughout Palm Beach County.”

Capt. Neal McQuone’s Sea Tow Southern Connecticut serves boaters from Greenwich to West Haven along the coast of Long Island Sound. It operates out of three locations—in Stamford, Norwalk and Bridgeport—each with a custom-built 28-foot rigid-hulled inflatable boat. “I’m a third generation merchant mariner, second-generation captain and I’m on my fifth-issue U.S. Coast Guard license,” McQuone said. “When I became a Sea Tow owner in 1988, I was the youngest one.”

Capt. Tom Kehlenbach’s introduction to Sea Tow came through Capt. McQuone, who was operating a Sea Tow booth at the 1990 Norwalk (Conn.) Boat Show. “We spent four days next to him, and he mentioned that we might think about opening up a Sea Tow location next to his territory,” Kehlenbach said. “We signed our agreement with Sea Tow Services International three months later.”

Since then, Capt. Kehlenbach’s Sea Tow Central Connecticut has served nearly 10,000 distressed boaters. With more than 3,000 members, the company operates five boats based in five different locations and has 10 full- and part-time employees.

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}

More than two decades

These operators join 29 other Sea Tow locations in the United States that will celebrate continuous operation for 20 years or longer in 2010. Although ownership of these franchises has changed hands over the years, and their territories may have been altered or combined, Sea Tow has been serving these locations proudly for more than two decades.

Established in 1983:

Sea Tow Eastern Long Island (original owners: Capt. Joe and Georgia Frohnhoefer)

In 1984:

Sea Tow Rhode Island, Sea Tow Central Connecticut, Sea Tow Great South Bay and Sea Tow Freeport

In 1985:

Sea Tow Boston, Sea Tow Moriches-Shinnecock, Sea Tow Lower New York, Sea Tow Central New Jersey, Sea Tow Maryland Central Chesapeake, Sea Tow Wrightsville Beach, Sea Tow Crystal Coast, Sea Tow Palm Beach, Sea Tow Fort Lauderdale, and Sea Tow Miami

In 1986:

Sea Tow Huntington, Sea Tow Atlantic City, Sea Tow St. Augustine, Sea Tow Treasure Coast

In 1987:

Sea Tow Central Hudson, Sea Tow Sea Isle/Cape May

In 1988:

Sea Tow Southern Connecticut, Sea Tow Delaware River, Sea Tow Lower Chesapeake Bay, Sea Tow Hampton Roads, Sea Tow Marco Island, Sea Tow Naples

In 1989:

Sea Tow Northern New Jersey, Sea Tow Southern Maryland, Sea Tow Fort Myers

In 1990:

Sea Tow Western Long Island Sound, Sea Tow Port Canaveral, Sea Tow Sarasota

“This exceptional longevity demonstrates the kind of commitment by our Sea Tow operators that has helped make Sea Tow the leading, most trusted and most respected marine assistance provider in the world,” said Frohnhoefer. “On behalf of all our employees and all our Sea Tow franchise owners, we congratulate these Sea Tow locations on reaching what truly are exceptional milestones.”