A vessel under tow presents a unique boating safety situation. Learn what you should, and should not, do if you encounter it.
A floating traffic jam quickly developed as we joined a line of other boats, not unlike a solemn funeral procession, through a narrow channel behind a half-submerged vessel under tow and en route to a nearby boatyard, escorted by an entourage of local harbor patrol and Coast Guard vessels.
Some of us feathered our throttles to keep idle speeds in check and remain well astern of the stricken vessel, the 100-foot hawser serving as the tow line, and the heavily burdened TowBoatUS as its captain skillfully negotiated the circuitous channel.
All of the boaters cooperated in offering the tow boat and its tethered load a wide berth—except, that is, for one impatient boater who ignored common sense and tried to pass on the north side of the channel between a shoal and the taut hawser.
A piercing blast of a siren and a public scolding over the loudspeaker from one of the harbor patrol officers put a halt to this ill-advised shortcut, and the chagrined captain sheepishly backed away and rejoined the procession amid the disapproving scowls of other boaters.
Giving vessels in tow a very wide berth ranks as a key tenet of prudent seamanship. By the way, a vessel in tow also refers to one that is being pushed and hauled along the side (on the hip), as well as one being pulled. Whichever the case, the two vessels are often referred to collectively as a “tug and tow” or simply as a “tow.” In these scenarios, a vessel in tow lacks power, and sometimes steering, and the towing vessel is extremely limited in its ability to maneuver or adjust speed.
