TowBoatUS opens Falmouth port, expanding Cape Cod rescue coverage

TowBoatUS opened its Falmouth port on June 23, adding round-the-clock on-water assistance for boaters and sailors working the Cape Cod coast. The new base gives local crews another nearby response point when a calm day turns into a dead battery, a fuel problem or a grounding that leaves a boat stuck off the dock.

The service package is built for the problems sailors actually run into. BoatUS says TowBoatUS Falmouth will handle fuel delivery, soft groundings, jumpstarts, on-water towing assistance, environmental services, wreck removal and salvage. For day sailors and cruisers, that means the backup is not limited to a simple tow home. It covers the kinds of interruptions that can stop a passage, delay a return through the harbor or turn a minor mistake into a long afternoon.

BoatUS identifies Noah Santos as the new port owner and says he is a four-time TowBoatUS port operator, with existing ports in Provincetown, Chatham and Bass River. TowBoatCapeCod says those ports are strategically located across Cape Cod and serve the Cape and the islands, a layout that matters when help has to reach boats scattered between harbor entrances, bay crossings and island routes.

The scale behind the new Falmouth port is larger than one local boat. BoatUS says it has served recreational boaters since 1966 and describes its towing network as North America’s largest, with more than 300 ports and more than 600 red towboats. The organization says its fleet responds to more than 110,000 requests for assistance each year. For members, that makes the Falmouth opening less like a standalone shop and more like a closer link into a much bigger response system.

Falmouth Harbor is a practical place to add that kind of coverage. New England Boating describes the harbor as busy in summer, especially on weekends, and places it about 12 miles by road from the Cape Cod Canal. The harbor also functions as a marina and ferry hub, including service to Martha’s Vineyard, which keeps traffic and transit pressure high during the season.

TowBoatUS says Falmouth assistance can be requested 24/7 through its dispatch center at 800-391-4869, through the BoatUS app, by calling TowBoatUS Falmouth at 508-742-7166 or by VHF radio on channel 16. In a stretch of water where a small failure can quickly become a tow, that extra port gives Cape Cod sailors a closer answer when the ride stops going as planned.