It was just past midnight when my phone went off. Dispatch’s voice was calm but urgent – a boat had somehow managed to run itself up a cliff face. In my decades on the water, this was going to be one for the books.

As I navigated through the darkness toward the coordinates, the beam of my spotlight caught something that made me do a double-take. There it was – a 25-foot aluminum vessel, nose pointed skyward, literally wedged up against the rocky cliff face. The boat’s running lights were still on, creating an almost surreal scene against the black canvas of night.

Getting closer, I could see the occupants had already been safely evacuated. Thank heaven for small mercies. The story quickly came together: they’d been running at full throttle through the darkness, completely lost track of their position, and WHAM – right into the island. The impact must have been tremendous, but somehow, miraculously, everyone walked away with only minor injuries.

My first thought was to attempt a standard recovery, but one look at that precarious position told me this was far from standard. The boat was balanced like a massive aluminum teeter-totter against the cliff. One wrong move and we’d risk the vessel either sliding back into the water uncontrollably or, worse, tumbling sideways down the rocks.

Drawing on years of experience, I knew this was beyond our regular towing capabilities. This job needed heavy equipment – specifically, a barge with a crane. Fortunately, in this business, you build a network of specialized contractors. I immediately got on the radio to coordinate with dispatch about contacting our go-to heavy equipment operator.

Standing there in the glow of my spotlight, watching the waves lap at the boat’s stern, I couldn’t help but think about how this served as a perfect example of why we constantly preach safe boating practices. Speed, darkness, and unfamiliar waters are a dangerous cocktail that can turn a pleasant evening cruise into a physics-defying disaster in seconds.

This is why I love being part of C-Tow’s network. Sometimes it’s not just about the tow – it’s about knowing when to call in the right equipment and having the connections to make it happen. Every rescue has its story, but this one? This one earned itself a special place in my logbook of memorable missions.