New Miami area Sea Tow Foundation life jacket loaner stations at local marinas now provide life jackets for boaters to borrow free of charge for a safe and fun day on the water. They are made possible through a generous $5,559 donation from brewery giant Anheuser-Busch and its local distributor, Eagle Brands Distributors.
A special ceremony on Oct. 8 at Bayside Marketplace officially launched the program in the area.
“We are grateful to Eagle Brands Distributors for their generous donation that will allow us to open seven new life jacket loaner stands in Miami and Upper Keys,” said Gail R. Kulp, executive director of the Sea Tow Foundation. “Boaters will be able to borrow a life jacket for free and wear it so that they can be safe on the water, and we only ask that they return the jacket at the end of the day so that someone else may borrow it.”
Area locations where the stations are placed include:
Crandon Park, 6747 Crandon Blvd., Key Biscayne;
Loggerhead Marina, 24777 SW 87 Ave.;
Matheson Hammock Park, 9610 Old Cutler Rd.;
Dinner Key Marina, 3400 Pan American Dr., and
Homestead Bayfront Marina and Park, 9698 SW 328 St.
The non-profit Sea Tow Foundation’s Life Jacket Loaner Program has loaned more than 28,000 life jackets to boaters since 2008.
For more information and a list of Life Jacket Loaner Stations in the U.S., visit www.boatingsafety.com
“It’s an established fact that life jackets save lives,” Kulp said. “We are very grateful to our partners at Eagle Brands and Anheuser-Busch for making these life jacket loaner stations possible.”
Sea Tow Services International Inc. is the nation’s leading on-water assistance provider for boaters. Established in 1983 by founder and CEO Capt. Joe Frohnhoefer, Sea Tow serves members inland to the coast throughout the United States, Europe, U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
For a full list of membership benefits, how to become a Sea Tow member or to inquire about becoming a Sea Tow franchise owner, visit www.seatow.com. Sea Tow also offers free boating safety information including the Sea Tow App for smartphones, Sea Tow’s Automated Radio Check Service, and the nonprofit Sea Tow Foundation’s Life Jacket Loaner Station program. For more information, visit www.seatow.com and www.boatingsafety.com.
In 2007, Sea Tow Founder and CEO Capt. Joe Frohnhoefer created the Sea Tow Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, to promote safe boating practices. The foundation’s goal is to reduce accidents, fatalities and property damage related to recreational boating.
For more information, visit www.boatingsafety.com
