Crew & Equipment

Sea Tow® Portland/Vancouver and Lower Columbia River maintains the area's largest and finest fleet of towboats dedicated to the recreational boater and hires only the most qualified and friendliest captains to operate them.

Capt. Lyman Louis
Director of Operations; Personnel Manager

An avid boater since he was 10, Capt. Lyman has enjoyed sailing and cruising the Pacific Northwest for more than thirty years. As Sea Tow Portland/Vancouver and Lower Columbia River’s senior captain, Lyman spends most of his time on the water and maintaining our fleet. Lyman puts in over 1,500 hours each year on the water averaging more than 200 assists for members and non-members alike. Lyman also serves as Salvage Master for all Sea Tow Portland/Vancouver and Lower Columbia River recoveries. "I love the sense of accomplishment bringing someone home safe and sound."

Capt. Deborah Horan
Director of Sales & Marketing

Deb’s father, Dennis Horan MM, taught her to sail in England. She has since enjoyed many hours boating in locales around the world. While most of her time is spent managing the business end of Sea Tow Portland/Vancouver and Lower Columbia River, Deborah still manages to gets some time on the water. She particularly enjoys her interactions with boaters and dealers around the area. Deb says "there's nothing so beautiful as coming back from a job late at night when the moon is full, the stars are out and the water is as calm as a pond ..."

Capt. Ron Micjan
Operations Manager, Lower Columbia River

Capt Ron has been with Sea Tow Portland/Vancouver since its inception in 2002. In 2007 relocated to the coast to run the Lower Columbia River franchise. Ron has worked with Sea Tow on numerous salvages and hundreds of tows. A seasoned diver with over 500 dives under his belt says "... awesome work if you can get it. [Pictured above] This is one of the good days, the bad ones might include diving under a sunk boat attaching lift bags when a passing boat rocks the dock and the sunk boat pounds [you] into the silt at the bottom of the river, or coming up in a pool of gasoline and getting a dose in your mouth, during an ice storm and barfing your guts out for the next 5 minutes, or, well, you get the picture… : ) Its better than the nicest cubicle I have ever seen."

Capt Lyman teaching a class to the Women's Sailing Association.

Capt Ron preparing to dive.

Capt Deb - creatively avoiding the camera!

Dennis D
26’ Seaswirl Striper, 230 HP Volvo Diesel.
The Dennis D is Sea Tow Portland/Vancouver’s primary tow and dive vessel. With a range of over 1,000 miles and a cruise speed of 35 MPH, the Dennis D is an all weather towing machine. We have safely towed vessels in excess of 70’ with this boat. Additionally, with her extended range we have accomplished tows approaching 100 hours—over 200 miles! While most calls take less time than that, the Dennis D provides us with sufficient range to service our members from Astoria to Bonneville and beyond.

Mary P
21’ Triumph, 200 HP Yamaha.
The Mary P provides Sea Tow Portland/Vancouver with a shallow draft workhorse capable of getting into places other organizations—including the River Patrol and the Coast Guard—just can’t or won’t go. Her Roplene® hull makes her nearly indestructible and her light weight and maneuverability in tight quarters make the Mary P a fantastic addition to the fleet.

 Member Testimonial ~ September 19, 2007

"As per usual your service was impeccable! It is always a comfort to know you folks are a phone call away. Thanks again for getting us to home port!" Rhonda Faro~ member since 2003

Sea Tow Portland/Vancouver and Lower Columbia River will continue to add vessels in order to serve our members and maintain an average response time of less than 30 minutes. Our current plans are to add an additional boat every year to continue building the Sea Tow network in Oregon and Washington. With Sea Tow you can be certain you'll be covered!