Good luck trying to keep James “Jimmer” Kennedy on dry land for any meaningful length of time.

“I grew up on the lake in Huron,” says the Sandusky resident during a recent phone chat. “And when I was younger, we used to hit golf balls out into the water, and then we’d go get snorkel gear to pick them all up. So that kind of kept me busy.”

These days he’s kept busy by being the owner of the Sandusky arm of TowBoatUS, which provides towing and other services for boaters in a bind, and managing the city of Sandusky’s Paper District Marina.

By 15 or 16, he’d figured out college wasn’t for him and in the next few years took jobs as a hand on docks and decks, working for companies including Neuman Boat Line and, later, Interlake Steamship Co., where he eventually would work in the pilothouse with the captain and first mate. A mate license and master of towing license ultimately would come from his time with Interlake, he says.

In the late 1990s, he joined TowBoatUS part-time, working his way up to being able to take the reins when the previous owner was ready to retire, he says.

“I basically ran the business from about 2005 or (2006) until now, I reckon, because he was busy doing other stuff,” Kennedy says. “So it wasn’t a big deal. The only thing I wasn’t doing was signing the checks at the end of the day.”

Kennedy's son, Jordan, blows the horn to signal the start of IRONMAN Ohio 70.3 on July 23, 2023. The race begins with a 1.2-mile swim, in which participants jump from the Kelleys Island ferry, the Carlee Emily.TowBoatUS is paid through boaters’ memberships, insurance reimbursements or directly by the unprotected boater.

“Most people have something, but there is that select group that thinks they’re invincible and, you know, indestructible,” he says. “And those are the ones that usually have to pay the most. Good insurance keeps you from (paying more in the long run).

“You never hear any horror stories about marine towing and salvage from the people with good insurance,” he adds. “You can quote me on that.”

Kennedy’s wife, Amber, also works for TowBoatUS, performing office work and helping monitor the radio, and the couple has two young boys, Jordan and Jared.

Again, the job keeps Jimmer pretty busy during the season, with work possible at any point in the day. (He says he doesn’t mind being on the water at night; you have to be sharp no matter the time of the day, and there are fewer boats on the water and thus less boat wake with which to contend then.)

“I was actually out at 7 o’clock this morning towing a guy in,” he says. “(The job) has its high points where you’re running around with your hair on fire for … three days straight.

“If I’m awake, I’m doing something,” he adds later in the conversation. “Like this afternoon, you know, once … I got a crew in, I might go down to the pool for a little bit and hang out with my boys for an hour or two and then just get back.

“You never really get a set day off. You just get some time, you know, if it’s pouring rain (or for other reasons),” he says. “(The job has) variables. You’ve got to be able to change yours.”

One variable: the people in need of assistance.

“You get all your personalities,” Kennedy says. “The people that … have been boating their whole life are usually the ones that cause the most problems because they think they know everything.”

Kennedy has been a part of the TowBoatUS team since the 1990s.Speaking of problems, he’s seen his share, including a season a few years ago with boats running afoul of breakwalls. One incident that year in Sandusky Bay saw him pulling people out of a boat before it capsized, earning him an Ohio Department of Natural Resources Service Award.

It’s his outfit's job to get where it’s needed quickly – and it’s positioned to do so with a base of operations at 1020 W. Water St. – but he says he’s developed a reputation for an almost otherworldly knack for being near the action. 

“The guys always laugh at me over this,” he says. “I’m not kidding you – I could drive to Cleveland right now (for supplies) and turn around and drive right back up to the marina and within five minutes, somebody’s sinking outside the marina. They’re like, ‘How did you do that?’ And I’m like, ‘I don’t know.’”

Nonetheless, he prides himself on a dedication to the job and says anybody who doesn’t like what they’re charged doesn’t understand the time and effort that goes into representing TowBoatUS.

“It is what it is because we’re the ones that have to get woken up at 2 o’clock in the morning to go to some drunk guy or to deal with a blood-and-guts situation.”

And, yes, he’s also seen his share of fatalities.

“Everything goes back to safe speed and proper lookout,” Kennedy says. 

It should be clear by now that he’s a safety-first type, which is especially the case when it comes to children.

“We push life jackets so hard,” he says. “When I see (kids on the docks) without wearing a life jacket, you just shake your head.

“Not to people or anything like that, but it’s just, ‘Wear your life jacket –  it’s really important,’” he adds. “I’ve got a 4-year-old and a 2-year-old, and they don’t go anywhere in the marina or the docks without their life jacket on.”

On a brighter note, Kennedy says he’s seeing alcohol usage on boats tail off a bit.

“It used to be really bad at night,” he says. “I don’t know if it’s just because people had GPS and they were getting more confident.”

When it comes to booze and boating, first be careful. And then if you weren’t so careful, at least be courteous. 

“We’re not the police of anything, but, you know, my comment is always when it comes to partying, ‘Don’t make your problem my problem,’” he says. “If you’re gonna treat us like an ***hole,  we can turn right back around. But if you’re cool – you’re laughing and giggling, you’re having a good time, we’ll just tow you in, put you at your dock and (wish you) a good night. Now, if you want to get liquid muscles and be a jerk to us, I can get the Coast Guard over here and they’ll have a nice little chat with you.”

He’ll no doubt enjoy the coming offseason, when the family can spend more time together and play in some snow before another April arrives and he eases back into the gig.

“My favorite time is always October,” Kennedy says. “We’re still busy towing in September and October, but you know the end is near.”