Tug Mare Island Drag Team Patch

THE TUG MARE ISLAND DRAG TEAM PATCH - Nafts is a great organization formed in 1989 by less than 40 tuggers with a hope of getting together once a year. It has blossomed into over 2,000 members today and is made up of sailors from all types of salvage and towing vessels from pre WW-II to the present. The Nafts website is 100% free, paid for through the dues of members, so be sure to visit it. Its has thousands of photos, lots of stories, a database of tuggers world wide, and enough info to keep you busy for months. Those interested in joining can do so at the Nafts website for $25 a year. That allows you to attend the yearly Reunion of Nafts and receive the Towline magazine a few times a year and help pay for the website and other costs. The annual reunion is the highlight and is a spectacular event which is attended typically by 400 tuggers and their spouses. The reunion is rotated each year from East Coast, to West Coast, to The Central Region so that all will have an opportunity to attend. I have been to reunions in all three regions and each was among the most enjoyable vacations I have taken. They are well planned and well organized. A new Nafts Vice President from the region is elected by the Board of Directors two years in advance and he spends the next two years finding a suitable resort to host us, getting reasonable rates, and lining up dozens of tours and day trips for the attending members to choose from. When any Reunion is hosted they are already a year into the planning for the NEXT Reunion the next year . . . and so on and so on. Then there's the great banquet, the reception, the hospitality room, the meetings, the entertainment, and fun fun fun. Suffice it to say, Nafts is well worth the twenty five bucks it costs to join and if you ever make it to a reunion and rub elbows with the other members you'll know why.