Our Team
Chris Willis – Owner and Captain
For over 25 years Captain Chris Willis has owned and operated Sea Tow Wrightsville Beach, and is now the owner of the Crystal Coast franchise. Prior to Sea Tow, he owned and operated East Coast Marine. With over 30 years of towing and recovery in Wrightsville Beach and now the Carteret County areas, he has become a staple in the boating community. Starting with a used Grady White and a few borrowed dollars, Captain Chris built Sea Tow Wrightsville Beach into the 3rd largest Sea Tow franchise in world, looking to repeat his success with Crystal Coast. He has since moved from that single Grady White to a fleet of Twin Vee boats equipped with state-of-the-art features such as the latest in navigation equipment, GPS vessel tracking, and on-board cameras. As a recipient of the 2007 Franchise of the Year Award, Chris has left his mark on the Sea Tow community. He is a pioneer when it comes to the development of towing vessels, being the first to test the Triumph and Twin Vee catamarans as tow boats. He has led multiple captains towards owning their own franchises and others to becoming part of the Sea Tow International Management team. He is known for his dedication to the excellence and professionalism Sea Tow stands for. Captain Chris is a lifelong resident of the southeastern coastal area of North Carolina. He continues to be active in the daily operations of Sea Tow Wrightsville Beach and Crystal Coast. Chris has been a USCG Licensed Captain since 1987.
Captain Pete Koltun – Operations Manager
Captain Pete has been on the water his entire life and began a career with the United States Coast Guard at 17, and retired after 21 years of service. Serving many years on the Outer Banks and Fort Macon he was transferred to Cutter Duty on the West Coast. Then finishing out his military career in Miami Florida as a deployable team leader and Chief Boatswain Mate. After retirement Captain Pete entered the private sector and moved back to Carteret County, an area he fell in love with during his tour of duty at Fort Macon. He continued his professional career as a Delivery Captain and Training Specialist for a well-known boating manufacturer in North Carolina. Additionally, he is an Adjunct Professor of Maritime Licensing at Carteret Community College and holds a 100 ton Near Coastal Masters License. Pete brings a considerable amount of experience and knowledge to the Crystal Coast Boating community, and is happy to be able to apply his vast skills in assisting his fellow mariners. When not at work, him, his wife, and two boys spend their time at church, on the water or on the baseball and lacrosse fields.
Captain Bobby Schultz – Staff Captain
Captain Bobby has spent the majority of his life in and around the Crystal Coast of Carteret County. He first learned to operate a vessel at a young age aboard his grandfather’s 1970s Bertram 27. Although spending a lot of his free time on the water, he still found time to pursue further education, being accepted to Appalachian State, then East Carolina University where he obtained a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Information Systems. Putting his accomplishments to work, he started his own IT company and currently serves on the Morehead City Board of Adjustment. Captain Bobby’s passion for the water and boats has continued to remain strong and allowed him to get his OUPV license in 2015. He found Sea Tow Crystal Coast to be an outstanding avenue to apply his experience while assisting Sea Tow members and other boaters in the area. When Captain Bobby is off the water, he enjoys a good round of golf and working on hiking the NC Mountains to Sea Trail.
Captain Phil Daley – Staff Captain
Captain Phil started his maritime life in 1967 on a sailing dory in Gloucester, Massachusetts. This was the beginning of a seafarer’s life that would continue through to retirement. Captain Phil’s professional career in North Carolina actually originated with Sea Tow Beaufort in 1994. He continued to upgrade his license and accepted a job running fast crew boats in the Gulf of Mexico. After a few years on 150 ft response vessels, he again increased his tonnage to captain 300 ft Dynamic Positioning Offshore Supply and Deep-Sea Construction Vessels. Captain Phil retired from deep ocean operations in 2019 with a 1600/3000 ton Ocean Masters license accompanied by multiple endorsements on his credentials. He came back to work with Sea Tow Crystal Coast and provides service to the Swansboro and Emerald Isle areas.
