Dan “Tugboat” McDonagh has been jumping with us since the very early years of the Jolly Jump. In his illustrious JJ career, Dan has always been a dominant fundraising force in the upper echelons of Top Dogdom. He’s the only jumper to achieve Triple Top Dog status—earning more donations than any other jumper three of the charity’s 15 years running. He then became the GOAT (Greatest of All Time) when he achieved the Top Dog for a fourth time, earning an astounding $3,450—the most ever a jumper has raised in a single year.
He even expanded the Jump beyond Rexhame Beach, in Marshfield, onto the Island of Nantucket, where he recruited a whole new island crew to take the plunge.
We got a chance to talk to Dan about his decorated career as a jumper.
If you’re a veteran, do you remember a particular Jump? Tell us about it…
I remember my coldest jump and that was when I carried Mr. Crowley out of the water freezing my ass off while everyone else got changed into warm clothes.
What’s going through your head right before dunking into the Atlantic?
Get under and get out as quickly as possible!!!
Any fundraising tips for new jumpers?
Utilize social media and let that spread your word! You will have your work cut out for you if you want to become Top Dog with this list of veterans each year.
What else do you want people to know about your Jolly Jump campaign?
(Quote taken from 2015. Dan now lives on the lovely Island of Martha’s Vineyard.) This will be my second year jumping into the ocean off the coast of Nantucket. After relocating here 20 months ago for work, I was able to convince some friends from the island to join me with a total of five jumpers in 2015. Hopefully there will be more this year in 2016!