A tow winch powered by a DC motor and a rechargeable battery. A tow rope is wound by the winch spool, the tow rope having a tow handle with one or more wireless throttle control members to start, stop and adjust the speed and acceleration of the retrieval operation. A marker device is incorporated into or attached to the tow rope and a sensor switch is provided on the base, whereby when the marker device is detected by the sensor switch the winch is disengaged. The base and operational components are sized and structured such that straps may be connected to the base and the tow winch carried like a backpack.