1st place
Anglers Greg Smith and Dan Stacy had a great three days of fishing for Team Blue Sky to win the Guana Cay Championship. The 56-foot Viking from Pawley’s Island, South Carolina released three blue marlin, one white marlin and one sailfish to clinch victory in the first leg of the 2014 Bahamas Billfish Championship series. Team Blue Sky released fish each day to earn a total of 2100 points and put them in the lead for the 2014 Bahamas Billfish Championship.
Anglers Bob Jacobson and Austin Burr guided Team Marlin Darlin to a second place finish with two blue marlin and three white marlin releases. The 62-foot Spencer from Clearwater, FL released their first blue on day one, a white marlin on day two and on day three finished up strong with a blue marlin and two white marlin released. It was an exciting final few hours to the tournament as Team Blue Sky and Team Marlin Darlin traded the top spot throughout the afternoon.
Tournament sponsors Hatteras and MarineMax teamed up to fish the 63-foot Hatteras Hatterascal. Angler Ken Reda released a white marlin the first day and a blue marlin and sailfish on the third day, putting them in third place overall. Aboard the Hatterascal, John Ward, President of Hatteras Yachts, watched his team have an excellent three days of fishing and was pleased with their third place finish!
The Guana Cay Championship win earned Greg Smith and Team Blue Sky a Chris Costello handmade trophy presented by tournament sponsors Hatteras and MarineMax. In addition, Smith received a gift certificate for a new pair of Costa Sunglasses from tournament sponsor Costa as well as a gift certificate from Roffer’s Ocean Fishing Forecasting (ROFFS), longtime BBC sponsors. Captain Steve Crammer and his crew each received Randy Rich designed crew trophies sponsored by the Lewis Marine Group.
The second place Chris Costello handmade trophy went to Marlin Darlin. Jeff Donahue and Team Hatterascal received the third place Chris Costello handmade trophy. In addition to the Chris Costello trophies, the second and third place teams also received gift certificates from Roffer’s Ocean Fishing Forecasting Service (ROFFS) and Costa sunglasses.
The Guana Cay Championship, hosted by Orchid Bay Yacht Club & Marina, produced seven blue marlin, 11 white marlin and two sailfish. All billfish were released. All catches in Bahamas Billfish Championship tournaments are validated using time and date stamped digital images. Affidavits signed by all participants fishing on each team further confirms that the fish was released in accordance with IGFA and Bahamas Billfish Championship rules.
Hatteras and MarineMax were the co-hosting sponsors of the BBC’s season opener at Guana Cay. The companies’ sponsorship included a special participants ‘Pig Roast’ dinner on Thursday evening at Nipper’s. Other social functions during the tournament were hosted by CAT Marine Power, Ocean Club at Port Canaveral and ZF Marine.
The next leg of the 2014 BBC series will take place May 21-24 on Green Turtle Cay, co- hosted by local resorts Green Turtle Club and Bluff House. Spaces are still available for teams interested in fishing this leg of the series.
The Bahamas Billfish Championship is the oldest billfish tournament series in the world. Anglers can fish any or all of the tournaments with cumulative points determining the overall Bahamas Billfish Champion. The BBC endowed two scholarships that enable Bahamian students the opportunity to pursue a degree in marine biology or advanced education in the marine technologies.
For the very latest tournament information, results, and overall standings or to register for any of the remaining tournaments, visit www.bahamasbillfish.com. Be sure to Follow us on Facebook or now on Twitter @bahamasbillfish. View tournament photos at SportfishPictures.com. You can also download the BBC App for your Android or Apple device. Search ‘Bahamas Billfish Championship’ in the Play Store or App Store. To contact the Bahamas Billfish Championship call 866-920-5577 or e-mail: jennifer@bahamasbillfish.com.
