2005 Captain of the Year

InTheBite 2005 Captain of the Year, Capt. Mike Brady

Raised in Stuart, Florida, when he was in his teens he mentored under captains such as Chip Shafer who stable of apprentices includes Mike Everly, Arch Bracher, Bull Tolson and John Bayliss, among others. Now 35, for the past two years Brady has worked as Viking’s senior company captain, running its traveling demonstrator, most recently a 68-foot Viking.

A proven winner who achieved his first solo successes aboard Hans Kraz’s 42-foot Rybovich Vintage with a win in the 1998 Invitational Stuart Sailfish Club Light Tackle Tournament and runner up in the Pirate’s Cove Sailfish and Pelican Yacht Club tournaments that year. This year Brady won his first InTheBite Captain Award for his 2005 record that included a second place finish in last spring’s Masters, where he was runner up on time to longtime friend Arch Bracher on the Pelican. Last year he took first in the Buccaneer Yacht Club Tournament after a first place win in the Fish for Life Sailfish Tournament, also out of Palm Beach. Last summer he took second place overall among 150 boats in the famed Mid-Atlantic $500,000 for white marlin releases and scored a first in the New Jersey Overnight Billfish Tournament and first in the 2005 Venezuelan Grand Slam out of the Playa Grande Yacht Club of La Guaira, Venezuela.

Like all good captains, Brady was quick to point out such successes only come with team work. That team includes co-captain and first mate Ryan Higgins who mans Vikings’ second demo boat when not fishing tournaments with Brady, and mate Mike Fulgham of Daytona Beach, who recently left his two year assignment with Brady and Viking to man a fishing operation in Venezuela.

The key to our operation has been Pat Healy, the Vice President of Viking Yachts. Fishing with Healy during the tournament is Drew McDowell, who is another senior member of our team. Brady said he really appreciates the recognition that was paid to him and his crew from InTheBite and the 150 or so captains and guests that attended the recent ceremonies.