InTheBite

“Gypsea” Takes 2019 Viking Key West Challenge Crown

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Fishing, Fun and Family in the Florida Keys

Capt. Ben Sharpe and Gypsea capture the 6th Annual Viking Key West Challenge.

Top Boat – Gypsea

(Key West, Florida, February 13, 2019)—Forty Vikings from 42 to 82 feet and a record 475 participants descended upon the southernmost city in the United States last week for the 6th Annual Viking Key West Challenge. Ben Sharpe was the winning captain for the fourth time, leading the Viking 56 Gypsea to victory in a closely contested – but fun-focused – competition.

“The Key West Challenge has been a success every year, but this time around the energy level, excitement and fishing was at an all-time high,” said Viking President and CEO Pat Healey. “This is an event exclusively for Viking owners, family and friends. It gives us the opportunity to thank them for being part of the Viking family.”

After a captain’s meeting at Dante’s Tiki Bar that featured delicious food, fun prizes and lots of camaraderie, the teams headed off the following morning for a glorious day on the water. A total of 45 sailfish were released and one swordfish was caught on day one. Gypsea topped the Day One leaderboard with five sails released (500 points), followed by the Viking 80 Mr. Grinch with four sails (400 points). The Viking 62 Tami Ann also released four sails and took third on time. The teams steamed back to the scales at Conch Harbor Marina to weigh their catches and pose for pictures. The Viking 44 Miss Peggy Sue II and captain/owner David Heeter stole the show with a 108-pound swordfish, which was donated for lunch the next day!

More Than Just Fishing

A pool party and lunch, a kids dock tournament and a poker run (i.e. bar crawl) highlighted a relaxed but festive lay day. In the kids tournament, which was sponsored by The Billfish Foundation, Colin Dicembrino took first place, with sisters Ella and Mia Wilson placing second and third, respectively. “This is what it’s all about – passing on the passion for fishing to the next generation,” TBF President Ellen Peel said. “Great job kids!”

The fishing turned white hot on the final day, with 87 sails released. The Viking 48 Fish Wish released eight sails and caught an 8.3-pound dolphin for 808.3 points. Last year’s champ, the Viking 55 Ragin Cajun, was right on their heels with seven sails and a 21.4-pound tuna (721.4 points).

Gypsea had a solid day two as well, with five sails. But it was their dolphin that turned out to be the difference-maker. With an overall point total of 1,004.6, Gypsea edged second-place finisher Mr. Grinch (1,000 overall points) to take the 2019 Viking Key West Challenge crown. Ragin Cajun landed third place overall with 933.8 points. Natalie Rarick on the Viking 82 Bandit took both Top Angler and Top Female Angler awards with eight sailfish and a total of 892.2 points. All results are listed below.

Top Sailfish Boat – Mr. Grinch

The four-day event wrapped up with an outdoor evening dinner and awards ceremony at the Margaritaville Resort that began with a beautiful Key West sunset. “You can’t beat this,” said Pat. “We truly do appreciate your participation in making this a very special Viking event.”

Top Angler – Natalie Rarick, Bandit

Next year, the 7th Annual Key West Challenge will be held April 15-18, 2020. Book your slip today!

Builder’s Choice Wins Sixth Annual Casa De Campo Blue Marlin Classic

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In a tournament marked by rough seas and windy squalls Captain Brent Gaskill from North Carolina guided his team aboard the 64’ custom Jarret Bay to a comfortable victory during the three days of fishing in the prestigious Casa de Campo International Blue Marlin Classic 2019, first leg of the Dominican Billfish Triple-Header Series.

But, “it was not as easy a victory as some might think” said a smiling Captain Gaskill. “We had to work very hard and travel far for the win” he added referring to the standings after day one. They stood in third place at the end of the day edged out based on time of the last release by the winners of the daily, the team aboard another Jarret Bay, Mama Who from Mississippi, and the Brazil-Venezuela team aboard the 72’ Merritt, Business Stinks.  All three teams had released two blue marlin on that first day.

However, the leader situation was quickly resolved on day two when Builder’s Choice released two blue marlin within the first hour after lines in and added a third in the afternoon that day winning the daily while Mama Who and Business Stinks had no releases for the day. “After day two we never looked back” said a proud Harris Huddle, Builder’s Choice owner and winner of the Top Individual Angler Trophy who incidentally was followed by his team mate, Dominican Luis Selen, who earned the Second Place Individual Angler Trophy.

Top Team – Builder’s Choice

When the dust settled at lines out on the third and final day of competition the Team/Boat standings stood with Builder’s Choice in First Place with a three day total of seven. blue marlin releases, Mama Who in Second Place with a total of four blue marlin releases and Business Stinks in Third Place with two blue marlin releases.  Coincidentally the same three teams/boats had finished first, second and third the previous year but in a different order with Mama Who as the winners.

In the individual angler standings as already mentioned Top Angler was Harris Huddle followed by Luis Selen in Second Place both aboard Builder’s Choice and in Third Place was Mama Who’s Trey McMillan.  Top Lady Angler for the second year in a row was Mama Who’s Elaine ‘Lainey’ Jones.  Teams and Individual anglers took home a small fortune in cash awards and sponsor luxury prizes.

Top Angler Harris Huddle, Builder’s Choice.

We gratefully thank our Title Sponsors Casa de Campo Resort & Villas as well as our very gracious hosts Marina Casa de Campo for their hospitality.  Save the date for the 2020 7th Annual Casa de Campo Blue Marlin Classic when the tournament will take place will take place April 1st thru the 5th.  Don’t miss it!

Tying Up Your Rig

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Sure, tying up the boat might seem like an afterthought. To the experienced captain with 30-years’ experience, that is exactly what it is – especially when you’re coming and going out of your home slip and have your lines marked and set, just the way you like them. There are however many nuances to tying up the boat and much to learn for a new mate or boat guest. When travelling to a new, unfamiliar marina there are an added set of variables. The following provides some real-life perspective from professionals on tying up your ride in various scenarios.

Theory and Practice

While the variables involved in getting safely into the slip vary widely, there are a few universals. Captain Harry Schafer runs the 66-foot enclosed bridge Viking, Sea Wolf, based in Jupiter, Florida. He has been working on boats since 1974. “Every time you dock, especially in a different area, you have to deal with wind, current, other boats and obstructions – you have to consider that,” Schafer says. “Exactly how you’ll dock is slip-dependent. It is different for pilings, floating or stationary docks. When you’re approaching the dock, ask the dock master what side you’ll approach so you can prepare and put out the fenders, if you’re using them.”

In the days before bow thrusters were as common on sportfishers as salon sofas, lines were central to controlling the bow when coming into or leaving the dock. “Coming up as a mate, spring lines were always beat into my head,” says Capt. Jon Brooks. Brooks runs the Palm Beach-based Ditch Digger, a 72-foot Viking. Early in his career Brooks worked for Capt. Timmy Hyde on the Good Grief. “The Good Grief was 53’ long. We had a 70’ spring line. Without bow thrusters, we used the spring lines to pivot coming into and going out of the marina. Our slip was right against the bulkhead. We could spring to the starboard bow pole, run it to the box cleat – moving it to the spring cleat as we pivoted.”

On commercial docks, where ships are measured in hundreds of tons, the dock line is still king. “The first vessel I worked on was a 130’ salvage boat with a single engine called the Hickory. It was built in Bath, Maine in 1932,” says Capt. Harry Schafer. “When coming in, we would approach the dock with lines attached. We would run lines out of the hawsers with monkey fists tied to the end of them. We’d throw the ropes to guys on the dock and ratchet the boat into place. There were winches fore and aft that would lock the boat into place. Big ships still do this.”

Finer Points from a Carolina Charterman

Captain Brynner Parks runs the Smoker, a 58-foot Custom Carolina out of Oregon Inlet Fishing Center. “I am 59 now. I’ve been fishing since I was 13,” says Parks. Parks provided his list of basic do’s and don’ts. “When you have teak in the cockpit or on the covering boards, you want to keep the ropes off of the teak. You can tie the ropes high enough to pylon to keep the ropes from burning the teak or rubbing the oil out of it.”

“When you get your spring lines on, you want them both to be pulling evenly. You want the lines to come tight at the same time so that they halve the load,” says Parks. “When it comes to hurricanes, it is a matter of personal preference. Some loop on the pylon, some loop on the cleat. I like to loop on the cleat – my cleats are on the covering board, not through the hawser hole. Whichever way you choose, you try to make everything even and in unison. You want to either deal with the boat or the dock, not one rope tied to the boat and one tied to the dock.”

Parks also outlines a couple things to avoid. The first applies to the angle of the rope to the cleat. You want to keep a 30 or 45-degree angle to the cleat. Don’t tie off to the pylon so high that you get a 90-degree angle,” Brynner advises. “You also want to match the size of the rope to the size of the boat. You don’t want a ½” or 3/8” rope for a 60’ boat.”

Photo courtesy Pepper Ailor

Hurricane Prep

Hurricanes put as much strain on those responsible for keeping a boat safely tied as anything in the world. The Outer Banks of North Carolina, with marinas situated on sounds, add their own special set of hurricane-related variables. Captain Joey Belton runs the 61-foot Billy Holton, Haphazard, out of Pirates Cove.

“When it comes to tying up the boat, you need to determine the direction of the wind and favor that side. That’s the problem with hurricanes, the wind comes up from one direction and switches to the other. When the winds change with the hurricane, it shifts the water. Coming from one direction the wind pushes water up the Sound, when the wind shifts it can draw the water out of the sound,” Belton explains.

As the water level rises or falls, a vessel’s position relative to the dock can change. “On the one hand, you worry about boats getting higher than the flairs on the bow pylons. If that happens, when the water level drops the boat can fall the pylon, sending it through the flair. At yards like Spencer’s, their pylons are so high that this could never happen,” Joey says. “On the other hand, you also worry about the stern getting stuck under the dock when the water level drops. If the water drops and the boat shifts under the dock, it can get stuck when the water rises again.”

Photo courtesy Pepper Ailor

To avoid either of these scenarios, Belton offers the following, “You want to keep the boat as centered in the slip as possible. Sometimes we’ll babysit the boat through a storm.” As the conditions shift within the course of the storm, you will need to make adjustments to the lines. “You want to wrap the line around the cleat before you make a hitch. Otherwise, the lines will cinch down so tight that you can’t remove them.”

Safety Concerns

If you’ve ever spent time around guys that run cows or make a living in the rodeo, you may have wondered why some of them are missing fingers. The reason: ropes can be dangerous. Like a rope thrown around livestock, a dock line snapped tight by a lurching wave or current can eat a finger in a hurry.

The pilings at the Spencer boat yard in Manteo, North Carolina are taller on the bow side for a very specific reason.

“We have a lot of guests on the boat, I tell them all to step away from the cleat. I’ve seen more injuries trying to help with docking than anywhere else,” says Captain Jon Brooks. “One injury example is trying to put the line on the cleat. When your docking, just loop the line over the cleat – run it through later (once the boat is stationary and situated). People put the loop through the cleat and get their hand caught in the bight.”

When asked for his most important considerations when docking, Brooks’ concern for safety is clear. He advises mates to be aware of their situations and to be sure to coordinate their efforts with what the captain is doing. “Make sure that I know what you are doing before you start moving lines out the cleat,” he says. A lack of coordination between mates and captain can result in injury. If the captain moves the boat in one direction to loosen one line as it is untied from the dock, another may snap taught. A mate, or guest, who gets a hand caught between a loop and cleat by a sudden movement is a surefire trip to the ER.

Captain Harry Schafer adds, “Mates have to learn to be careful running up the side of the boat.” Whether its being caught between the side of the boat and the dock or getting a hand caught between the transom and the dock, there are plenty of ways to get hurt while docking.

“Be prepared. Have your spring line ready, your bow and stern lines ready. Generally, you’ll put your aft spring on first, then your forward spring. Then the bow or the stern, depending on your situation,” Schafer continues. “Be alert to the situation – there may be wind and current. Ask the captain what he wants to put on first, this can change according to the situation. Generally speaking spring lines are important to keep you from moving forward or aft. You’ll put your stern lines first if the wind is from the back.”

Photo courtesy Pepper Ailor

Brooks offers a couple of additional points of reference that are useful. “When untying the boat, untie the slack lines first – the windward side last. This will save time in the morning… When you are pulling out, make sure the line makes it onto the dock or the marina. The captain can get wrapped up in the marina if lines stay in the water.”

 Lines at the Marina

 Most of the captains who contributed to this article carry two sets of lines. Their travel lines are stowed on the boat and used in transient slips and on trips. A boat’s dock lines will stay in their home slip.

“Basically, you have the bow, stern and spring lines. Lines set at the marina remain constant. You can use the bight end on the cleat or vice versa,” Schafer says. Marking lines is a common practice that makes life easier on everyone involved. Captain Brynner Parks describes his approach when working with a new mate. “Get the boat tied up where you want it. Put electric tape to mark the rope where it fits correctly, this gives you a good guideline of where to start.”

Capt. Jon Brooks describes his approach to docking at a fixed pier. “I like to mark our lines. We spend a lot of time in Isla (Mujeres). There is a terrible surge there and you have to put the tag end on the boat. We take two or three colors of electrical tape – one for each level: normal, slack or surge. The marks allow one guy to make adjustments by himself. This is great, especially when it’s 3 am and you are rubbing on the dock.”

“At a floating dock with surge, we are tied hard to one side of the pier. As it moves, the tide moves the boat, pier and everything. All the ropes are on the starboard side – nothing on the port. In this case we use Mega-Fend yacht style fenders with covers. They are mega light and make all the difference.”

Confusion at the Dock? Knot Ever Again

Photo courtesy Pepper Ailor

In terms of common sense, not-so-exciting topics in boating, tying the boat up might rank up there with bilge pumps and drawer pulls. With any luck, and a bit of coordination, may all of your docking experiences be run of the mill. Because while it’s low on the excitement meter, tying up the boat ranks pretty high on the list of things that are better off not screwed up.

Final Sail Results– Team “Showtime” Wins the Burgundy Jacket

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1st place in Final Sail and Quest for the Crest Champions – Showtime Captain Nick Carulo $214,720 won in Final Sail and $271,800 overall won in the Quest

Miami Beach, Fla. (April 7, 2019) – The stakes were high, and the pressure was on for the 37 teams competing off Miami Beach in Final Sail, the grand finale of the 2019 Quest for the Crest Sailfish Series. The tournament opened with a kickoff party at the DoubleTree Grand by Hilton that included a casino fundraiser to benefit the tournament’s charity, Fishing for Muscular Dystrophy (FFMD). The combined efforts of the teams and the casino night enabled Bluewater Movements to present FFMD with a check for $5,000 to help them on their mission to cured MD. [Read more…]

“Don’t Be That Guy!” – Captain’s Edition

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by Winslow Taylor

The relationships dynamics involving captain, crew, angler, charterer and owner combine to create complex sportfishing personality web. Combining the fact that all personalities have their quirks and the long hours (and weeks and months) spent living and working together on a boat and you have a recipe for interesting situations – of the good and bad varieties. Some folks do things that they think are “normal” but to another person these things could be strange or make them look like a total jerk. Simply stated a bit of consideration goes a long way.

The following is a top ten list of weird or annoying character traits that can be found in fishing. Fishing is a serious thing, but remember it’s also supposed to be fun. Do you know anybody who fits the bill for any of these “Don’t Be That Guy” varieties?

The Tournament Mahi Captain

Ok, we get it, we want to catch every single fish – especially when the fishing is slow. Of course everyone is going to get fired up about a billfish. That said, the “tournament mahi captain” shows an excessive eagerness not to screw up an average fish on a charter or fun fishing day. I’ve seen folks cuss up a storm when they missed a gaff shot on the twentieth mahi of the day or replay a certain scenario 100 times after the fact. Of course, in this situation, you are certainly able to make fun of your mate back at the dock, or give the angler grief over a beer, but there is no need to make an awkward situation while underway! Not every day of fishing should be treated like the final day of the Big Rock with an 800-pounder hooked up.

Everyone loves to catch a nice mahi, but this is usually no excuse for yelling (especially on a fun day or with charters).

Everything/Everywhere Guy

Whether you like it or not, running a sportfisher is a service business and a good attitude goes a long way. It’s not that hard to be nice (or at least fake it for a few hours). The “everything/everywhere” guy can be found appearing to have no fun at all, scoffing at what others are doing, and getting mad when they don’t catch any billfish (even when they were in the meat and had a good day). Maybe you have spent multiple seasons on the Great Barrier Reef or wired a thousand blue marlin, that doesn’t give you a license to be a jerk.

I have actually found that the folks who truly have been around the block are some of the nicest, most knowledgeable captains and mates. It’s the ones who want you to think they have done it all, are the ones who really haven’t. So for the guy who always looks like he has seen everything and been everywhere, lighten up. If you aren’t having fun doing your job then maybe you should be looking for employment elsewhere.

“When you’ve hung your sticker in as many places as I have, you know a thing or two…”

The Mate-Captain

The mate-captain can be found in the cockpit, second guessing all of the captain’s knowledge, while low-key bad mouthing the captain about what he is doing wrong. Again, this creates an awkward situation for the guests and anglers. Whatever your thoughts may be, the captain’s word is usually the most important. I’m not saying that the captain telling you to pull a spreader bar through heavy grass while mahi fishing is smart or fun, but you can at least run up the bridge and privately give him your thoughts. Offshore fishing is all about controlled chaos. It’s important to keep the lines of communications clear so everyone can have a good/productive time.

Don’t Be Weird

If you are an owner, captain, or mate, don’t be weird. I asked Jay Blount, one of the captains I used to fish with (who now lives and freelances in Hawaii), about the weirdest or most off-putting trait he remembers dealing with. He told about an owner (not the owner we worked for) who asked about installing a check valve into the gray water tank. That’s all good, and nothing out of the ordinary, until the owner came down into the hallway butt naked trying to maintain a conversation about the state of repairs. I understand that it’s the owner’s boat, but it doesn’t mean it’s the YMCA locker room. Have some decency, if it seems strange it probably is!

I don’t care if we are “underway,” that’s still weird!

The Rich Cheap Guy

Boats are expensive, no question about it. Anyone who owns a sportfish has probably been successful, except for the guy who hired me a few times that is in federal prison for bank fraud (I’ll save that for another story). While I think being paid real wages in the sport fishing industry is a problem, I am not advocating that owners just throw money at their crew. That being said, don’t skimp on your captain and mate’s wages while you brag about spending $25,000 + at Teasers during the WMO week.

I spoke to a captain whose owner invited him, the mate, and the guests out to a nice dinner. When the check came the owner asked to divide it two ways, he would take himself and the guests and the captain/mate were on their own. If you invite your crew out to dinner and pick up the tab for everyone BUT your crew, that’s poor form. I’d be willing to bet your crew would have rather chilled out and eaten a frozen pizza on the boat instead of spending $75 each on dinner with the guests. Even when it’s not fishing, as long as the crew is entertaining or hanging out on the boat, it’s still work.

Dumb Stuff is Ok if They Pay

Even if your boss’s wife and kids or your charter are doing the dumbest thing possible, it’s their money and time on the water. We once had a guy that only wanted to fly-fish for mahi. The problem was that he couldn’t fly fish and was extremely uncoordinated. The only thing accomplished was fly-line in the rigger and a tangled up squid chain teaser.

We trolled a way back dink, but he refused to reel in every mahi we caught. It was pretty frustrating, especially when you are offshore and it feel like you are wasting time (or you are wasting your time). Sometimes you just have to sit back and have a laugh – after all it’s their money and they bought the boat time. If the charter wants to jig for AJ’s until their arms fall off or fly-fish for sharks, that’s their right. Moral of the story, be nice and if something stupid happens just bite your tongue (unless it puts you or the boat in danger)!

The Captain Who is Never Wrong

The captain runs the operation and is the boss of the crew, but that doesn’t give him a license to discount what anyone else thinks. Everyone comes to the table with different experiences, which can be helpful to round out a program. Whether it’s mates networking about where the fish were or knowing how to perform a repair (that the captain may not know how to do), it’s important to listen to those around you.

One example comes from the time we were provisioning the boat to head to the Abacos. After buying as much beer as we could stow aboard, the captain grabbed some baby wipes. On another boat I had recently had the glorious job of disassembling the head due to someone’s “operator error.” I knew that baby wipes weren’t going to make it past the macerator pump and told the captain the baby wipers should be a no-go. Well, he didn’t listen, and (you guessed it) we got another crash course in head assembly right before dinner…. I still don’t let that person forget about that incident! Although the captain usually has the experience, don’t discount other folks’ knowledge just because they may not have been fishing or cruising as long as you.

Anyone can catch a blue marlin on a ballyhoo. I only use bonefish!

The Full House Charter

We all know these folks, they jump on the boat and throughout the day they use every head and somehow lay down in every bed. They leave handprints everywhere and eat random food – even the stuff that probably expired a few years ago. Again, in a charter situation, they “paid” for the boat, but it’s when these folks don’t listen to any of the ground rules that it becomes problematic. Most guests never realize the amount of cleanup time it takes for the interior alone – especially on a yacht or semi-yacht finish vessel. It’s the little things that that are noticed and appreciated by the crew – such as applying spray sun tan lotion (if allowed onboard) with the wind going off the boat or eating fried chicken or potato chips off the side of and not over the teak. A cognizant guest is an appreciated entity who will be welcome back anytime. It also helps if they bring some good food and drinks!

The Unfriendly Bridge

Fishing can be stressful – especially when it’s your profession. The term that always comes to mind is “you are only as good as your next day.” Being successful on the water takes skill, concentration, finesse, and luck. Apart from the fishing, it also takes compatible personalities. If everyone cannot get along, it’s going to be a long day and a short job.

Having fished with various folks through the years, the one variable among different boats is the approachability of the captain. I think the approachability of the captain and their “bridge accessibility” goes a long way. Many folks charter certain boats based on the captain. These guests hope to glean some information, often with the intent to book more charter days in the future.

There was a guy around North Carolina who was notorious for being a curmudgeon and having a crappy attitude, but he was a good fisherman. He usually had a job for bit, but was the consummate job jumper. After a couple of trips, most owners tired quickly of that sort of behavior. One day he took out the owner and his wife, only to yell at the wife while she was fighting an average wahoo. He didn’t have a job much longer after that. The best fisherman, with the worst attitude is going to be looking for a job more often than not. Whether it’s a fishing tip, a funny story, or a just a different view of the spread, I think it benefits captains to be approachable and give folks the option of hanging out on the bridge.

The Do Everything Mate

Again, there is no doubt that the captain is in charge, but (usually) the mate has control over the tackle and the captain has responsibilities over the vessel and the vessel’s systems. Of course the mate aids in maintenance and issues while underway, but I think it’s important for the captain to take personal responsibility over “boat stuff.” Take getting an entanglement in the running gear, for example. Most people don’t enjoy jumping off a perfectly good boat in god-knows-where, but I think it’s a bad look when the captain tells the mate to jump in the water first. Leadership is an important trait. If you never take ownership of situations and rather delegate everything away, it may foster a sense of entitlement or laziness. These situations, if lingering long enough, can create a toxic crew environment which, inevitably, leads to crew turnover and resentment.

Conclusion

Team work, like that needed on a sportfishing boat, requires give and take. Successful fishing over the long haul is all about playing hard and working hard. I think a well-tuned crew appears to be having a good time while enjoying their time on the water. While everyone wants to be good at their jobs, taking yourself too seriously or being the embodiment of one of these “Don’t Be That Guy” stereotypes is not good for anybody. I hope this article can aid in some personnel traits and remember, don’t be too weird!

InTheBite Dock Talk: Northern Lights Announces New Technicold Ice Maker

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SEATTLE, WASHINGTON and DEERFIELD BEACH, FLORIDA (USA) – Premier Marine Power Generation, Climate Control & Refrigeration Products Manufacturer Northern Lights, Inc. (NLI) is pleased to announce the development and introduction of our new, industry leading Technicold ice maker:

  • ROBUST DESIGN WITH STEADY ICE PRODUCTION OUTPUT RATED AT 500 POUNDS PER DAY
  • MARINE GRADE STAINLESS STEEL, COMMERCIAL GRADE QUALITY
  • PROFESSIONAL, MEGA-YACHT FINISH
  • PRODUCES HIGHER ICE YIELDS THAN COMPETITIVE MODELS AT DESIGN TEMPERATURES
  • SAFETY PROTECTIONS FOR ALL SYSTEM COMPONENTS
  • ELECTRONIC MONITORING AND OPERATION
  • PRIMARY AND SECONDARY WATER FILTRATION PROVIDED
  • COMPACT, MODULAR DESIGN BUILT FOR EASY HOOK-UP, MAINTENANCE, AND SERVICE
  • DESIGNED FOR EASE OF INSTALLATION

First units are expected to be available the end of Q2, with pricing to be announced in the near future.

A future model which produces 1000 pounds of ice per day is expected to be announced by the end of the year.

Sam Hill, President of Northern Lights, adds: “We are proud to bring this new ice machine to the market in our continued efforts to provide the most reliable, durable, and highest quality products.  As a leader in the Marine industry for over 60 years, we maintain our focus, drive and passion to provide the best marine power generation and climate control/ refrigeration solutions to fulfill our customers’ needs and to enhance their boating experience for generations to come.”

For more information about Northern Lights and Technicold products, visit www.technicold.com.

The Seakeeper 2 Wins 2019 Edison Award in Transportation Technology Category

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Seakeeper 2 Earns Gold Designation in Transportation Technology Category

CALIFORNIA, Md. (April 5, 2019) – Seakeeper, Inc., the leader in marine stabilization, received an Edison Award at last night’s Awards Gala for the Seakeeper 2.

The Edison Awards honor excellence in new product and service development, marketing, human-centered design and innovation. The Seakeeper 2 was chosen as a finalist in the Transportation Technology category earlier in the year and last night received a gold award, the highest available. Products were judged on their concept, value, delivery and impact and finalists were chosen by a steering committee and small group of industry experts where necessary. The finalists were then submitted to a panel of more than 3,000 judges comprised of senior business executives and academics who then cast ballots for gold, silver and bronze winners.

“We’ve been relentless at working to change a fundamental human experience by making boating more accessible and enjoyable for everyone, and the introduction of our smallest product, the Seakeeper 2, is a huge step in realizing that mission,” said Seakeeper President & CEO Andrew Semprevivo. “We’ve been pushing ourselves every day for 11 years to bring our best innovations to market, and we’re honored to be recognized as a leader and proud to stand next to the other incredible Edison Awards winners this year.”

The award was presented at the Edison Awards’ annual black-tie event at the New York Academy of Sciences in New York, NY. Events earlier in the day included a Meet the Innovators Forum and an Innovators’ Showcase where participating companies had the opportunity to connect with other finalists and innovators and share their product.

Final Results: 2019 Los Sueños Signature Triple Crown Billfish Series

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Fish Tank was the clear and undisputed Series Champion of the 2019 Los Sueños Signature Triple Crown, finishing with an almost unbelievable 17,400 points (144 sails, 6 marlin). Kudos to the team and especially to Laura Jessen who, despite a broken foot, released 6 sails this tournament alone and 34 sails over all three legs!

Los Sueños Resort and Marina, located at Playa Herradura on Costa Rica’s Central Pacific Coast, held the third and final leg of its sixth annual Los Sueños Signature Triple Crown billfish series, presented by Chantilly Air, March 27-30, 2019. Forty seven of the best and most competitive teams came together to release a total of 1,234 billfish over three days.

Going in to this event, the reports were that fishing was slow with 3-6 fish a day being average. We were pleased to see the teams find the fish when the radio went off with an early bite on Day 1 and ended with a nail-bite inducing finish on Day 3. With 100 points awarded for each sailfish release and 500 points for each marlin release, marlin always end up making a difference for the podium finishers. After all the scorecards were reviewed, a three-leg Triple Crown total of 3,945 billfish were released (3,820 sails and 125 marlin) – or 444,500 points achieved by the 51 teams that participated this year, 38 of which were registered in all three events. [Read more…]

InTheBite Splash Report: Ritchie Howell 60′ Convertible – “Galatea”

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Builder Ritchie Howell provides a guided walk through of the “Galatea”— a 60′ vessel he built seven years ago. Listed with Michael Rafferty of IYC, the Galatea is a beautiful boat whose story is told by the man who built her.

Fishing Stories: Kona Bigeye Bonanza

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ITB-Digital contributor Michael Marks of Hawaii was nice enough to write out an account of an epic, unexpected run in with a pack of ravenous bigeye.  Check it out… Thanks for the story Michael and keep em coming!

By Michael Marks

The anticipation had been building for a few weeks as a plan was hatched, and the moving parts all started to come together. The crew was solid and consisted of Captain Cyrus Widhalm, part owner of Honey – a beautiful custom 40-foot Buddy Davis, co-owner of Honey Mark Rodrigues, deckhand extraordinaire Nick Watson, owner of the tournament winning El Jobean, Larry Peardon, Brian Cibulka, owner of Relentless and yours truly.

The 4:30 wake up and raw anticipation that comes with the pre-dawn loading up of the boat for a 2-day-overnight trip down to South Point had peaked at about 6 am….and slowly given way to a lot of blue water and zero action.

The opelu at the secret submerged bait buoy were essentially unattainable. They were everywhere, but getting decimated by predators as soon as they bit. An hour and change of work turned into two measly baits.

We resorted to running south for a bit and jumped into ono lane. The run proved to be scenic and beautiful as we skirted alongside the prehistoric looking cliff filled shoreline, but the onos refused to play ball as well. Four hours and not a touch.

As we continued to push south, Captain Cyrus made the call to head outside to “B” buoy. There were some skiffs around, scattered birds and little tunas breaking water occasionally. The general liveliness of the area gave us renewed hope.

We busted out the small gear, rustled up a 4-5-pound aku (skipjack) for bait, bridled it up along with an opelu and sent them back out for a swim. The fish finder showed some serious signs of life. Consistent stacks of medium sized marks down deep that looked like potential tuna, and some big solo marks that looked the part of marlin.

We worked the area. Hard. And after a few hours, and a number of tricky tactics to get the opelu down deep and face to face with the tuna when we marked them, we had nothing to show for it.

The excitement we had first thing in the morning pretty much left us. Frosty IPAs and an assortment of other adult beverages were the only things driving the positivity at this point. All of the other skiffs that were dropping bait at the buoy for tunas seemed to be striking out as well, but Captain Cyrus was convinced that there was just too darn much life underneath us for nothing to happen. Finally, after a number of hours turning fruitless laps around the buoy, he finally proved to be right!

Out of nowhere, a blue marlin showed up directly behind the boat. I mean directly in the props, lit up bright blue and trying to put his bill in the exhaust pipe. Captain and deck hand Nick quietly slid down from the bridge trying not to spook the fish and brought the baits right to it. It turned, ate the port side bait, and then spit it back at us as soon as he felt any pressure, and promptly left. SHIT!  Now we had proof there were hungry fish around, but it definitely stung to see one just feet behind the transom and not get bit. [Read more…]