|
The 43rd Budget Marine Spice Island Billfish Tournament took place on January 25-29th and it was a qualifying event for the IGFA Offshore Championship. The SIBT was first held back in 1964 and has been held annually since then (except during the revolution years). This year the event was once again held at the Grenada Yacht Club located in the lagoon in St. Georges; it attracted 50 boats from nearby islands such as Aruba, Tobago, Barbados, St. Lucia, Martinique, Grenada with 32 boats being from Trinidad. Anglers come from all over the world to experience Grenada’s great fishing and hospitality, and this year it was even rumored to have a Hollywood celebrity in the mix. Certainly from all the SuperYachts present at Port Louis Marina, across the bay, this could easily have been more than just a rumour. The tournament consists of three fishing days separated by a lay day. The SIBT boasts plenty of game fish action as it is positioned in the peak of the billfish season with Blue Marlin (500pts) White Marlin (300pts) Sailfish (300pts), being the crux of the points and allowed line strengths of 30 50 and 80 pound test. The Tournament is run as a modified release event where teams are encouraged to release the majority of the billfish they catch (a camera is needed to confirm the capture). Points are awarded for released billfish by species not by weight. Any billfish that are boated will score points only if they exceed the minimum weight limit for that species (points are deducted for underweight fish). At the end of the tournament the boat and angler with the most points are the winners. The competition is fierce, yet friendly and all Anglers had their eye on the prize money- in total over $65,000.00 EC dollars is given to the “heaviest fish” for each species. Current records for this event stand at : Blue Marlin – 669 pounds White Marlin – 82 pounds Sailfish – 77.6 pounds Yellowfin Tuna – 173 pounds Wahoo – 66 pounds Dolphin ( Mahi Mahi ) – 53 pounds Fish are only considered to have broken the record if its weight exceeds those listed above by one pound or more The Grand Slam Trophy awarded to the “first boat” to catch or release all three billfish species in one day -Prize was a coveted dingy and motor supplied by # 1 sponsor Budget Marine. Wednesday: Captains and their teams assembled at sunset for the briefing by Committee Chairman Richard McIntyre, a quick review of the rules and then he introduced Dr. Ellen Peele of “The Billfish Foundation” (TBF) hearty cheers went up as she promoted the Tag and Release Sport and honoured the late Sid Johnson of Trinidad for his contribution to the sport in the Southern Caribbean. Early Thursday morning with the sun rising from the East and casting a glorious light upon The City of St. George's, a parade of all the fishing boats motored into and around the Carenage playing “follow the leader” and posing for photographs and providing a spectacle for the numerous onlookers as they proceeded outside the harbor for the traditional "Bimini Start". "Pair a Dice" from Trinidad had the first hook up, but unfortunately lost the fish. It was a tough fight. Reports came in with "Exile" releasing the first Sailfish, followed by the "Surf n Turf".(Grenada) "De Reel Viking" had landed two Yellowfin Tuna, and "Southern Cross" reeled in its first Tuna. "Crazy Horse Again" (Grenada) snagged the first wahoo and on-board of "Devocean" the first white marlin was released. "Surf n Turf" Who were really flying at this point, released their second billfish a White Marlin. Dolphins (Mahi Mahi) were also taking the bait as "Grey Ghost" (St Lucia) and "Abracadabra" (Trinidad) both reeled in catches. Midway through the day, 12 Dolphins, 5 Wahoo and 7 Yellowfin Tuna had been landed with 20 releases including 13 Sailfish, 2 Blue Marlin and 5 White Marlin. Forty-five minutes before the lines up, there was still four boats engaged with a fight on their lines. "T Hemisphere" released a sailfish. "London Pride" ended their day with the release of a White Marlin. "Challenge II" released a Blue Marlin with "Ruby's Joy" (Grenada) still battling with a White Marlin. The fight lasted thirty-minutes. Five minutes left on the clock and "Zingo" snagged a Blue Marlin, a fierce battle that ended with the release of the fish. The day’s event ended with the top five boats: "Yes Aye" (1200 pts), "Super Cool Too" (1100 pts), " Zingo" (1100 pts), "Surf n Turf" (900 pts), "Exile" (900 pts). Friday morning with Anglers raring to go saw "Magic Lady" land their first catch of the day, a Yellowfin Tuna, followed by a Wahoo and a Dolphin. The day’s first billfish was caught on "Vesper" (Trinidad) who released a Sailfish. Sailfish after Sailfish were being reeled in, as the morning rolled into a choppy and windy afternoon. "Magic Lady" released the first Blue Marlin of the day, while the "Abracadabra" team released a White Marlin, followed by a Sailfish. The first grand slam of the tournament was hit when "Abracadabra" from Trinidad finally landed a Blue Marlin to compliment the other Billfish they had caught and win a coveted trophy together with a dinghy and motor supplied by tournament sponsors Budget Marine. Friday was certainly a full day of action for Anglers and officials alike. The day ended with "Abracadabra" as the Grand slam winner and top of the leader board with (1700 pts), "Yes Aye" (1500 pts) "Step ah Side" (1500 pts) "Exile" (1500 pts) "Arabian Princess" (1400 pts) Saturday was a day of enjoyment and relaxation with a fair amount of Sugar cane juice (Rum) consumed and a big pot of Grenada'a national dish "Oil Down" supplied by the committee bubbling away and helping to soak up the various alcohols consumed. With a large contingent of Trinidadians present the party atmosphere at the event's Lay Day was enjoyed well into the night, however the competition was back in full force on early Sunday morning. Sunday was business again as usual, with the release of 10 White Marlin, 4 Blue Marlin and 13 Sailfish + 5 Wahoo, 16 Dolphin and 4 Tuna landed. Fish were biting, man pitting his skills against fish, but everyone still trolling for that elusive record breaker. No Records were broken this year and no bones either although we do have the x rays. You can guarantee next years tournament will be eagerly awaited as Grenada hosts for the 44th time, some of the best Anglers and best Sportfishing in the Caribbean . Anglers, ogglers, locals and tourists that dropped by to catch the weigh in, have a bite of sushi onboard and a lime (party) with the teams and hear about the one that got away was enjoyed by all. Final Results: 1st Placed Boat: Abracadabra Trinidad and Tobago 2nd Placed Boat: Step Ah Side Trinidad and Tobago 3rd Placed Boat: Exile Aruba 1st Placed Angler: Gorgs Dalgleish Abracadabra Trinidad and Tobago 2nd Placed Angler: Liz Hickman Surf n Turf Grenada 3rd Placed Angler: Bobby Hammond Yes Aye Grenada For more information on sport fishing and this event, please visit www.businessgrenada.com
Related Articles -
caribbean, wahoo, marlin, yellow fin, angler, fishing, Grenada Yacht Club, IGFA Offshore Championship, sport fishing, billfish tournament, Grenada,
| 
