The Tribune

THE Bahamas Billfish Championships (BBC), one of the oldest and most prestigious annual tournaments in the country, got underway in Abaco at the weekend with 18 boats fishing the three-day Guana Cay Championship.

Hosted by Orchid Bay Yacht Club and Marina it was the first of the four legs of the 2014 event, each held on a different island in Abaco and with cumulative points determining the overall winner. In total seven blue marlin, 11 white marlin and two sailfish were released. No blue marlin were weighed in. The largest dolphin weighed was 55.5lbs and the largest wahoo was 43.1lbs.

The tournament attracts boats from Florida ranging in size up to 80ft. The entry fee is $3,000 per boat with a wide range of prizes. The goal is to see who can land the biggest billfish, particularly marlin, all which are caught and then released.

Greg Smith and Dan Stacy, fishing for Team Blue Sky, won the opening leg. The 56-foot Viking from Pawley’s Island, South Carolina, and captained by Steve Crammer released three blue marlin, one white marlin and one sailfish to earn 2,100 points for a narrow victory.

Bob Jacobson and Austin Burr guided Team Marlin Darlin to second with two blue marlin and three white marlin releases. The 62-foot Spencer from Clearwater, Florida, released their

first blue on the first day, a white marlin on day two and finished strongly with a blue marlin and two white marlin released.

Tournament sponsors Hatteras and MarineMax teamed up to fish the 63-foot Hatteras Hatterascal with Ken Reda releasing a white marlin on the first day and a blue marlin and sailfish on the last day, putting them in third place overall.

The BBC has endowed two scholarships to enable Bahamian students with the opportunity to pursue a degree in marine biology or advanced education in the marine technologies.

For more information on the BBC, including tournament dates, visit the BSFN (Bahamas Sport Fishing Newtork) page at tribune242.com or bsfn.biz