 The Central Abaco Championship
As we send this email issue of BBC e-Update, twenty-nine boats have registered and paid to fish the Central Abaco Championship, April 21st through 24th at the Treasure Cay Resort & Marina. Host/sponsors for this first leg of the 2010 Bahamas Billfish Championship are Hatteras Yachts and  Gulfstream International Airlines.
Keep in mind that registration hours are now from 1300 to 1600 hours on Wednesday at the Tipsy Seagull Patio. During registration, all participating teams will receive BBC T-shirts, caps and visors as well as special Epice Sunscreen samples.
All participating teams will receive a small decal to be placed on the boat's Bahamas Fishing Permit in compliance with the Bahamas Department of Fisheries regulations for permitted tournaments. The BBC staff has an adequate supply of decals for all five tournaments. The BBC recognizes the valuable contributions of the captains and crewmembers and the 'Committee Boat' will again have daily crew drawings for items like merchandise gift certificates, airline vouchers and 'weekend get-aways.' An extensive list of Crew Drawing prizes can be found in the spring 2010 issue of The Teaser. Don't forget to sign-up for the crew drawings at registration.
Read more about the Central Abaco Championship here
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Preventing a Digital Dilemma
By Jennifer Dudas
The Bahamas Billfish Championship pioneered the use of time and date stamped digital images to validate the release affidavits in awarding points for released spearfish, sailfish, white marlin and blue marlin. This season marks the sixth year that the BBC has awarded points based upon the matching of the affidavit and the digital image.
At the conclusion of the 2008 Series, the BBC Steering Committee added language to the BBC Angling Rulesto reinforce the importance of the digital image as the official release time. "The 'Billfish Release Affidavit' must be accompanied by a time and date-stamped digital image of the fish (still image or video) that clearly shows the billfish species reported and the colored ribbon for that day. The billfish must be photographed within thirty (30) feet (leader length) from the boat. The digital image verifies the Affidavit; therefore, no points will be awarded if the species shown in the digital image does not match the species reported on the Affidavit. The time stamp of the digital image is the official release time and must be within (plus or minus) ten (10) minutes of the time reported by radio to the Committee Boat."
For those that are fishing their first BBC tournament and as a reminder for the veterans, here are some important things to remember about taking digital images of your releases.
Make sure your camera has a time and date stamp function. Then make sure you know how to use your camera. Practice taking pictures; practice setting the date; know how to check the images on the screen.
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A Word About Online Entries
For those who have registered with the BBC office to fish some or all of the 2010 tournaments and paid the $1,000 membership but have not submitted the entry fee(s), here is a tip that will eliminate some confusion.
The BBC's online registration and entry form automatically includes the $1,000 membership fee each time you submit an entry. However, when the office processes subsequent entries (after you have paid the one-time membership fee), the $1000 is removed and your credit card is charged only the appropriate entry fees for the tournaments you specify. Remember, all tournament Entry Fees are due and payable 30-days prior to the start of each 2010 BBC tournament. The BBC Registration Fee is non-refundable. Tournament Entry Fees become non-refundable 30-days prior to the tournament start date.
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