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The Bahamas Billfish Championship Quarterly |  Miss Annie is the New Bahamas Billfish Champion
After
four years of competing in the Bahamas Billfish Championship and being denied
the title twice, Barry Weshnak's team Miss
Annie won this year's five tournament series that concluded June 26th.
Like the majority of the fleet, team Miss Annie started the season catching
predominantly white marlin. Then, during the Harbour Island Championship, the Allenwood, New
Jersey team caught and released two blue marlin and six white marlin to handily
win the tournament and takeover the lead in the Championship which they never
relinquished.
"I
am indeed proud of the Miss Annie
team," said Weshnak. "And this is a 'team' that has been together for seven
years; Capt. Matt Rabenstine, Nick Lucov, Greg Bogdan and Mark Donohue. They
made it happen. I am delighted that our team has the honor of being the Bahamas
Billfish Champion."
Capt.
Matt Rabenstine led Miss Annie to a
third overall finish in 2007 and second overall in 2008 behind team Cerveza based on time. This year,
Rabenstine and Miss Annie were not to
be denied. For the 2010 Series, the Viking 52 released six blue marlin and nine
white marlin to achieve their winning total 6,500 points.
Weshnak
went on to say, "What I have come to cherish most about the BBC is the camaraderie
among the anglers and crews. For me the BBC has produced many lasting
friendships that extend well beyond the competition of the tournament season."
To read the complete story of the 2010 BBC winners with photos, click here.
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| 2011 BBC
Schedule |  | |
Central Abaco
Cape Eleuthera
Harbour Island
Guana Cay
Treasure Cay
(Click BBC Logo for more details) |
Look for
the fall issue of
The Teaser
in October
Watch for
BBC e-Updates
with breaking news when it is still news
Have a
Great Summer
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Inappropriate Wins at Treasure
Fishing
only their second Bahamas Billfish Championship tournament, Frank Holtham's Inappropriate tallied 2,400 points with
four blue marlin releases to win the Treasure Cay Championship, the final leg
of the five tournament series. Veteran BBC captain, Jack Plachter guided the Viking
61 to blue marlin each of the three days and a two on day one of the tournament
sponsored by HMY Yacht Sales and Viking Yachts.
For
their win, the Hackensak, New Jersey team won a Randy Rich
designed First Place trophy and as Top Release Team for the Treasure Cay
Championship, Inappropriate was presented with an original bronze
trophy awarded by BBC sponsors Murray Products, Highseas Technology and PipeWelders. Steve Lewis of the Lewis Marine Group presented Top Crew trophies
to Capt. Jack Plachter and Pete
Zebinski.
Finishing
second was the Spicewood, Texas team Deguello
with 1,900 points. Gary Domel's Cabo 48 with Capt. Bill Diamond at the helm caught
and released two blue marlin on day one and another blue and a sailfish on day
three. One hundred points behind Deguello
was team My Doris. Capt. Bobby Brown,
another veteran BBC captain, led Mark Modist's Cabo 40 to an early tournament
lead with three blue marlin releases on day one. In addition to the Randy Rich acrylic
trophies, the top three teams all received gift
certificates from Roffer's Ocean Fishing Forecast and BoatMat Corp.
Read the complete press release here |
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| BBC Sponsorship Opportunities
The BBC has been
able to keep registration and entry fees reasonable over the years
because of
the financial support of our sponsors. Recently, the global economic
situation
has caused a decline in the number of companies actively supporting a
variety
of sporting events and the BBC is no exception. Although the 2011 Series
is
nine months away, the BBC is actively seeking sponsors for the 2011
Bahamas
Billfish Championship.
The promotional
value and publicity for BBC sponsors spans a full year with four months
of
intense media coverage spotlighting the results of the five BBC
tournaments.
This exposure is directed toward a highly targeted, niche market of
successful,
affluent anglers from a cross section of industries and professions.
Compared
to many other forms of promotion, BBC sponsorship is a cost effective
way to
reach these anglers and crew.
To read more about 2011 BBC sponsorship opportunities, click here.
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 | Lessons Learned from the Treasure Cay Championship
I finally made it over to a BBC tournament
in 2010. I was invited to be an angler on a 40' Cabo that was fishing this last
leg of the BBC. I was looking forward to seeing the 'new' ways that these boats
are fishing and are being so successful catching marlin.
My goal was to say 'Hi' and meet many of
the people that we insure and maybe talk to a few people we don't insure and
start a relationship with them. It was awesome to see our insured's place 1st,
2nd, and 3rd in this event too.
The seas were rough and the fishing was
decent and as I looked around I could see everybody doing 7 to 8 knots. There
was no telling which boats that were dredge fishing as they all were going
pretty fast and I didn't think you could go that fast pulling that much stuff.
The one part that still bothers me is that I saw so many talented fishermen
that didn't get a bite or they only saw one. I remember, even today, how fickle
blue marlin fishing continues to be.
One thing I can say, it was a very strange
year. With the cold water early in the season and the fishing being slow and
then a few fish at the end, you would have to take this year's numbers (lack
of) and toss them out. The average point total to win the BBC over the past
five years is 7,280. This year, the winner Miss
Annie had 6,500. So, don't blame your crew or yourself.
To read Ship's complete article, click here.
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As The Propeller Turns ...
Interesting email
address that Mike Sands came up with for the Perfect Parts - 'cmerefish' ... Thank you to Mama Who for the orange cones in Cape Eleuthera warning everyone
they were approaching the 'Chaos Zone' ... Capt Scottie Feltman on the Reel Estate found driftwood that looks
exactly like a swordfish bill. Wonder what stories will come about with that 'catch'
... Great to see a number of BBC 'old-timers' at the Treasure Cay Championship -
Capt. Bobby Brown, Capt Skip Smith, Capt. Jack Plachter and 'Lone Eagle' Jack Delaney ... A bruised and
sore Sheila Knowles has told the crew to reinstall the fighting chair on the Blue Heron ... Candid pictures revealed
that someone actually used a patio umbrella as a sunshade/shield while engaging
in a water balloon battle when fishing got slow ... It is reported that Jennifer
Dudas and Capt. Chris Lindell engaged in a karaoke performance aboard the Sea Angel in Harbour Island. George
Strait advised both, "Do not quit your day job" ... Bobby Boyle's tee shirt art
for the BBC 2010 was loved by all.
To read the complete As the Propeller Turns, click here.
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Dolphinfish Research Newsletter
A second dolphin from the U.S.
East Coast has been recovered in the West Indies of the eastern Caribbean Sea.
The first U.S. East Coast fish to be recovered in the West Indies was
recaptured off Antigua in February of 2006. The fish had been released off
southeast Florida in June 2005, 230 days prior to being recovered.
The second tagged dolphin
reported from the West Indies came from the waters off the western side of St.
Kitts Island, which lies 60 miles west of Antigua. Todville Peets of
Basseterre, St. Kitts, recovered the fish on May 17, 2010, while working as a
crew member aboard the commercial fishing vessel Sea Quest. The dolphin
had been tagged 341 days earlier on June 10, 2009, off Marathon, Florida by the
crew of Don Gates' boat Killin Time.
To read the complete Newsletter, click here.
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