Cowpoke takes top honors at 11th Annual Boat Harbour-HMY Billfish Blast
Two Viking Yachts teams place in top three
MARSH HARBOUR, ABACO, BAHAMAS (June 9, 2010) – The Boat Harbour-HMY Billfish Blast was presented by HMY Yacht Sales and Abaco Beach Resort at Boat Harbour from May 31-June 4, 2010. The Blast returned for its eleventh anniversary to Abaco Beach Resort at Boat Harbour Marina in Marsh Harbour, Bahamas.
Fourteen teams joined the competition with themed events including the Memorial Day Kick-Off Dinner, Sports Night Dinner, Rockstar Karaoke/Talent Competition Dinner, Lay Day Pool Party and Lunch, and the Awards Banquet. Tournament Coordinator Laurie Bass states, “We added a few new contests for participants and we kept the tradition of morning and afternoon gifts as well as an hourly raffle drawing on the VHF. I believe our formula for family, fun and fishing create a hybrid event like no other.”
Kicking off in patriotic fashion on Memorial Day, registration and team check-in provided a smooth transition to the Kick-Off Dinner sponsored by Viking Yachts. Immediately following dinner, the Fireworks extravaganza sponsored by Pirate’s Cove Resort and Marina provided a special treat for everyone in Marsh Harbour along with a definite feeling that the Blast is back and underway.
The first day of fishing resulted in several hookups and two blue marlin releases. Aquaholic’s Jason Suzar released the first and Cowpoke’s Cruiser Crews released the second. The action doubled the second day with seven hookups and three releases. Perry Osman on Sea N Double released the first blue on Wednesday, and then after several pulled hooks, Dave Meyer on Cowpoke fought and released the team’s second blue marlin. Closing out day two, Bill Byers on Intents released the day’s final blue at 3:48 PM.
Day two concluded with the annual Rockstar Karaoke/Talent Contest and Dinner sponsored by Atlantic Marine Electronics, Palm Beach Towers and Christi Marine Insurance. The Most Talented trophy was earned once again by Alan Colantuano on Bam-Boo for the second year in a row.
All teams enjoyed the mandatory lay day by taking part in the Pool Party and Lunch sponsored by Ransome/Caterpillar. The lay day games included a Top Model competition for males wearing board shorts, a
Bloody Mary Competition, and Iron Chef Challenge. The Iron Chef trophy was presented to Ben Martin on Coastal Angler for his tasty grouper entry; the Bloody Mary winner was special tournament guest, Lisa Barber on the Uptick for her “Remote Control” Bloody Mary; and finally, the Top Model honors were taken by Tigger from Three Dog Night.
The final day of fishing offered the hottest bite of the entire week. A total of eight hookups resulted in six blue releases and one white. Cowpoke’s strong showing of two blue releases and one white by female angler Christy Crews pushed the team over the top and kept them in the top spot at lines out. Perry Osman on Sea N Double released a blue which secured second place. Junior angler, Vanichers, on Outlaw released a blue to capture top honors for the Doc Austin Memorial Top Junior Angler award, and other blue marlin releases came courtesy of Kim Domel on Dequello, and Tracy Paterson on Coastal Angler. However, based on release time, Aquaholic held on for a third place finish.
Overall results are as follows:
1st Place Overall, 1st Place Release, 1st Place Crew: Cowpoke, 61’ Viking
Owner Cruiser Crews
Captain Mike Brady
Mate Mike “Dewey” Price
Anglers Christy Crews, Cruiser Crews, Dave Meyer, Greg Jones
Four blue releases and one white marlin release
2nd Place Overall, 2nd Place Release, 2nd Place Crew: Sea N Double, 61’ Viking
Owner Perry Osman
Captain Rich Stallings
Anglers Perry Osman, Shane Davenport, Kyle Osman, Sabrina Davenport
Two blue releases
3rd Place Overall, 3rd Place Release, 3rd Place Crew: Aquaholic, 50’ Hatteras
Owner/Captain Michael Rogers
Anglers Jason Suzor, Rob Davenport, LeAnne Rogers, Dan Suzor
One blue release
Christy Crews on Cowpoke took home top honors in the ladies and overall angler categories with her releases of two blue marlin and one white, totaling 1400 points. Christy’s win makes her eligible to enter the Grand Championship of the World Billfish Series in December of this year.
In the fun fish categories, Cowpoke also reigned supreme on the largest dolphin with Greg Jones weighing in a 58-pound beauty. Junior angler Zachory Biddix on Lookin Back proudly brought a 66-pound tuna to the scale, and the final category was captured by Lev Mullins on Princess Lily with a 15-pound wahoo.
The Jim Schaeffer Memorial Sportsmanship Award was presented to Big Whoop. Guy Fichter and his team gave everyone else a slight head start by leaving the dock a little late every morning and generally showing great sportsmanship the entire week of the Blast. Tom Biddix and the team on Lookin Back snared the coveted Spirit of the Blast honors by participating in all the theme nights as a group – from the reds, whites and blues at the kick-off party to the Miami Dolphins paraphernalia during Sports Night, the entire Lookin Back team showcased an unmatched spirit at this year’s Blast.
A new award was added to the event this year, the SEA WOLFE Good Neighbor Award, presented in honor of Chester Wolfe. Chester and his wife, Barbara, fished out of Boat Harbour for many years and often opened their boat, Sea Wolfe, to friends and anglers. With Chester’s passing in 2009, Barbara wished to pay tribute to her husband by donating an award which would stand as a testament to Chester’s love of fishing and friendship. This new award was presented to John Samuels and the Princess Lily team who constantly had their tool box and bar open, plus they gave taxi rides to other islands to everyone who needed it. Their neighborly attitude in general was evident when Mr. Samuels graciously accepted the award which included a perpetual plaque along with a donation from Abaco Gold.
The long-standing tradition of Best Departure Song was presented to Bill Canida’s Bam-Boo. All teams are encouraged to play music for the tournament committee as they depart the marina for the day’s fishing, and Bam-Boo participated every day with their final day topping all others which included beach towels used as capes and custom choreography. It was, however, a close call due to Neil Subin’s efforts on Outlaw’s. Not only did their efforts include a crab costume, they also included a rendition of “Baby Got Back” on the last fishing day which earned the first ever perfect score at the Blast.
Continuing the practice of giving back to the local Marsh Harbour community, the Billfish Blast proudly offered a charitable donation on behalf of all tournament participants to Every Child Counts as part of the awards presentation. The mission of Every Child Counts is to provide an alternative education for children with learning, developmental or physical disabilities regardless of financial, family or social restraint. ECC maximizes each child’s ability to become a productive, successful and independent citizen.
After the Awards Banquet sponsored by MAN Engines and Components, platinum selling music artist and American Idol® winner, Taylor Hicks, took the stage to entertain everyone as the first ever musical act in Billfish Blast history. Featuring songs from his latest album, “The Distance,” along with several acoustic numbers, Taylor thrilled the crowd with his soulful tones and brilliant guitar and harmonica playing. Once the performance concluded, Taylor signed autographs along with pictures and CD’s at Boat Harbour’s infamous Pool Bar.
HMY Yacht Sales owner, Steve Moynihan, expressed, “This year’s Blast may have not broken any records, but the turnout was perfect. From the smiles on everyone’s faces, our nightly dinners and theme nights brought out the best in both HMY and Boat Harbour.” Abaco Beach Resort owners Peter Sweeting and Manny Alexiou continue, “We are both proud and privileged to join HMY Yacht Sales as co-owners and hosts of the Billfish Blast; This legendary tournament represents the finest in fishing competition and sportsmanship and we are grateful to the many sponsors and fishing teams that participated.”
Stay up to date about the upcoming 12th Annual Boat Harbour-HMY Billfish Blast by visiting our website at www.billfishblast.com or visit our Facebook page.
About Abaco Beach Resort:
Abaco Beach Resort at Boat Harbour is the premier destination in the Bahamas Out Islands. Located on 52 scenic acres with white sandy beaches, lush tropical gardens and surrounding cays, the Abaco Beach Resort offers a total vacation experience with endless opportunities for recreation, relaxation and luxurious oceanfront accommodations. As the largest hotel in scenic Marsh Harbour on the Sea of Abaco, the Resort is just five miles from the Marsh Harbour Airport and a short, enjoyable flight from Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Palm Beach and Miami. And now, at Abaco Beach Resort at Boat Harbour, a limited number of luxury condominiums are available at the Harbour Residences. For more information, visit www.AbacoBeachResort.com or call 1-800-468-4799.
About HMY Yacht Sales:
Founded in 1979, HMY Yacht Sales’ goal was to become an industry leader based on quality, integrity and the highest level of customer service in the marine business. Today, HMY is one of the largest and most comprehensive yacht sales and service organizations in the world. Owner Steve Moynihan continues to guide HMY Yacht Sales
with hands-on dedication and by staying true to HMY’s core tenet of focusing on the customer in every aspect of the business. There are eight strategically located waterfront facilities covering the entire southeast seaboard from the Florida Keys to South Carolina along with global access to national and international sales networks. For more
information, visit www.hmy.com or call 954-926-0400.
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To view a slideshow of the event: Click Here
