This event has come to a close and what a great time it was. Thirteen boats signed up and fished the tournament. And the winner was the 58′ Merritt boat “Renaissance” out of Ft. Lauderdale. Over 25 fish were seen and plenty of fish jumped off over the three days. We were blessed with incredible weather and clean blue water offshore. And the land activity was world class. The Big Game Club is the perfect facility for a fishing tournament with everything happening right at the base of the marina docks and around the pool. From their waterfront restaurant to the outdoor party tents, everything flowed smoothly. And the service and staff could not have been better. There were some great stories told in the Hemingway bar by industry folks like Guy Harvey, Frank Johnson (Moldcraft), Kent Ulberg (sculptor), Bill Shedd (Aftco), Ed Pang (sculptor), Tim Choate, John Graves (Virginia Institute of Marine Science) Mike Myatt (IGFA) and Charlie Forman. Joining this roster of stars were media folks like photographers Bill Boyce and Pat Ford, along with publisher Fred Garth. Even with the slow fishing the warmth of the people and the uniqueness of this event have me looking forward to coming back next year.

Bimini Big Game Inaugural Billfish Tournament winner “Renaissance” arriving back at the dock.

Team Renaissance accepting their stainless steel jumping marlin sculpture from it’s creator Kent Ulberg.

Groups photo of VIP’s presenting the Big Game Club perpetual award to Frank Johnson.

A cool looking school of fish hovering around an early morning blue LED transom light.

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