By Captain Dave Lear, PCBGT.com
It was no small incident on the Gulf Stream. Sheet metal damage took home first place and a big payout at the 35th Annual Alice Kelly Memorial Ladies Only Billfish Tournament, which concluded Sunday. Anglers Emma Lowenstein, Becky Snider and Mary Beth Evans each released a blue marlin worth 150 points to claim the first place trophy. The team also won $48,450 in the winner-takes-all Billfish Jackpot. Colin Oxnard is the captain of the 62 Spencer Yacht out of Manteo. Kayla Paxton and Julia Whelan were the other team members, joined in the cockpit by buddies Andrew Allesio and Bryce White.
Quote (57 Island Boat Works/Captain Gerrad Otto), Sally Girl (57 Ricky Scarborough/Captain Jason Krahenbill), Due south (58 Bobby Sullivan/Capt. Mark Chambers) and Renegade (40 Cabo/Capt. Paul Michael) finished second through fifth. Each boat scored four swordfish and 400 points. Rankings were based on the time the fish were released.
Dolphins are the other main catch at the Alice Kelly Memorial and Epos, A 38 Northern Bay, captained by Eddie Hoffman, was the best boat this year. Taylor Thomas was on the line when the 26.2-pound fish bit, earning the team $59,500 in prize money.
“The fight lasted about 15 minutes with conventional equipment,” explained Thomas after her dolphin was weighed. “I handled it very carefully and we are confident that it will hold out. The sea was not too bad today. We had some sun and a few showers. It was a fun day.” This was Thomas’ second time taking part in this competition.
In the other sportfish categories, Savanah Whitfield caught the best tuna at 54.3 pounds. She fished on board salvationa 50 Omie Tillet with Captain Jamin Simmons at the helm. Julia Allen caught the heaviest Wahoo of 47.4 pounds in a competition on Bobojoa 61 Ritchie Howell, captained by Patrick Byrd.
Rhonda Abell released two sailfish and won the Paula Stansky Award for Angling Excellence. She fished on board Quote. Thirteen-year-old Ella Rains received the Lucy B. Gaddy Top Junior Angler Scholarship Award after releasing a sailfish. sunseta 47 Metts Custom, piloted by Captain Terry Metts.
A fleet of 155 boats with over 930 anglers participated in the 35th edition of the Alice Kelly Memorial. A total of 88 swordfish were released, including 70 sailfish, 16 blue and two white marlin. Twenty game fish were weighed for a total weight of 526.2 pounds.
The tournament was created in honor of Alice Kelly, a passionate angler and volunteer from the Outer Banks who lost her battle with cancer. It is a major fundraiser for the Inter-Faith Community Outreach Program. The ICO helps individuals and families undergoing cancer treatment on the Outer Banks. Through its donations last year, the ICO has been able to help 1,100 families battling various types of cancer in 2023.
“Thank you all for sticking with us despite the inclement weather and for your amazing support for this special cause,” said Tournament Director Heather Maxwell. “You are the best and we look forward to seeing you all again on August 9th and 10th for the 36th Annual Alice Kelly Memorial.”
To view the awards ceremony, please watch the video embedded below via Facebook:
