Sandman bags Top Boat title at marlin tourney
Published: August 26, 2010
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ST. THOMAS — The strategy of fishing in the same spot all week proved lucky for Sandman, winner of the Top Boat title on Wednesday at the 38th Annual USVI Open/Atlantic Blue Marlin Tournament. Sandman released nine blue marlin over the four-day event.
Sandra MacMillan, of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., and owner of the Spencer 60, released five of the blue marlin to earn Top Angler.
“We came to the Virgin Islands for the blue marlin,” said MacMillan, who won the 2010 Custom Shootout in the Bahamas in May. “The day before the tournament, we went up off Anegada and saw six fish so we decided to stay in that area.”
The next day was the first day of tournament fishing and it didn’t prove as productive as Sandman went fishless. After that, it was two releases the second day, three on the third and four on the fourth as the magic powers of the full moon worked its fish-raising effect.
Sandman’s win wasn’t without some last-day surprises and suspense.
“We broke off our starboard rigger so there was a lot of excitement with that,” MacMillan said.
Not only was there the rigger drama aboard Sandman, but the crew also had its eye on Big OH, Gray Ingram’s Ricky Scarborough 63, which nearly matched Sandman release for release throughout the day, but just couldn’t release one more to win.
“I really liked the back and forth. It was pretty exciting,” said Ingram, from Jupiter, Fla., whose team has either won or placed no lower than second in a string of tournaments spanning from Costa Rica to the Dominican Republic and St. Thomas earlier in the year.
Big OH finished as the second place boat with nine releases, while the Hatteras 68, Therapy, rounded out third with a total of eight blue marlin released.
In angler standings, after Sandman’s MacMillan in first place, Puerto Rico’s Carlos Garcia aboard his Cabo 47, Peje, was second with four marlin released and Hunter Brant, angling on the Spencer 61, Ohana, finished third, also with four releases.
A total of 140 blue marlin were released in four days of fishing by the 41-boat fleet.
Done Deal won the famous Jim Smith “Race from the Edge” where the fleet races in from the North Drop and earned the prize of 500 gallons of fuel.
Started by Chuck Senf back in 1972 — and nicknamed The Boy Scout Tournament since a portion of the proceeds have always benefited the V.I. Council of the Boy Scouts of America — the ABMT has evolved into one of the most competitive saltwater sports fishing events in the world. It’s one of the legs of the prestigious Bermuda Triangle Series and Spanish Main Series.
This year, Senf’s grandson, Blain Tomlinson, traveled from California to present his grandfather’s famous fishing jacket, a true piece of Virgin Islands fishing history, at the awards ceremony.
The ABMT is fished under International Game Fishing Association rules and is overseen by a professional Board of Captains and well-qualified observers.
For more information and full results, visit www.abmt.vi.
