2009 Palm Beach Sailfish Classic
T
he4thAnnual PalmBeach
Sailfish Classic took place
starting with the Captain's
meeting at the Buccaneer on
the evening of January 1, 2009.
Thus began the '09 Sailfish
Tournament Season in Palm
Beach. The tournament boats
were a mix of the old time trollers
and kite flying center consoles,
and the anticipation was high as
Day 1 of fishing broke with great
weather and the teams headed
out.
Day 1 was another sterling
performance by Wink
Doerzbacher and the crew of the
Masque, as they were top boat
with 8 releases on dead bait for
1600 points, closely followed by
Big Oh with 7 releases for 1400
points. Angler Molly Fleming
aboard the Certifiable released
the first fish of the tournament
just minutes after lines in.
The family that benefited
from the 2008 Make-A-Wish
donation was in attendance
for the dinner and gave a very
moving speech about how much
the tournament and the charity
had changed their lives for the
better. The evening continued at
the Buccaneer with a fabulous
magic show by Mio.
Day 2 conditions found most
of the boats heading north
again, and in a closely fought
battle decided on time, Team
Big Oh ended up as Top Boat
for the tournament, adding 5
fish to bring them to 12 for the
tournament, edging out Masque
by 23 minutes. Certifiable
rounded out the top 3 as Molly
Fleming captured Top Female
Angler award. Rudy Polselli
aboard the Rude Awakening
was Top Angler. Catch
One had a productive
dayonlivebait,releasing
10 fish. Bob DeGabriel
released the final fish
of the tournament and
Junior angler Patrick
Miller won his division.
Top Wahoo was landed
by another Junior
angler, Camden Varley-
Harris and weighed a
hefty 46.2 pounds. Top
Captain was Ronnie
Fields aboard Big Oh,
and Big Oh and Masque
won the Crew Awards.
The awards ceremony
followed dinner and cocktails
with Tournament Director Pat
Ross and Helen Hironomus
presenting the trophies to the
winners as well as a check
to the Billfish Foundation in
the amount of $12,000.00,
and a check to Make-A-Wish
for $22,000.00. In four short
years, the Palm Beach Sailfish
Classic has given $150,000.00
to the charities, and granted
20 children's wishes through
the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Mark your calendars, same
time, same place next year for
the 2010 Palm Beach Sailfish
Classic!
Photos credits:
Michael Price Photography
www.michaelpricephotography.com
38
TOURNAMENT NEWS
"4 years&
$150,000 raised"
`Mio' the Magician
by Matt Murray

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