Indholdsfortegnelse for November/December 2019 i Marlin

•In late August, all eyes were on Hurricane Dorian as it mercilessly advanced toward the northern islands of the Bahamas. On September 1, the storm made landfall as a Category 5 hurricane in the Abacos with sustained winds of 185 miles per hour, the strongest storm to ever hit this part of the world. Even worse was the slow-moving track—residents were forced to endure nearly two full days of the most terrifying weather our planet is capable of producing. The devastation was unimaginable, not to mention heartbreaking. Like many Marlin readers, I have many fond memories of the Bahamas and its people, going back nearly three decades. Destinations like Bimini and Walker’s Cay were institutional in the development of big-game sport fishing as we know it today, as was the…

• Amid record-breaking release and participation numbers, angler Tommy Hinkle landed the winning white marlin—a 79.5-pounder—on Day Four of the 2019 White Marlin Open to net his Fish Whistle team $1.5 million. He became the only angler in the event’s history to win the tournament twice. A mathematics teacher from Ocean City, Maryland, Hinkle fished with the same team for the 2008 tournament win, receiving a little less than $1 million for his 81-pound white marlin. “It just goes to say that anybody can win this tournament,” he says, “and you don’t need a big boat to win a couple million dollars.” This average Joe insists, “This is a one-bite tournament, and that’s all it takes.” Hinkle credited the win to teamwork, preparation and opportunity. “I can’t believe it came…

• When you’re fishing for any pelagic species, it’s hard to beat healthy live bait, especially in South Florida where kite fishing is king. Merely catching enough bait for a single fishing trip can be tricky, and depending on weather, tides and moon phase, it’s sometimes necessary to catch your bait well ahead of time. Add tournament fishing to the mix and it becomes downright challenging. The best live-bait teams catch—and pen up—their own bait weeks, or sometimes even months, in advance. BAIT WELLS AND PUMP SYSTEMS The first step in keeping your live bait lively is having a good livewell and saltwater pump system. The shape and size of the livewell is vital, with the rule of thumb for keeping freshly caught bait at 1 gallon of seawater per…

EVERYONE’S GOT A STORY. THIS ONE BEGINS IN VINELAND, NEW JERSEY, SOME 40 YEARS AGO. DOMINICK LACOMBE SR., PRESIDENT OF AMERICAN CUSTOM YACHTS, CONTINUES TO LIVE THE QUINTESSENTIAL AMERICAN DREAM: MAKE IT HAPPEN FOR YOURSELF, OR WAIT FOR IT TO HAPPEN TO YOU—WHICH, AS WE KNOW, IS A STRATEGY THAT HARDLY EVER WORKS. HIS JOURNEY FROM SOUTH JERSEY TO STUART, FLORIDA, IS INTERWOVEN WITH THE TALE OF A LITTLE BOAT NAMED GLASS MACHINE. At the age of 10, LaCombe was put behind the wheel of his maternal grandfather’s boat. His grandfather was a merchant mariner, in the Navy, and eventually the U.S. Coast Guard. Who better to teach him? After all, the stripers were biting, and someone had to drive. LaCombe’s father and paternal grandfather were landlocked upholsterers who did…

• In sport fishing’s recent history, we’ve used tools to look deeper and farther than what we can typically see from the bridge. Using a conventional sounder confirms what the boat has already passed over, and sharp eyes in the tower provide more depth and range for spotting fish before the bite. Both are solid advancements, but what we’ve been missing is 360-degree underwater vision—using sonar gives you the ability to look not only downward, but also outward. SONAR TYPES There are two common sonars: searchlight and omnidirectional. Searchlight sonar works by scanning sections of the water field one at a time in a rotating pattern. Think of this as slow-moving radar with a wide sector between 6 and 24 degrees. This type of sonar gives an increased view over…

Ocean Yachts introduced the Billfish concept in 2007 as a reprise of the classic dayboats of yesteryear, but the economic downturn of 2008 drove the final nail into the coffin of this onceprolific builder. A decade later, the 37 Billfish was reborn when Viking Yachts purchased the Ocean manufacturing facility in nearby Egg Harbor City, New Jersey, and added the model to its extensive line of sport-fishing boats. The boat became an instant success and spawned the 38 Billfish—which made her debut earlier this year—and the 46 Billfish that was introduced at the annual Viking dealer meeting in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in September. “Everyone at Viking fell in love with the 37, and the customers did too,” says project manager John Leek IV, general manager of Viking Mullica, where…

• In the early 1980s on the North Drop off the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, if you raised a marlin and it faded off or you missed it, you would make a circle or two over the area while the other boats trolling nearby would give you some space so that you could get another shot at that fish. There were only about 13 or 14 other boats out, all the captains respected each other, and we all abided by the U.S. Coast Guard’s Rules of the Road while fishing. In case you need a reminder: “Rule 15, Crossing Situation: When two powerdriven vessels are crossing so as to involve risk of collision, the vessel which has the other on her own starboard side shall keep out of the…

FOUR BUILDERS NAME THEIR FAVORITES RUSS GARUFI TITAN CUSTOM YACHTS BISHOPVILLE, MARYLAND I would build a Duffie Boatworks. Just starting construction on his 63-footer, Jon Duffie is not only a fantastic fisherman, but he is also an innovative thinker with a great work ethic. His new facility is almost complete, and it is the height of modern technology. I have spent several hours with him at my shop discussing new ideas and techniques. I take pride in everything I am personally involved in, and his willingness to do things the way I would want them and to experiment with new ideas, together we could create a sport boat that I would be proud to call mine. SUNNY BRIGGS BRIGGS BOATWORKS WANCHESE, NORTH CAROLINA In the 1980s, I met a young…

AS WE MOVE INTO THE THIRD DECADE OF THIS CENTURY, THE BOATBUILDING INDUSTRY IS AS STRONG AS EVER. CUSTOM BOATS REMAIN POPULAR, WHILE THE ICONIC PRODUCTION BRANDS INTRODUCE NEW MODELS FOR THE COMING SEASON. NEARLY EVERY BUILDER WE SPOKE TO EITHER HAD NEW BUILDS IN CONSTRUCTION OR PLANS ON THE DRAWING BOARD. IT’S AN EXCITING TIME IN THE OFFSHORE FISHING INDUSTRY. MAVERICK YACHTS COSTA RICA With plans to build its largest custom sport-fishing boat to date, Maverick Yachts Costa Rica is a brand on the rise. This new 60-footer will feature the same cold-molded construction methods that have made its earlier boats legendary performers in Costa Rica. Naval architect Erwin Gerards designed the new 60, which will be overbuilt to withstand the rigors of serious charter fishing, yet finished like…

There are many great features that have made the Hawaii an International Billfish Tournament unique for so many years. The two most incredible facts: The event has been going strong for 60 years, and its original founder—Peter Fithian—remains at the helm. Here’s a look at the rich fabric of this popular international tournament. FROM THE BEGINNING In 1955, Fithian arrived in Kona, Hawaii, fresh from his previous job managing the Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia. He had applied for the position of manager at the famous, historic Kona Inn; with his experience in hotel management, he landed the job. One of the first interesting sights Fithian noticed once he settled into the new job was that most afternoons out in front of the hotel, a group of men would…

• If you ask any captain the top three things that give them anxiety on a boat, I can guarantee getting a high pressure code on the air-conditioning display is right there at the top of the list. As boats have gotten larger, the cooling and refrigeration demands have also increased exponentially. What used to be a single pump to circulate the air-conditioning and refrigeration systems is now a chiller system or multiple larger pumps. Marine organisms that grow inside a boat’s raw-water circulation lines need oxygen and nutrients to survive. By increasing the flow of water through this system, we are simply feeding them everything they need to grow at a faster rate. So, what used to be a small part of a boat’s general maintenance program has now…

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has recently been cracking down on the enforcement of the Ship Strike Reduction Rule, which is a set of regulations protecting endangered right whales. Several of my clients have recently received certified letters from NOAA with associated fines up to $20,000 for violating this rule. As a result, it is important for captains and owners to be familiar with the regulations, as well as the applicable zones and the apparent methods of enforcement. DATES AND TIMES The rule is promulgated under the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and is specifically in place to prevent vessel collisions with right whales. It states that all vessels greater than or equal to 65 feet in length must slow to speeds of 10 knots…

NIGHT FLASH During the final leg of the 2019 South Carolina Governor’s Cup Billfishing Series, an impressive lightning storm developed just after 9 p.m. While the competitors were settling in for the evening, photographer Cameron Rhodes grabbed her tripod and captured this image from the fuel dock, as the lightning flashed behind the billowing clouds. LOCATION The photo was taken at The Marina at Edisto Beach in South Carolina. TECH SPECS CAMERA: Nikon D7200 LENS: Tamron 10-24mm ISO: 3,200 APERTURE: f/4 SPEED: 0.6 sec…

• Although the Reel Steel team has fished plenty of Bermuda events, this was the first time it won the Triple Crown. The team of Capt. Jason Parker, mate Drake Cropper, boat owner Mike Verzaleno, anglers John Cantiverii, Charles Coates, and Kayla and Marc Verzaleno tallied 6,600 points in the series for their 12 blue marlin and three white marlin releases during the course of the three tournament legs. Team Flyer amassed 6,000 series points for releasing 12 blues—eight of which were caught by angler Mark Woodbury; the third-place series team, the 75-foot Spencer Big Deal, scored 3,700 points. One white marlin separated first and second place in Leg One—the Bermuda Billfish Blast—with the 66-foot Hines Farley Reel Steel declared the winner for releasing two blues and two whites. Waste…

The first day of our 2019 Marlin University session in Guatemala was proof that you can never overestimate the skill level of any angler. On the ride out to the fishing grounds, I talked about past experiences with the three students I had for the day aboard Finest Kind, a 40-foot Whiticar. Each of them said they had done this kind of fishing before, so I dived right into the basics of dead-bait fishing. The guys whiffed a couple of cheap shots on the rigger baits, then we finally came tight on a beautiful pitch-bait bite off the right short teaser. As the rod bent over and a lit-up sailfish erupted from the calm Pacific, I offered a silent word of thanks to the fishing gods and scanned for another…

Tarheel is the first demo boat for Bayliss Boatworks, in Wanchese, North Carolina. She was built not only to highlight innovation, but to incorporate the input received from the captains and owners of past and present builds. Combine that with John Bayliss’ 40-plus years of experience on the water and the incredible team of craftsmen he has assembled, and this new 62 will make anyone an admirer of custom Carolina boats. “Tarheel was designed to be an outstanding fishing boat, offering the owners and crew low maintenance and easy cleanup while maintaining the level of fit and finish people have come to expect from us,” Bayliss says. The boat lives up to her name and even sports a customized paint color—Tarheel Blue—as well as beautifully faired and curved lines. In…

• Even though I’m a stock, bond and private-equity person, in my opinion, the best way to start building wealth is in real estate. That doesn’t mean rental apartments or being a landlord; I mean buying your own home and taking advantage of home ownership. Most full-time fishermen spend their time traveling during the different seasons—from the mid-Atlantic or Northeast in the summer, to Florida, the Bahamas and Central America during the winter—but everyone has a place they call home. Here are just a few of the benefits of owning a home: ▪Gaining equity: Buying a home today for one price and having it increase in value over 20 to 30 years is a great way to increase your wealth. Start by identifying a home that has the potential to…