Pirate’s Cove tournament is a wrap

The 39th annual Pirate’s Cove Billfish Tournament concluded Friday with another shuffling of the leaderboard.

Country Girl, with Capt. Charles Foreman at the helm, vaulted from seventh placed to the winner’s spot with 800 points that were tallied from a pair of blue marlin and three sailfish. The effort put $370,000 in the team’s bank account.

Country Girl edged out Bill Collector, with Capt. Stephen Draughton, which finished with 750 points on a blue marlin, four sailfish and one white marlin. Bill Collector’s payout was a cool $118,000.

Two boats tied with 650 points, but day three leader Blue Sky, with Capt. Jay Weaver, took the third position on time of catch. Blue Sky took home $74,000.

The 86-boat fleet was competing for a total purse of a little more than $1 million, and caught 112 billfish (30 blue marlin, 53 sailfish and 29 white marlin). All billfish were released to fight another day.

Forty-three gamefish were caught and included 11 dolphin, 15 wahoo and 17 yellowfin tuna.

In other divisions:

Keelan Jones, fishing on the Due South with Microwave Chambers, won the dolphin division with a 26.1-pounder – taking home $23,800; Joe Woodington, fishing on the Desperado, took top honors for the biggest tuna with a 75.5-pounde and pocketed $23,000; and Garth McGillewie had the biggest Wahoo at 69.6 pounds while fishing on the Chas’N Tails with Capt. Brandt McGilliwie

Three other teams took home sizable checks for their placements in various other entry categories:

Trophy Hunter, with Capt. Kenneth Brown; captured $177,000; Pari, with Capt. Matt Daley scored $77,000; Bi-Op-Sea, with Capt. Jessie Granitski, pocketed $43,000; and J&B, with Capt. Alan Murray grabbed a check worth $21,000.

In individual anglers categories:

Ebby Hall on the Bi-Op-Sea with Capt. Jesse Granitski was named the top overall angler; Stacy Allen was named the top lady angler while fishing on the Wall Hanger with Capt. Brian Allen; and Mary-Renn Ash was awarded the top junior angler while fishing on the Carolina Girl with Capt. Jordy Croswait.

Bluewater billfish trollers aren’t wasting any time moving onto the next event, with the 20th annual Wine, Women and Fishing Ladies-Only Charity Billfish Tournament hitting the water Sunday, Aug. 20.

If you’ve never watched the weigh-ins for that tournament, you owe it to yourself to check out the antics of each vessel’s crew as they arrive in themed costumes.

With little time to hold their collective breath, the 19th annual Virginia Beach Billfish Tournament holds its captains’ meeting on Wednesday – followed by fishing Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Both events are staged in and around the huge white tent at Rudee Inlet’s Southside Marina at the mouth of the inlet.

So we’ll be back in a couple of days with more tournament action.