Southern Pride Team Victorious in Aruba Caribbean Cup

VARADERO MARINA, ARUBA: For the second straight 12 months, the Southern Pride fishing staff has emerged victorious in the Chivas Regal Aruba Caribbean Cup, this time fishing aboard a chartered vessel, the Curacao-based mostly Papucho. The angling team of Gerard Aliseo, Tucker Colquhoun, Mariano dal Maso and Jimmy Taylor, with Capt. Charles Heldewier-Vignon at the helm, completed the tournament with 2300 factors: three blue marlin, 4 white marlin and two sailfish.

With the low-slung mountains of Venezuela visible in the hazy length, the tournament kicked off with wonderful climate and 19 boats taking part. The forecast was for calm seas all the way through the week despite the fact that regional rain squalls would generate rough circumstances from time to time. The good news was the fishing: numerous locals had noted a great marlin bite in progress. One particular crew to locate scorching motion through their pre-tournament scouting was Capt. Butch Cox’s Prime Time, who scored a Grand Slam of 3 different billfish species the day ahead of the tournament. It was a telling indicator of points to come, as the Prime Time would score another Grand Slam on the very first day of fishing to lead virtually the entire tournament only to fall from very first to 3rd on the final day of fishing.

Finishing in second spot was Staff Priority, Jim McCord, Jim Vaughan and Hans Kaspersetz, fishing aboard the Driftwood. They scored 1900 points in the tournament (5 blues, one white and 1 sailfish). The Caribbean Cup marked the effective return of this staff, when a leading contender in the Presidential Challenge sequence just a handful of a long time in the past.

In the angler standings, Anthony Pinzon won first place with 1500 points fishing aboard the Driftwood, an Aruban-based 35-foot Bertram charter boat. They ended up followed by Rob Belcher on the Prime Time with one thousand points in second area and Jeff Stingel, fishing on Frank Pettisani’s Exile in third with 900 factors.

The Chivas Regal Aruba Caribbean Cup serves as an essential fundraising event for The Billfish Basis. The tournament directors introduced Elliott Stark from TBF with a verify for $ 5,000 on behalf of the function participants, with a promise to continue to assist billfish conservation in the Southern Caribbean via the Adopt-A-Billfish satellite tagging program and more.

The Caribbean Cup not only functions outstanding fishing but also nightly entertainment, with concept cocktail events right after fishing and gala kickoff and awards dinners. Aruba’s Minister of Tourism, the Honorable Otmar Oduber, was on hand to welcome the teams through the kickoff and to also celebrate with them throughout the awards. The tournament’s Presenting Sponsor is the Aruba Tourism Authority. The function also receives outstanding help from a vast selection of regional sponsors as well.

For the tournament there had been 70 billfish released by 19 boats and 72 anglers: a quite remarkable 35 blue marlin, sixteen white marlin and 19 sailfish. Two Grand Slams were scored during the tournament, with all marlin staying caught utilizing non-offset circle hooks and Berkley thirty-pound check line provided by the sponsor. Dozens more marlin ended up elevated and lost, proving as soon as once more that Aruba has an excellent fishing for a range of billfish species.

For a lot more info on the Aruba Caribbean Cup make sure you visit www.preschallenge.com. Photography is accessible on ask for by emailing sam@preschallenge.com.

Ultimate Standings, 2011 Chivas Regal Aruba Caribbean Cup
Introduced by the Aruba Tourism Authority

Best Team: Southern Pride, 2300 pts.

2nd Area Staff: Priority, 1900 pts.

third Location Team: Prime Time, 1800 pts.

Top Angler: Anthony Pinzon, Driftwood, 1500 pts.

2nd Place Angler: Rob Belcher, Prime Time, one thousand pts.

third Area Angler: Jeff Stingel, Exile, 900 pts.

Prime Boat: Papucho, 2300 pts.
2nd Location Boat: Driftwood, 1900 pts.
third Location Boat: Prime Time, 1800 pts.