To All Tournament Participants,
On behalf of the owners, management and staff of the Grand Bahama Yacht Club and the Port Lucaya Marina, I would like to welcome you to Grand Bahama Island.
This is the seventh year that we will host the Bacardi© Rum Billfish Tournament.
The tournament has grown significantly over the past seven years from 18 boats to the nearly 60 that have signed up for the tournament this year.
This means you are part of the largest tournament in the Bahamas!
As some of you may know, late last year, The Grand Bahama Yacht Club acquired the Port Lucaya Marina, which created the largest marina in the
Bahamas with 250 slips.
What does this mean for you?
Well, now guests of Port Lucaya Marina have access to the Grand Bahama Yacht Club facilities and both properties are working together now to ensure that we have a full range of slips and amenities for all of our customers.
We also have a lot of development plans in store over the next several years, including the on going dredging of Bell Channel to 13ft. at MLW, a Condo hotel, located on the canal just West of Port Lucaya, luxurious home-sites and condos for sale on the water, as well a proposed member only Beach Club, a Yacht Club house, Slip sales, Medical Centre, 5 Star restaurants and much more.
We hope that all the participants enjoy this year’s event and everything that we have planned for you.
We also wish to welcome the 15 sponsors that have decided to join us this year.
All of the sponsors will be joining us this week and will be on hand to answer any of your questions, hand out information on their products and to give out some of the tournament awards.
They offer a wide array of products for the marine industry including boats, real estate, jewelry, marine engines, power production, boat financing, repair products and boat repair.
So if you are interested in talking with them, just ask a committee member or a marina staff who the sponsors are and where you can find them.
As with previous tournaments, Salt Water Videos (
www.saltwatervideos.com
) will be on hand to record the tournament, provide stills, show videos and will be filming from Duane Crithfield’s helicopter.
Speak with Eric Dallin or one of his team to request shots or if you
do not want your boat filmed or photographed.
In the following pages of this tournament booklet, you will find everything you need to know about the tournament including tournament committee names, communication information, marina staff names, and important information about the area.
If there is anything you need, please speak to one of the marina staff so that we can make your tournament stay a great one.
Good Luck,
Noel Clarke
Vice President of Operations
WHO’S WHO
PORT LUCAYA MARINA & GRAND BAHAMA YACHT CLUB
Preben Olesen, Chairman & Owner, GBYC & PLM
Duane Crithfield, Director & Owner, GBYC & PLM
Noel Clarke, Vice President of Operations, GBYC & PLM
Steven Olesen, Vice President of Sales, GBYC & PLM
Othyniel Pinder, Assistant Manager, GBYC & PLM
Karen Pinder, Reservations Officer, PLM
Thomas Lockhart, Senior Dock Master, GBYC
Ryan Knowles, Senior Dock Master, PLM
Indera Rolle, Executive Assistant
Claudine Pinder, Receptionist
Ron Charlton- Jeffrey Russell- Dock Masters
Fabian- Dock Master- Fuel Dock
Jerome Russell, Boat Washer
BAHAMAS MINISTRY OF TOURISM
Rosalyn Pinder,
Chief Executive,
Bahamas Tourism Office
TOURNAMENT COMMITTEE
Raul V Miranda, Tournament Director
Sue Graves, Tournament Committee
Steve Goione- Marine Artist
Ken Jones- Marine Biologist/Raconteur
Derke Snodgrass-Marine Biologist
Barnaby- Chief Fun Officer
Alan Card- Weigh Master
David Ritchie- Senior Scribe - Steve Rice- Director- The Coelancath Foundation
Bartow and Sheri Rainey- Commodore (s) Emeritus
THE BILLFISH FOUNDATION
Deborah Cummings
Jennifer Thompson
29th Annual Bacardi Rum Billfish Tournament
Meet Your Tournament Committee
Raul Miranda
; Tournament Director.
Organized his first tournament in 1972, the Bacardi Rum Angling Tournament in
Bermuda, with Pete Perinchief, Tom Smith and Bill Rewalt. Since then he has organized and supervised more than 500 fishing competitions. He successfully retired after a 30 year career with Bacardi International in Bermuda and will conduct 10 fishing tournaments in 2008.
Sue Graves
. Little Helper.
Her love for the ocean has led her from Dock master at
Walker’s Cay to many successful appointments for over 25 years in the Marine Industries field. Dr. Graves is now a tenured professor at
Florida
Atlantic
University in
Davie and an invaluable worker in the tournament committee.
Ken Jones
, Marine Biologist/Raconteur.
Has over 35 years of tournament fishing experience.
His accomplishments are too numerous to list.
Derke Snodgrass
, Marine Biologist.
His work with the United States Government (National Marine Fisheries Service) has enabled us to assist him with his various research projects for over 15 years.
Steve Goione
, Marine Artist.
Recognized as one of the top Marine Artists in the World. His commissions of sport-fishing boats are legendary. Steve has been associated with us for over 18 years.
“Barnaby
” aka Michael Jones.
Friend, entertainer, hard worker, he has been helping us for ages. We could not ask for a better worker or person.
Bartow and Sheri Rainey
, Friends and Helpers.
They are both legends in the sport-fishing field. Good people, excellent friends, and Bartow’s knowledge of fishing, fishing tournaments and rules is unequaled. He is THE authority.
Alan Card,
Our friend for over 30 years.
One of the best persons around, a Bermuda Captain that
holds the record for the most Blue Marlin caught in the Atlantic over 1,000 pounds. Alan will be our weigh master.
Deborah Cummings
, The Billfish Foundation.
In charge of the fund raising raffle. We have been working with her for more than 15 consecutive Bacardi Rum Billfish tournaments. It is a pleasure and a delight to have her with us.
And there you have it. Over 200 years of Tournament experience combined! This is your Tournament Committee, the people that will be working with you and making sure that the tournament runs fair and smooth. We are all volunteers. We are here because we have a commitment to the sport and to the promotion of honorable fishing competitions.
THE
WINNERS CIRCLE
BACARDI
©
Rum Billfish Tournament
1980
Bartow Rainey
Hammerhead IV
1981
John Crooks
Great Scott
1982
Joe Munson
Salt Shaker
1983
Sam Jennings
J.C.
1984
Bob Hammersla
Jac-Lyn-Two
1985
Joe Spadafora
Lady M
1986
Joe Russo
Scalper
1987
Lloyd Rasweiller
Reel Time
1988
Rus Hensley
Beastmaster
1989
Gilbert Allenby
Chula Vista
1990
Jim LaBar
Sandancer
1991
Doc
Austin
Bandit
1992
Tim Parker
Skid Row
1993
Jim Carley
Escape Hatch II
1994
Floyd Messer
The Great White
1995
Pete Hinds
Quetzal
1996
Gary Angel
Sea Angel
1997
Ed Hardin
Abracadabra
1998
Victor Bertrand
Take Time
1999
David Cummings
Relentless
2000
Ray Karosas
In Depth
2001
Marty Bookstone
Double Eagle
2002
Kaye Pearson
Showpiece
2003
Ernie Stallings
Aqua Mist
2004
Gary Tullius
Black Bart
2005
Lee Berman
Da Cheeze
2006
Kaye Pearson
Showpiece
2007
Jeffrey Atwell
Presstime
