Image Courtesy Bermuda Billfish Blast / Out Your Front Door
Hamilton, Bermuda— The 2023 Bermuda Billfish Release Cup was postponed for one day this year due to unsafe weather conditions, making the tournament a one-day shootout on July 11th.
The team fishing aboard Lunatico, a 63-foot Titan, released one blue marlin during an exceptionally tough day of fishing to win first place in the Bermuda Billfish Release Cup. Capt. Corey Gillespie, with mate Neil Ashley on the rod, persisted through less-than-ideal weather to raise money for the Bermuda Sloop Foundation this year. Waste Knot placed second and Just A Dog finished in third. The awards ceremony, silent auction, and prize distribution occurred at the Bonefish Bar & Grill, renowned for its delectable cuisine and the island's finest brisket. The Bermuda Billfish Release Cup is a laid-back, enjoyable tournament that supports the Bermuda Sloop Foundation Adam Goodwin Master Mariner Scholarship program. Mark Goodwin delivered an impassioned speech expressing the significance of the scholarship in launching many youth careers in the marine industry. Since its establishment, the foundation has sponsored more than 7,000 students through the program, and the participants' collective $5,000 contribution from the tournament once again contributed to a full scholarship.
To kick off the Bermuda Billfish Release Cup tournament, an exciting nine-hole mini golf team competition took place at the Bermuda Fun Golf Course. In the Fun Golf Competition, Team El Cazador emerged victorious after a thrilling 3-way "putt off" tie breaker, and team captain Paul Alderman was awarded the prestigious green jacket. Team Just A Dog secured the second position, while Waste Knot earned third place. The winners of the golf competition were presented with personalized Bermuda cedar engraved boxes.
For more information about the Bermuda Billfish Release Cup or the Bermuda Triple Crown, contact tournament director Jennifer Dudas via email at Jennifer.Dudas@bonniercorp.com.
Bermuda Billfish Release Cup Sponsors:
Bermuda Tourism Authority, WEDCO, Royal Naval Dockyard, The West End, Guy Harvey, Goslings, Costa, Yeti, Garmin, Spar Yard Marine Solutions, Coastal Carolina Cutting Boards, Bermuda Sloop Foundation, Bonefish Bar & Grill, Bermuda Fun Golf, Pier 41, IWS ScaleMaster, Marlin, Salt Water Sportsman, Sport Fishing and Out Your Front Door.
About Bermuda Triple Crown Billfish Championship:
An angler’s dream, the pursuit of world-record-class blue and white marlin draw some of the finest sport-fishing vessels in the Atlantic, Gulf, and Caribbean regions to the island nation of Bermuda each summer to compete in the prestigious Bermuda Triple Crown Billfish Championship. The three legs of the Bermuda Triple Crown are the Bermuda Billfish Blast, the Bermuda Big Game Classic, and the Sea Horse Anglers Club Bermuda Billfish Tournament. The champion is determined by the highest overall combined points of all three tournaments. At stake is a sizable cash purse, Champion’s rings, as well as the bragging rights of being named Bermuda Triple Crown Champions.
About Bonnier:
Bonnier is an outdoor adventure company that fuels passion for fishing, boating, sailing, motorsports, hunting and travel. Bonnier has the nation’s leading portfolio of experiential events and iconic media brands in the marine category and an extensive series of nationwide motorsports and hunting events. Publisher of Salt Water Sportsman, Marlin, Sport Fishing, Boating, Yachting, Cruising World and Sailing World, Bonnier also produces award-winning SFTV television programming and is the worldwide market leader for international billfishing tournaments. Each year, Bonnier hosts a network of expeditions, expos, jamborees, tournaments and regattas across the US as well as in Mexico, Bermuda, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama, Australia and the Virgin Islands. Bonnier is owned by Sweden-based Bonnier AB, a globally operating conglomerate with more than 200 years in publishing.
About the Marlin Group:
The Marlin Group is the world’s largest network of big-game fishing enthusiast brands, with an integrated portfolio of media and experiential event properties which cater to anglers, captains, mates and others who pursue the ocean’s apex predators. The group publishes Marlin, the industry’s No. 1 source since 1981, and is the worldwide market leader for international billfishing tournaments, with the Offshore World Championship in Costa Rica, the Bermuda Triple Crown, Scrub Island Invitational Series in the British Virgin Islands, and the Los Cabos Billfish Tournament in Mexico. Marlin Expeditions—formerly Marlin University—has led anglers on educational excursions to the globe’s best big-game fishing destinations for more than 20 years, and in 2023 will visit Costa Rica, Guatemala, Cape Verde, Panama, Australia and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. The Marlin Group is an operating unit of Bonnier LLC, an outdoor adventure company that fuels passion for fishing, boating, sailing, motorsports, hunting and travel.
