No Excuse Wins 2005 Caicos Classic Release Tournament
The release of five blue marlin won Capt. Tony DeMoya’s 48-foot Viking, No Excuse, Best Boat at the Caicos Classic Release Tournament, fished July 15 to 21, out of Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
The
Turks and Caicos Islands have a reputation for world-class billfishing and this
summer was no exception for contestants in the annual Caicos Classic
tournament. Twenty boats from South Florida, Charleston, the Bahamas and the
Turks and Caicos Islands entered the four-day tournament, an official
Rolex IGFA Offshore Championship Qualifying Event.
The weather was fair and sunny as the boats headed out of Turtle Cove for the first of the four-day event. It's a short trip from the shallow Caicos bank to the deep blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean just offshore and it didn't take long for the action to heat up.
No Excuse took an early lead with three blue marlin releases while Jared Fulton's local favorite, Long Distance, a 36-foot Riviera scored two quick releases. Steve Crammer's 56-foot Viking, Blue Sky, rounded out the action with one blue marlin before the first day's fishing was complete.
The second day proved to be even more exciting as Long Distance released two blue marlin and No Excuse scored one more release -- putting both boats in a dead heat with 4 releases each.
After a relaxing lay day spent playing golf and enjoying the amenities in Providenciales, the anglers returned to fish the third day without results.
It all came down to the wire on the last day as No Excuse hooked up a large fish at 11:45 a.m., but before they could release their catch Lee Taylor's 46-foot Ocean, Troublemaker, called in a hook up and released their fish first, knocking No Excuse out of the running for the daily winner. Troublemaker went on to release another large marlin putting them in third place.
In the end, No Excuse’s scoring of five blue marlin releases landed them in first place as Best Boat, while Long Distance with four releases placed Second Best Boat and Troublemaker took third place with two scored releases.
“Every boat had their shot at the title with quite a few pulled hooks and plenty of excitement throughout the week. And while they were not out on the water, the anglers and friends were kicking it up at parties every night at all the best restaurants and watering holes in Providenciales,” says tournament organizer, Art Pickering.
Turtle Cove Marina in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands, hosts the Caicos Classic Tournaments. The full service marina and international port of entry features a protected harbor with 65 deep-water slips and all the amenities, including restaurants, bars, hotels, auto rentals and shops immediately on the premises.
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