Alina
It was the team from Aruba aboard Alina that took the early lead from Day One releasing six white marlin, including a triple-header, and a blue. They held on until the final day to take Top Boat honors as well as Top Team in this year’s International Cap Cana Billfish Shootout which took place June 9th to the 14th. “Finally, after about fifteen years competing in the Shootout, we won the whole thing. We have finished second or third a few times before, but this time we made it,” commented an elated Capt. Eric Mansur as he toasted with ice-cold champagne with his team mates.
On Day Two the bite slowed somewhat with only 31 billfish releases compared to the 42 released on Day One. Alina added two whites and a blue to their score, but it was Shark Byte‘s day to shine, winning the daily by releasing five whites. It also placed them in second place in the Dewar’s 12 Division and only a fish behind Tradition Prime Time in that division who had earned the daily on Day One with a blue and four whites, and added two more whites on that second day.
The numbers on Day Three were much the same as the second day with a fleet releasing 29 billfish. Alina _continued to maintain their lead as Top Boat as well as in their division by releasing three whites, and _Uno Mas quietly moved up in the standings and _Shark Byte _kept pace with the leaders.
The factory demo boat Viking 70 gave a valiant effort on the fourth and final day of fishing by releasing three whites and a blue, falling just short of the leaders. But the surprise at the end of the final day was the Michigan-based team aboard Tradition Prime Time _that leap-frogged from fifth to first place releasing five whites and edging out _Uno Mas and _Shark Byte _in the Dewar’s 12 Division.
When it was all said and done, the fleet of 20 tournament boats released a total of 101 white marlin, 22 blue marlin and two sailfish. In the individual angler category Uno Mas‘s Brooks Smith repeated as the tournament’s overall Grand Champion having won the same honors in 2013. Brooks was also Top Individual Angler in the Dewar’s 12 Division followed by Singularis‘ Jeff Stolarz and Thunder‘s Tim Meaux.
In the Barceló Rum Division Bluebird and Bandolera finished second and third behind Alina. _In that division’s individual angler category, it was _Alina‘s Christian Mansur in first, Blue Bird‘s Humberto Quintana in second, and Bandolera‘s Luis Mario Fernandez, Sr. in third.
