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This year’s ninth-annual event for Viking and Valhalla owners and their families drew 50 boats and more than 500 people, with tournament-record fish landed and a team becoming a three-peat champion.
The team fishing aboard the Viking 50 Roenick was named the top boat for the third consecutive year, releasing 10 sailfish, followed by the Viking 44 Miss Peggy Sue II with two tournament-record-setting swordfish, and Bimini, a Viking 58 that released four sails and brought a pair of tuna to the scales.
Miss Peggy Sue II’s David Heeter earned Top Angler honors with 340- and 245-pound swordfish, and Rosalie “Roe” Apostoleres of Roenick captured the Top Female Angler award for the third year in a row. Angler Steve Rodgers on the Viking 72 Bid Time weighed a 131.6-pound yellowfin tuna, also a record-setter for the event as the first yellowfin weighed.
“It was a Key West Challenge like no other,” said Viking president and CEO Pat Healey. “This event continues to amaze me: the camaraderie, the fishing, the fun and, best of all, the smiling faces. Next year will be our 10th anniversary for this tournament and the 60th anniversary for the Viking Yacht Company, so we’re really looking forward to it.”
Read Next: Get to know Viking president and CEO Pat Healey in our exclusive interview.
