(* Denotes a Class of 23 Team)

"Open Wide's Monster 58.1 Takes Topsail"
TOPSAIL BEACH, NC
AUGUST 22-24, 2003
By: Barrett McMullan

With three prestigious and highly attended east coast king mackerel tournaments taking place this particular weekend a king mackerel didn't stand much of a chance. Tournament boats spanned the coast from north Florida all the way up to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina in search of prize kingfish for either the Golden Isles tournament off of the Georgia coast, the Fishing for Miracles tournament out of Charleston, South Carolina, or the Topsail Island tournament in North Carolina. To give credit to the level of skill on the kingfish trail today, in each of the three events a 50+ pound kingfish was brought to the scales. However, thanks to the 2003 Topsail Offshore King Mackerel Tournament champions, Benson Ybanez and Randy Crews of the Open Wide fishing team, North Carolinians can continue to hold on to the claim that North Carolina is home to the giant kingfish.

Coming off of a victory a few weeks earlier in the Carteret County kingfish tournament, Benson and his 25 Contender the Open Wide were on a roll. On this weekend good friend and highly respected tournament fisherman Randy Crews, formerly Captain of the Stealth Fighter, teamed up with Benson for their first tournament experience fishing on the same team. Fortunately for Randy he was joining up with a red-hot boat and combined with the fact that his new team member had previously finished second in this event twice something special was inevitably going to happen.

No great reports from the east side of Cape Lookout drove the decision to stick closer to home and fish the Bogue inlet area. Bait, which had been plentiful all week, conveniently all but disappeared for the Open Wide on tournament morning, but luckily they were able to buy a few dozen pogies before heading out. "We headed out the inlet a little before 8am and decided to fish the East Rock because a few nice fish had come from there in the previous week's tournament," explained Randy. The East Rock is about five miles offshore and is in 55 feet of water. Arriving to find two boats already working the area, and relatively little bait holding on the spot they deployed a spread of pogies and began patrolling the area for only few minutes before the fireworks began. The long line exploded with a blistering first run as Ben took his position behind the rod. The rest of the lines were cleared and the fish made two more long hard runs. After about 20 minutes the fish was angled near the boat and made its first appearance. Randy remembered, "we saw her about six feet below the surface, but the water was so dirty we both thought it was probably a 30lb class fish." Soon after the first sighting she made a surface appearance and rolled up just in gaffing range for Randy. "I was able to get a gaff in the fish with the first shot and then it took both of us to haul her over the side." After some celebrating the radio and telephone reports hit the airwaves by 9am that a 50+ was coming to the scales. A 50+ indeed, once she was finally put on the scales the 50+ guess proved to be accurate as the weigh master called out an impressive 58.1 lbs! Needless to say, this was more than enough to hold off all challengers to make the Open Wide the 2003 Topsail KMT champion. After it was all said and done Randy commented, "it's a great feeling to win a tournament, but really something to bring that size fish to the scales."

After the tournament several king mackerel fishermen began thinking back through the years to some of the biggest kingfish caught out of Onslow Bay, which includes the water between Cape Lookout shoals and Frying Pan shoals, and it was agreed that Benson's and Randy's fish is the biggest Onslow Bay kingfish to be weighed in a tournament in recent memory and possibly ever. Quite an accomplishment guys, the North Carolina king fishermen salute you for helping North Carolina keep its reputation as "land of the giants."

The Logan's Run team consisting of D Logan, his son D Logan II and Bill Slaughter claimed third place in the tournament and second place among the SKA participants with an impressive 35.52 lb stud. "The night before the fish-day I was able to get a satellite shot of the surface temperatures, and it looked like there was a good temperature break offshore of Carolina Beach about 15 miles or so," explained D. D and his crew decided to go with the temperature break theory and combine that with some local knowledge about an area of good structure that the temp break was passing over in order to put themselves amongst the best possible conditions to find a big kingfish. The research and knowledge of the area paid off early Saturday morning as the bite was on as soon as they arrived to the spot. D reported the water temperature at 79.8 degrees with a pretty blue/green color and loaded with baitfish. "Our first fish was a 20, the second one was 22 and then at 9:30am the big fish ate," said D. The big kingfish made an acrobatic strike as it skied on the medium single pogy, then in classic kingfish style, it put on the afterburners and left town. Two good runs and ten minutes later the fish was angled close enough to the 31 Yellowfin for a gaff shot and the eventual third place fish was secured aboard the Logan's Run. 13-year-old D Logan II also took home his first, but most likely not his last, top placing SKA junior angler award for his part in the team's strong finish. King mackerel tournament fishing veteran of 12 years Ronnie Reaves once again captained the Sure E' Nuff to another quality inish this weekend with a 33.82 lb slab that was good enough for fourth place in the tournament and third place in the SKA. The Sure E' Nuff boat has been a fixture on the Carolina kingfish scene for over a decade now and seems to always be one of the most consistently dominant teams, but until this weekend it has been a slow start in 2003 for Ronnie and his crew of Bryan and Allison Doushrarm. "My old fishing partners and good buddies on the Zig Zag boat have had a great year, and I couldn't be happier," said Ronnie, "but I tell you we needed this fish to get our spirits back up after a slow start this year." Ronnie decided it was time to go back to the "old ways" in order to break the bad luck and get the Sure E' Nuff back to its more familiar position atop the leader board. Like the Logan's Run team the Sure E' Nuff team also noticed the temperature break formed up offshore of Carolina beach and opted to head to the area and fish a structure known as the Fairway ledges or Cabbage Patch. "We got out there and the water was 81 degrees and we worked between two numbers about a mile apart," explained Ronnie. By 9:30am the Sure E' Nuff was back to its old tricks with two fish in the boat that were both over 30lbs. "We caught one when we got to the second number, and then put the baits right back out and caught the other one," said Ronnie. The fish were nearly identical in weight and they also ate the same bait. Both fish fell victim to a slow trolled skirted pogy (color undisclosed) on the medium line. Allison Doushrarm is the designated angler on the Sure E' Nuff and with her 33.82 pounder, she won top SKA honors for lady anglers in this event. According to Ronnie, the key to their success is all about teamwork. "We really have a great team and that's what it's all about; that's what makes it enjoyable."

Fourth place SKA finisher and sixth in the tournament went to the Direct Connect team of John Hunt and MaryAnn Webb of Shallotte, NC with a 29.74 caught in 25 feet of water on the north side of the Georgetown, SC inlet tideline. Rounding out the SKA top five were the Pleasants on the Reel Escape team aboard their 26 Regulator with a 28.48. Most if not all of the placing fish were caught on the west side of Cape Lookout this year, which is not the typical pattern for this tournament in the past. Whatever the cause, the fishermen were able to overcome the unpredictability to put up a strong leader board and prove that once again there is always something to learn in this great sport.

Division 13 is nearly complete with only one final event remaining at Wrightsville

Beach at the end of September. The top 15 placing 24 foot and over boats and the top 10 23 foot and under boats determined by the combined weight of up to three kingfish (one per event) will be invited to compete at the prestigious SKA National Championship in November in Biloxi, MS. The Zig Zag boat has a firm grasp on the top spot in this division, but now knowing that catching a 60 pounder isn't totally out of the question, no lead is safe. There are a number of boats in striking distance of the top 15, so for those with Nationals as the goal, it is now crunch time. Time to bring your "A" game for Wrightsvillle. The Topsail Offshore Fishing Club played host this year to over 170 tournament teams. Entries were down a little from years past most likely due to a not-so-perfect weather forecast and the fact there were two other major kingfish tournaments occurring on the same date to the south. This event has always produced a good crowd, a good payout, and some awesome fishing. Several years ago a 65lb fish won the big money and now with a 58lb smoker taking the cake this year, you shouldn't miss out on the opportunity next year to come fish for the North Carolina "giants."

 

"Team Hot Rod Crowned 2003 King of the Cape King of the Cape Classic "
SOUTHPORT, NC
JULY 25-26, 2003
By: Barrett McMullan

The Hot Rod team consisting of Brett Barnes and 13-year-old son Alan Barnes stepped up on the stage Saturday evening to accept their first place prize with wide smiles they had been wearing since their 40+ lb kingfish hit the deck of their 27 foot Contender earlier that day.

The Wilmington based Hot Rod fishing team began their tournament weekend by pre-fishing on Friday on the east side of Frying Pan shoals around an area known as the 30/30. Four small kingfish was the only action to be found, which combined with the good fishing reports he had been hearing out of the Ocean Isle Fishing Center charter fleet to South was ultimately what lead captain Brett Barnes to fish some of his familiar holes to the South. Just after daybreak on tournament day the Hot Rod was able to capture a livewell full of veteran size pogies near Williams Landing above Carolina Beach. Stocked up on bait, the Barnes's headed down the waterway and entered the ocean out of Shallotte inlet to the South. The Jungle was the first area fished but yielded little action. Next, they made the move inshore to a historically productive big fish hole known as the 410/510. With only one other boat in this location Brett and Alan began to question their move, but that uncertainty was quickly halted when the first kingfish was put in the boat after only a few minutes of fishing. Brett explained what happened next, "At 10:15 a.m. our long line screamed off 200 yards on the initial run. Alan gained about half the line before the king took another 150 yards back." A 20-minute nail biting battle then took place between top junior angler Alan Barnes and what was quickly revealing itself as a monster kingfish. The big mossy back appeared from the depths and Brett was able to sink the gaff in the fish as well as grab hold of the tail all in one motion and put him in the boat. "We had estimated the fish in the 35lb range and when the scales opened at 3:00 p.m. we heard a 38 was leading. I didn't think the fish would be enough to take the lead but when it was weighed and Alan turned around I could see his smile all the way from the boat and I knew we had it," said Brett. The fish ended up pushing the scale down to 40.32lbs, which not only would be the largest fish caught in the tournament, but would also catapult the Hot Rod team into the top five in the division 13 points race. Congratulations to the Hot Rod for their first big tournament win and to top finishing junior angler Alan Barnes.

Holding down a strong second place was the smoking hot Zig Zag team of Johnnie Johnson, Harry Fowler and on this weekend two of Johnnie's family members Chuck Lambert and Chad Eckerd. "This has been our year," said Johnnie, "it has almost gone exactly like the 1997 season when we fished on the Sure E' Nuff". After catching enough bait to fish with and to grind on east beach at Bald Head Island the Zig Zag headed off to the 30/30, their home away from home that has already treated them to a win in the first division 13 tournament this year at Wilmington. They arrived at the hole just before 7:00 a.m. and soon after fulfilled the dream so many of us tournament fishermen crave. Just after deploying the last bait in the spread the single pogy trolled on the downrigger was blistered. Harry took over angling duties while Johnnie waited with the gaff. After a 25-minute fight the fish was brought within gaffing range and by 7:30 a.m. the Zig Zag was the talk of tournament with what was rumored to be a 50-pounder. Once the scales opened at 3:00 p.m. the 50 turned into a very respectable 38.40 lb slab. This fish was good enough to put the 29 Fountain Zig Zag boat into second place in the tournament and take an impressive lead in the division 13 points standings.

The third place story has a few more twists and turns than second place as the Got-Tu's 37.76 lb stud came at the last minute after fishing all over creation. The Got-Tu, crewed by Randy Smith, Harold Smith, and Richard Williams, elected to start their day at the 23-mile rock, which has been very productive this year for some quality tournament fish. The first bait hit the water and was immediately destroyed. A 45-minute battle ensued and resulted in a broken lead wire and not the slightest clue of what may have done it. The second bait hit the water and once again, wham! An hour and forty-five minutes later the mystery fish was brought to gaff and surprised everyone when they saw it was a 45 lb yellowfin tuna. Deciding they had had enough of that, the Got-Tu moved over to another hole called the School House only to find small kings. Next, after hearing of the Zig Zag's big fish, they moved to the 30/30 and once again only were able to come up with a few small kingfish. Now running out of options the Got-Tu made the call to run back inshore and finish up at the tideline that had formed very near the lighthouse rocks just offshore of the Cape Fear River. An absolutely perfect tideline had formed and after freshening up on bait the 27 Contender took its place on the line amongst 25 other boats. Not long after they arrived they were rewarded for their never-give-up attitude. The medium double-pogy was the victim this time as the big kingfish made a strong run towards the boat cutting a downrigger line off in the process of blitzing close to 300 yards of line off the reel and headed into the dirty water side of the tideline. Harold Smith angled the fish to the boat in 25 minutes, while Richard was the gaff man and Captain Randy Smith was at the helm. The fish was successfully captured and brought to the scales with just 20 minutes to spare ending a merry-go-round day of fishing with a quality third place finish.

Other teams putting up good points fish included the top 23 foot and under boat the Reel Music with captain Gaston Hughes's 31.26, Brant McMullan on the Carolina Contender with a 31.16 and Dennis Stark's 29.04 aboard the Sea Bandit. The top lady angler for this event went to Angela Brown on the Miss La II for her part in an 18.20 lb kingfish. Although team Zig Zag has jumped out to an impressive points lead with a three-fish total of 92.01 lbs there still are two events remaining with a number of teams in striking distance. It only takes one fish to jump right back in the mix as seen with Hot Rod's charge to the top five in standings after their 40 pounder. Division 13 is once again holding true to its competitive reputation and is shaping up to have a great finish as tournament teams fight for the right to compete at the National Championship in Biloxi.

Tournament director Captain Jerry Dilsaver put on a great tournament for the second year in a row. All week the weather looked great for the weekend but of course someone said the T word, that is tournament, and mysteriously a low pressure tropical storm system popped up off Florida and with it came a forecast of 20 to 35 knot winds expected at the Cape Fear region on tournament day. Captain Jerry stuck to his guns however, and proceeded on with the tournament and like so often is the case we never saw winds over 15 knots all day. All in all, the tournament was a success with entries up this year to 150 boats. This event is put on to not only provide a forum for tournament fishermen to compete for prizes and recognition, but also it serves to benefit the Long Bay Artificial Reef Association. The reef association is very active in the Southport area and is solely responsible for providing great fishing structures in this area such as Yaupon reef and the 7-mile boxcars. This is the second year for the King of the Capes Classic and with an experienced tournament fisherman serving as director the future looks bright for this event. Next year make sure to come support the reef association and enjoy the camaraderie as well as compete to be crowned King of the Cape in 2004.

 

"King Creecher's 42.95 Smokes the Competition at the Got-Em-On "
CAROLINA BEACH, NC
JULY 11-13, 2003
By: Barrett McMullan

For Captain Al Fulford and crew Randy Robinson, Lynn Creech and Dennis McCracken a first place finish in the 2003 East Coast King Mackerel Got-Em-On Classic signified the result of many years of experience, dedication, and teamwork all coming together one particular Sunday afternoon. I'll do my best to convey this story, but if you ever get the chance to hear Al or any of the King Creecher team members describe the sequence of events that took place during this tournament, I highly advise you take the opportunity to be entertained.

Greeted by a stout southwest swell Sunday morning, day two of the Got-Em-On, the Holden Beach based King Creecher team once again strapped up and headed out of Lockwood Folly's inlet in search of pogies first and second a mack daddy king mackerel. The initial plan was to run to an area of rocks and ledges called the shark hole about 16 miles offshore but because bait was located off Bald Head island running back into a five- to seven-foot head swell no longer made sense. The backup plan was to take a more favorable direction and head to the 30/30 on the east side of Frying Pan Shoals. Just after reaching the halfway mark Al received a phone call from a competing team confirming a hot bite at the Cucumber rock, so once again the plan changed and the Creecher eventually found itself dragging pogies amongst a crowd of boats at the Cucumber. After finding only small kings and sharks at noon they decided to head into the beach and freshen up on bait and fish near the Cape Fear River. "I had been hearing rumblings all day on the radio and the phone about a possible bite going down at the Lighthouse Rocks or the River Channel and we just had to check it out," said Al. With fresh bait they headed to an area just between the sea buoy and the inshore Lighthouse rocks and deployed a spread. The first bite came ten minutes later and a 15 lb frisky kingfish that skied a surface trolled pogy was put in the boat. Just 15 minutes later at 10 till 2:00 p.m. the downrigger line trolled at 25 feet with a ribbonfish was sent into high gear. Al described the strike, "you know, I don't think I have ever heard a reel do what it did when that fish hit. The run that fish made certainly justified the size of the fish." After the barn burning initial run heading offshore, which managed to stay free of the Mckee Craft team boat who had cleared their lines, the smoker made that signature turn back to the boat and came back as fast as he left. Al fought the fish in the snotty sea conditions for 30 minutes getting the fish in sight on five occasions. "When I first saw him I said 'my God what a king.' My guys might has well have just fallen over in the boat, they lost it too." Finally the big mossy back was brought just in reach of a fully extended Randy Robinson and his 12 foot gaff as he and Lynn Creech were able to haul in 42.95 lbs of full grown kingfish. After the necessary celebrating the King Creecher packed it up and began its next mission of reaching the scales, which meant navigating in the now extremely sloppy Cape Fear River at dead low tide. After an interesting 20-minute ride complete with a wave breaking inside the boat, water up to the livewell, a torn out leaning post, and a gash in the hand of a crew member, the 31 Contender conquered the sea and made it to the scales in time to weigh their tournament winning monster kingfish. Al Fulford and the King Creecher team are some of the pioneers of king mackerel fishing in this area and although they have painted the leaderboard up and down with top finishes this marks their first victory. Congratulations guys for getting that much-deserved and highly-elusive first big tournament win.

A 33.95 lb second place slab was the reward for Captain Mike Jackson, SKA top junior angler son David, and friends Mike Savage, and David Curley aboard the Liveline for their effort on day two of the Got-Em-On Classic. After fishing amongst a horde of tournament boats on day one at the 30/30 the Liveline team opted to escape the crowd on day two and head to the 23 mile rock offshore of Wrightsville Beach where Captain Mike Jackson had won third place in this very same tournament four years ago. As is so often the case in king mackerel tournament fishing, history once again repeated itself on this occasion. At 11:30 a.m. the medium single-pogy went into a panic as a large kingfish skied directly toward the boat and proceeded to blister several hundred yards of line from the reel. After a full-speed, high-intensity, ten-minute chase scene, the Liveline team was able to bring the track-star kingfish into gaffing range and seal the deal. By noon the 31-foot twin 250 Yamaha-powered Contender was headed to the scales with the second place fish. Congratulations to the Liveline team and especially perennial top junior angler David Jackson who, according to dad, won't let the boat leave the house on tournament morning without him in it. Third place finisher Good T' Go reminds us why patience and persistence will often more times than not pay off. Chris Starling, father Gerald Starling and Kevin Lancaster, put their 25-foot Boston Whaler back on the leader board for the second tournament in a row in Division 13 with a 30.10 kingfish. After receiving a call on Friday night before the tournament from a fishing buddy about a ledge holding a good amount of bait near the 10-mile rock out of Wrightsville Beach the Good T' Go elected to head directly there after catching bait. Chris reported fishing all day without a bite until 2:30 p.m. when a 15 pounder skied and missed the bait. "The ledge was stacked with bait and we just felt that with the full moon there would be an afternoon bite and this seemed like a place with all the right conditions so we stuck it out," explained Chris. Just ten minutes after the missed fish the medium naked pogy was lit up. An initial 150-yard run was followed up by a run that dumped more than half the spool. Once the majority of the line was regained the smoker came into sight as the crew could see the abnormally long fish doing the signature death circle underneath the boat. The fish was finally corralled and brought within reach of the 8-foot gaff and put in the boat. At 3:00 p.m. the Good T' Go was off to the races and made it to the scales just in time to take day one's top position. Other top finishers for the weekend included in fourth place David Jones and crew aboard the Skint Back with a 29.6 who found their quality kingfish a few miles from the 30/30 while fishing from anchor. Fifth place went to Division 13 leaders Jeff Drake and crew on The Law with a 29.10 caught near the River Channel, and in seventh was the Rock Candi with a 25.0 all the way from the Georgetown tideline. SKA top lady angler prize and the highest 23-foot and under SKA boat went to Timothy Staley and Lisa Sanderson aboard the Kings Jester for their work in landing a 20.70 lb kingfish. With that fish Lisa is now in second place for the top lady angler award in division 13. With three tournaments left to be decided in Division 13 there is still a lot of room for position jockeying in trying to capture the highly-coveted divisional title as well as an invitation to the Super Bowl of king mackerel fishing, the SKA National Championship to be held in November.

By and large the fishing was on the upswing after a week of not-so-good kingfish reports. A combination of southwest winds, a large swell, and numerous thunderstorms in the area made it difficult on anglers, but fortunately the conditions did not discourage the fish from biting. The healthier concentration of bigger fish this weekend seemed to be hanging closer to the Cape Fear region. The hot spots including the 30/30, Cucumber, the river channel, and the Lighthouse rocks are all in close proximity to the Cape Fear River and are directly affected by the tidal flows and bait coming out of the river. Another factor that may have played a role in the locale of the major bite was the abundance of baitfish (pogies, Spanish, blues, glass minnows) hanging in the area of the Cape Fear River and Bald Head Island.

The East Coast Got-Em-On Carolina Beach / Kure Beach King Mackerel Tournament was held for the 24th consecutive year at the Carolina Beach Municipal Docks. This tournament is held each year and stands to benefit the Got-Em-On Live Bait Club, the Carolina Beach volunteer fire department and the Kure Beach volunteer fire department. Following the participation trend of most other tournaments this year, the boat entries were down to 163 competing teams. Nevertheless, the tournament staff put on a great show with a beach atmosphere at the captain's meeting and awards ceremony highlighted by the musical entertainment of the Imitators. Both fishermen and spectators who attended the event had an enjoyable and entertaining time. This kingfish tournament is one of the longest running events in the southern North Carolina area and as such is a proven success. A good payout combined with a fun, leisurely atmosphere makes this an event you should not miss out on next year.

 

"Johnnie Johnson's Zig Zag Wins the Greater Wilmington with a 36.46 "
WILMINGTON, NC
JUNE 27-29, 2003
By: Andrew Winburn

"We shouldn't have gotten that fish in the boat," Captain "JJ" Johnnie Johnson of the Zig Zag told the weighmaster moments before he placed the winning 36.46 fish on the scale. After the weight was announced, Johnnie and crewmember Harry Fowler explained their day on the water. "It was 3pm and we still had not had a fish we felt would put us on the leaderboard. The next thing we knew the pogy on the longline was hit as I was fighting one fish," said Johnnie. Johnnie put the first rod down on the deck and grabbed the other rod. It was only a few seconds before their trouble started. The lines were tangled and one was cut. Johnnie was taking hooks from the cut line out of the line still holding a fish as Harry cleared the other lines. "After I got those hooks out, the line went slack and I saw that it was frayed. Neither of us thought we had a chance of winning the battle with that fish," said Johnnie. Thirty minutes later Harry reached out with the gaff and brought the smoker into the boat. "That was a relief. The whole time we were just waiting for the line to finally give. Until that fish was in the bag I never thought we had a chance. It was just meant to be for us to win this tournament," said Johnnie. Zig Zag fished in 70 feet of water about 25 miles to the south. Their fish took over the first place spot that Richard Chapman's Just Natural held with a 33.25.

Richard and Margaret Chapman's Mercury-powered Donzi, Just Natural, left the Wilmington area shortly after the captain's meeting and headed south towards Georgetown. "We drove down last night and put in this morning and had everything ready by 6:30. We knew that the fish were down there, and we were hoping the bite would be early," said Richard of his team's plan for the weekend. That plan was carried out perfectly when the double pogy 24 feet down was taken at 8am. "That fish left the country, completely spooled us. She was headed for deeper water so we had to do some quick maneuvering to chase her down," said Richard. Richard, Margaret, John Rumbold and Jim Stallings all knew the fish was big and worked together to make sure they got her in the boat. The guys cleared the lines and had everything in shape for Margaret to fight the fish that tipped the scale at 33.25. Just Natural fished until 1pm and then made the long run back to Wilmington.

Jeff Drake and Kieth Carter took the third spot with a 31.88 on the Contender The Law. Their fish took the pogy on the flatline just before 11am. "It took me about 30 minutes to get her to the boat. She kept circling and going under the boat," said Jeff. Kieth had her with the gaff and he and Jeff knew it was a money fish but weren't convinced that it was going to be in the top ten. "We knew it was a good fish but that it was going to take something bigger to win. Kieth and I decided to stay in that spot about 15 miles to the south and try to pull a bigger one," said Jeff. The Law did not find one bigger but walked away with third place and a nice check.

Fourth place went to a non SKA boat, the Laura K. Mike Jones and Ken Wrangell of the Fountain/Mercury boat 1/2 Lit finished 5th with a 30.56. 1/2 Lit went past the crowd and fished as the only boat in the spot 70 miles south in 55 feet of water until a few other boats showed up late in the day. "We were releasing fish all day. At 10am we finally got a big one to hit a double pogy on the surface," said Mike. It only took Ken a few minutes to have the fish within gaffing range for Mike.

James Klingenberger and Chris Chamer from the 22-foot Fish Whistle took top place for the SKA Class of 23. David Hill on R/C Holmes was the top Junior. 244 boats competed this year for the first place prize of $43,647.50.