View Press release and photos of winning teams in the Photo Gallery

Bree 1st Place

View 2009 Tournament Gallery

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Offpiste 2nd Place			Bree 1st Place	Attitude 3rd Place

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BREE SWEEPS 2009 BERMUDA BIG GAME CLASSIC

The beautiful 72' Merritt, Bree, with Capt. Bryce Garvey and owner Randy Ringhaver were the BIG WINNERS in the 2009 Classic.  This team released three blue marlin on Day Two (two were part of a double header success) and then boated a 558 pounder down near the NW of Argus bank on Day Three to take the lion's share of the jackpot winnings.  The biggest blue marlin in the 2009 Classic was the 594 pounder taken by local boat Reel Hot with captain Nick New and angler Dennis Hayes on Day One (this is the first year that the biggest blue in the Classic has been under 600 lb), but Reel Hot was not entered in the overall Largest Blue Marlin Jackpot and so the 558 lb blue aboard Bree was worth $134,333 for taking the $105,000 Largest Marlin jackpot as well as the Day Three Blue Marlin Jackpot worth $29,333.
The three blue marlin released on Day Two earned Bree the Day Two Release Jackpot worth $27,333, and was good enough for the overall Most Release Points Jackpot worth $90,000, and the separate base entry release points award worth $7,500.  In addition, their tally of 2,058 points secured them First Place honors worth $45,000 more, and they won the Manufacturer's Cup for Merritt Yachts which comes with an additional $8,000 of cash.  So, their total cash winnings came to a tournament record $312,166 and an invitation to compete in the IGFA Offshore World Championship. Needless to say they won enough King Sailfish Mounts trophies, Vanmark Jewelry, Geoffrey Smith sculptures, Steve Goione prints and other goodies that they will need all of their 72 feet of boat to haul everything back home when they leave Bermuda - HUGE CONGRATULATIONS TO Randy & Paula Ringhaver, Captain Bryce Garvey, Chris Kaulen, Kyle Laine, Greg Simmions, James Cason and Rick Chapman, THE TEAM ABOARD BREE !!  There was a standing ovation at the awards ceremony because this is a class act team who are very well liked by all the locals and visitors.  They have fished Bermuda every year since inception of the Triple Crown and have enjoyed considerable success - this is the fourth consecutive year that they have brought a qualifying (i.e., 500 lb+) blue marlin to the scales at Barr's Bay Park during a Triple Crown event - I am pretty sure that no other boat has matched that achievement.

Bermudian owner and Captain Brian Lines, mate Dano Lee and anglers Scott Lines, Duncan Roy and Chris Burges on Off Piste scored with a blue marlin release and two white releases on Day Two to add to their blue marlin release on Day One. This secured them 2nd place team honors, worth $22,500, with 1,400 points. This is a good local Bermuda based boat that is on a roll as they also finished 2nd in the 2009 Billfish Blast. Congratulations to Brian and Dano.

Owner Henry Smith and teammates Price Smith, Piers Car, Nick Baum, John Frick, James Boswell and Clive Thatcher aboard Attitude scored an important white release on Day Two, and then at 1:04 pm on Day Three they had a double header of good blue marlin hooked-up.  The first blue was successfully fought stand up by Boswell and released at 1:45 pm, but the second one sounded and died on angler Nick Baum. After 2 hrs and 45 minutes they decided to boat the dead fish at 3:51 pm.  At Barr's Bay Park it tipped the scales at 516 lb, which secured them 3rd place team honors worth $15,000.  Interestingly, this team could have secured the Day Three Release Jackpot worth a bit more money had they let the second blue sink, but instead they won a much more prestigious honor in taking 3rd Place in the Classic.

The beneficiary of Henry's decision was Bermudian Ricky Sousa's Over Budget with a blue marlin release and a white release to capture the Day Three Release Jackpot worth $27,333.  On Day Two, Harry Patten visiting boat Won Buy Land (the 2006 Blast winner) boated a 519 lb blue marlin that won the Day Two Blue Marlin Jackpot worth $29,333. 
On day one Wally Whitley's visiting boat Que Mas, last years Classic winner released the first blue marlin which was enough to win them the Day one Release Jackpot on time worth $27,333, the Intellian Satellite TV system early registration prize and the Geoffrey Smith First Blue Marlin Release sculpture provided by Davis Wealth Management.  

The Game Fish award, worth $7,500, was taken by Wound Up with a 57 lb wahoo. That's three of the past five Triple Crown events that Wound Up has been in the cash awards. 

High point Lady Angler went to Elaine Jones for her 900-points scored on her 60' Hatteras Mama Who.

Top Junior Angler honors went to Spencer Watson who scored 500-points on the families boat Anita Jean

The fleet statistics are as follows - On Day One there was a 594 lb blue marlin boated, 7 blue marlin released and 11 whites released; On Day Two there was a 519 lb blue marlin boated, 15 blue marlin released and 14 whites released; On Day Three there were two blue marlin boated (558 and 516 lb), 10 blue marlin released and 9 whites released.  The totals are 4 blue marlin boated, 32 blue marlin released and 34 whites released.

The final 2009 Classic standings are as follows:

1.   Bree - 1 blue boated 558 lbs; 3 blue releases - 2,058 points and cash
winnings of $312,166
2.   Off Piste - 2 blue releases; 2 white releases - 1,400 points and cash
winnings of $22,500
3.   Attitude - 1 blue boated 516 lbs; 1 blue release; 1 white release -
1,216 points and cash winnings of $15,000
4.   Tantrum - 2 blue releases; 1 white release - 1,200 points
5.   Won Buy Land - 1 blue boated 519 lbs; 1 blue release - 1,019 points
and cash winnings of $29,333
6.   Queen of Hearts - 2 blue releases - 1,000
7.   Chasin - 5 white releases - 1,000
8.   Que Mas - 2 blue releases - 1,000 points and cash winnings of $27,333
9.   Lisa - 2 blue releases - 1,000
10. Weez in the Keys - 2 blue releases
11. Foreign Exchange - 2 blue releases
12. Mama Who - 1 blue release; 2 white releases - 900 High Point Lady  Angler Award
13. Sea Scorpion - 1 blue released; 2 white releases - 900
14. Sea Toy - 1 blue release; 1 white release - 700
15. Playmate - 1 blue release; 1 white release - 700
16. Over Budget - 1 blue release; 1 white release - 700 points and cash winnings of $27,333
17. Overproof - 1 blue release; 1 white release - 700
18. Triple Play - 1 blue release; 1 white release - 700
19. Reel Hot - 1 blue boated 594 lbs - 594 points and cash winnings of
$29,333
20. Rum Bum - 1 blue release - 500
21. Anita Jean - 1 blue release. High Point Junior Angler Award
22. Mako - 1 blue release
23. Reel Addiction - 1 blue release
24. Offshore Lady - 1 blue release
25. Mega Bucks - 1 blue release
26. Blue Chip - 2 white releases - 400
27. Mattanza - 2 white releases
28. Challenger - 2 white releases
29. Touchdown - 1 white release - 200
30. Runabout - 1 white release
31. Tenacious - 1 white release
32. Margin Call - 1 white release
33. Topless - 1 white release
34. Never Enough - 1 white release
35. Reel Lax - 1 white release
36. JACS - 1 white release
37. Panchdara - 1 white release
38. Profit Margin - 1 white release