All Ten Tags Out - And Our First Race Leader
Tuesday, 06 September 2011 18:22
Although it took a few weeks to get there, by the end of August all ten tags were deployed - giving us a full field for the 2011 HIBT Great Marlin Race.
The ninth tag was placed on August 12, on a marlin estimated to weigh 800 pounds! Caught by Ann Fohey and tagged by Terry Fohey, fishing on board the Northern Lights with Captain Kevin Nakamaru and Mat Bowman, she was by far the largest marlin ever tagged in the Great Marlin Race. It will be very interesting to see where she goes, and how her behavior compares to the other marlin we've tagged.
The tenth tag, sponsored by Patricia Steele and HIBT's own Sherry Vann, was placed on a 180 lb. fish officially dubbed "Merlin the Marlin" by Trisha and Sherry. This 180-pound marlin was caught on August 28 by angler Barry Alty and tagged by Joe Thrasher, on board the Bwana with Captain Teddy Hoogs. Merlin rounded out the field and officially got the HIBT Great Marlin Race under way.
On September 4, the ARGOS satellite system notified us that one of the Great Marlin Race tags had reported in. The Fish 2 tag, sponsored by the Bay of Islands Swordfish Club Teams #1 and 2, in partnership with Stephen Chow, surfaced about 515 nautical miles southeast of Kona, after 38 days at liberty. Although we're always sorry to see a tag come up ahead of schedule, that's a nice first result from the 2011 Race - and we hope it's followed by lots more!
So with a few months left to go in the race, we have our first leader and we'll keep you posted as the Race goes on.
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