Photo by Vonkantor.com
Sebastian Exchange Club Foundation’s 2016 Blue Water Open
The Sebastian Exchange Club has a long history of promoting the prevention of child abuse and making the community a better place to live. These efforts are made possible by their annual offshore fishing tournament, The Exchange Club of Sebastian Foundation’s Blue Water Open Charity Offshore Fishing Tournament. This year’s tournament will be held on June 4 out of Capt’n Butcher’s Waterfront Resort, Seafood Grille and Bar on Indian River Drive in Sebastian.
This tournament is run like a fine-tuned instrument. Activities begin at 6 p.m. on Friday June 3 with boat registration, the VIP Sponsor Party, captains’ meeting, raffles and much, much more. Fishing starts at 6 a.m. on Saturday morning, June 4. There is no check-out, and boats can leave from any inlet, but must check-in at Capt’n Butcher’s between 2 and 5 p.m. at the weigh-in, no exceptions. Boats must be registered on Friday evening by the captain, in person. Entry fee is $250 per boat. The event boasts a guaranteed purse of $16,000. The species placing in first through fourth places on the main board are wahoo, dolphin, kingfish and grouper. There’s also a bonus board that awards 10-$200 places that didn’t make the main board. In addition, $1,000 each can be won for biggest amberjack and cobia, even though these species are not in the tournament categories.
This will be the 23rd year for the Blue Water Open. Through the years this event has raised over $433,000, which is donated back to the community through non-profit organizations whose goals are to prevent child abuse, promote youth and support the community. Some of the charities benefiting from the event are Youth Guidance, Yellow Umbrella Child Abuse Prevention Center, Boys and Girls Club, Hibiscus Center, local Boy Scout troops, Shiloh Youth Ranch, Roseland Ecumenical Food Pantry and school sports associations.
The Sebastian Exchange Club encourages the fishing community to come out June 3-4 and fish this tournament. Not only do you have a great chance to earn some prize money, but you will be helping a lot of worthwhile causes.