Fender Bender Triumphs at 35th Annual Alice Kelly Memorial Ladies Only Billfish Tournament

Manteo, North Carolina:

It was smooth sailing for Fender Bender at the 35th Annual Alice Kelly Memorial Ladies Only Billfish Tournament, which concluded on Sunday. Anglers Emma Lowenstein, Becky Snider, and Mary Beth Evans each released a blue marlin, earning 150 points apiece and securing the first-place trophy. The team also claimed $48,450 in the winner-take-all Billfish Jackpot. The Manteo-based 62 Spencer Yacht was captained by Colin Oxnard, with team members Kayla Paxton and Julia Whelan, and mates Andrew Allesio and Bryce White assisting in the cockpit.

Citation (57 Island Boat Works/Capt. Gerrad Otto), Sally Girl (57 Ricky Scarborough/Capt. Jason Krahenbill), Due South (58 Bobby Sullivan/Capt. Mark Chambers), and Renegade (40 Cabo/Capt. Paul Michael) finished in second through fifth places, respectively, each scoring four billfish and 400 points. The standings were determined by the release times of the fish.

In the dolphin category, Epic, a 38 Northern Bay captained by Eddie Hoffman, took top honors. Taylor Thomas reeled in the winning 26.2-pound fish, earning the team a cash prize of $59,500. “The fight took about 15 minutes on conventional tackle,” Thomas said. “I was very careful with it, and we’re confident it will hold up. The seas weren’t too bad today. We had some sun along with a few showers. It was a fun day.” This was Thomas’s second year competing in the event.

In other game fish categories, Savanah Whitfield caught the top tuna at 54.3 pounds aboard Salvation, a 50 Omie Tillet captained by Jamin Simmons. Julia Allen landed the heaviest wahoo at 47.4 pounds while competing on Bobojo, a 61 Ritchie Howell captained by Patrick Byrd.

Rhonda Abell released two sailfish to earn the Paula Stansky Award for Angling Excellence while fishing aboard Citation. Thirteen-year-old Ella Rains earned the Lucy B. Gaddy top Junior Angler Scholarship Award after releasing a sailfish on Sundown, a 47 Metts Custom captained by Terry Metts.

A fleet of 155 boats with over 930 lady anglers competed in this year’s tournament. A total of 88 billfish were released, including 70 sailfish, 16 blue marlin, and two white marlin. Twenty game fish were weighed, totaling 526.2 pounds.

The tournament, created in honor of Alice Kelly, a passionate angler and Outer Banks volunteer who lost her battle with cancer, is a major fundraiser for the Inter-Faith Community Outreach (ICO) program. The ICO supports individuals and families dealing with cancer treatment on the Outer Banks. Last year, tournament donations helped the ICO assist 1,100 families facing various types of cancer.

“Thank you all for sticking with us through some bad weather and for your tremendous support for this special cause,” said Tournament Director Heather Maxwell. “You’re the best, and we look forward to seeing everyone next August 9-10 for the 36th Annual Alice Kelly Memorial.”