It’s time for the USVI Open/Atlantic Blue Marlin Tournament
Catch and release big blue marlin and lots of them at the 46th USVI Open/Atlantic Blue Marlin Tournament (ABMT) August 23-25 out of IGY’s American Yacht Harbor Marina in Red Hook on St. Thomas, U.S.V.I.
“Last year was the first time this was a boat tournament, and it will remain so for this year,” says Andrea “Andy” Courteau, who co-directs the tournament with Capt. Billy Borer. “Being able to host this tournament for the 46th year in a row is a great way to show the sport fishing community that the U.S.V.I. is a premier destination for boating. Two major hurricanes last year can’t keep us down.”
Indeed, IGY has completely resurfaced its A-dock, added new electrical pedestals and repaired and re-mounted the record 1,073-pound marlin replica at the entrance. The conservation-oriented ABMT is a 100-percent release tournament. No blue marlin is or has been brought to the docks for over 20 years.
Proceeds from the USVI Open benefit the non-profit Marine Vocational Program, a vocational course that provides Virgin Islands’ youth with a career path to the marine hospitality industry.
By Carol Bareuther, Southern Boating August 2018