Sunset Retains Cup In Marina Shootout

OCEAN CITY- The team of boats from Sunset Marina last weekend swept each of the individual categories to take the 14^th Annual Marina Shootout tournament and retain the cup and bragging rights among area marinas for yet another year.

Hosted each summer by the Ocean City Marlin Club, the annual event pits teams of sportfishing boats and anglers from the various marinas around the resort against each other for the right to be called the top marina for another year. For the third straight year, Sunset Marina in West Ocean City will be displaying the championship cup after sweeping several categories.

The last marina other than Sunset to win the Marina Shootout was Harbour Island in the 2005 version. Since then, Sunset has dominated the annual tournament and continued its run with a strong performance last week although the field included just 17 boats. Angler Jon Duffie and the crew aboard the 'Billfisher' out of Sunset collected 150 release points in the billfish division and took the category's top prize and a check for $2,700.

In the yellowfin tuna division, angler Joe Byrne and the crew aboard the 'Cyntinory' weighed the largest fish, a 74-pounder, but the top prize in the division went to angler Schrader McGrady and the crew aboard to 'Reel Fantasy' out of Sunset with a 65-pound yellowfin that took home the $1,080 in prize money because of added entry levels. McGrady and the 'Reel Fantasy' crew also caught the third- and fourth-place yellowfin tunas.

There was just one bluefin tuna weighed in the tournament. It was a whopping 194-pounder caught by angler Dave Fogle aboard the 'Fin-ness,' also from Sunset, worth $900. In the dolphin division, Duffie and the 'Billfisher' crew took first place and a check for $540 for a 29-pounder and also took second place with a 28-pound dolphin and fourth place with a 19-pounder. 'Spike's Boat' took third place with a 27-pound dolphin.